BS  1465  .M648 
Miller,  John. 
A  commentary  on  the 
Proverbs . 


A  COMMENTARY 


THE   PEOYEEBS: 


A    NEW    TRANSLATION, 

AND   WITH 

SOME  OF  THE   ORIGINAL   EXPOSITIONS   RE-EXAMINED 
IN   A   CLASSIFIED   LIST. 


BY 


JOHN    MILLER, 

PRINCETON,   N,  J. 


NEW    YORK: 

ANSON    D.    F.    RANDOLPH    &    COMPANY, 
770  Broadway,  cor.  9th  Street. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1872,  by 

Anson  D.  F.  Randolph  &  Co., 

In  tlic  Office  of  tlie  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  G. 


PREFACE. 


The  author  has  brought  to  this  work,  and  carries  away  from 
it  greatly  increased,  these  four  convictions  : — 

First,  that  the  Old  Version  of  the  Bible  ought  to  be  kept  as 
the  standard  in  English  speech  as  long  as  it  is  practically  pos- 
sible ; 

Second,  that  to  object  to  anything  that  corrects  it,  however 
much  it  may  bend  it  from  its  sense,  is  a  mistake,  and,  in  a  large 
degree,  a  wickedness ; 

Third,  that  it  may  some  day  be  given  up ;  and 

Fourth,  that,  in  preparation  for  that  event,  men  should  trans- 
late without  fear  or  favor,  and  that  every  thought  should  be 
turned  on  what  must  have  been  the  real  mind  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

1.  That  the  Old  should  serve  as  long  as  possible,  appears 
from  the  fact  that  the  same  peoples  will  never  unite  upon  a 
New.  A  Bible  in  every  sect  is  a  state  of  things  that  may  be 
almost  sure  to  come;  but  must  sorely  try  the  faith  of  the 
Church. 

2.  To  prevent  this  by  repression  is  wicked.  To  prefer  the 
work  of  King  James  to  the  actual  mind  of  the  Spirit  is  fetich. 
To  gather  what  God  meant  and  risk  all  consequences  is  an  evi- 
dent instinct  of  faith.  And  to  condemn  a  man  because  his 
work  is  new,  as  a  thing  kept  separate  from  the  thought  that  it 
is  unscholarly  or  false,  is  as  rank  a  superstitious  fault  as  the 
Jews  fell  into  with  the  text,  when  big  letters  or  little  letters  were 
kept  wrong  through  idolatrous  devotion. 

3.  There  may  come  a  time  when  mistakes  will  balance  ad- 

(3) 


4  PREFACE. 

vantages ;  when  the  meddling  of  scholars  will  have  grown  so 
great  as  to  honeycomb  the  whole  with  too  many  exceptions. 
The  old  ice  will  then  be  found  too  rotten,  and  there  willcome 
the  avalanche ;  and 

4.  There  should  be  a  preparing  for  this ;  in  that  all  this  med- 
dling should  be  correct.  Men  of  conscientious  minds  should 
batter  away  at  these  man-made  walls.  The  Church  should 
smile  upon  the  work,  so  that  humble  spirits  should  engage  in  it. 
In  other  words,  there  is  a  mind  of  the  Spirit  ;  and  no  trans- 
lation under  a  human  king  should  lay  a  shroud  upon  it.  If 
the  Version  were  but  two  weeks  old,  a  man  might  dig  inno- 
cently under  whole  acres  of  it ;  and,  as  it  is  Avhole  centuries 
old,  it  becomes  our  fetich  if  we  make  all  scholars  that  have 
come  since,  knock  their  heads  even  to  what  is  most  clumsy  in 
the  idol. 

Is  it  not  time  that  our  commentaries  had  become  more  down- 
right }  Ought  not  men  to  strike  more  directly  for  the  sense, 
and  leave  all  lesser  considerations  ?  Partly  for  what  is  horta- 
tory, and  partly  to  be  popular ;  partly,  too,  to  be  illustrative,  and 
partly  to  be  patient  with  the  usual  sense,  men  are  turned  from 
the  forthright  work  of  deciphering  the  original ;  and  when  to 
this  is  added  a  certain  glamour  of  sanctity,  which  grows  about 
aversion,  men  do  work  in  Scripture  which  seems  really  profane. 
Books  have  been  just  published  which  patiently  expound  verses 
in  senses  which  years  ago  they  were  proved  not  to  have,  and 
the  Church  seems  to  applaud  that  as  better  conduct,  on  the 
whole,  than  this  perpetual  eviscerating  of  a  more  actual  sense. 

What  little  the  present  writer  can  contribute  with  what  furni- 
ture he  has  takes  the  form,  under  his  natural  impulses,  of  mere 
interpretation.  If  he  could  overtake  all  the  Bible,  he  would  be 
satisfied  merely  to  be  a  seeker  of  the  sense.  This  ought  to  be 
{a)  popular;  for  the  Bible  was  written  for  the  people,  and,  we 
would  think,  would  expound  itself  popularly.  It  ought  to  be 
{p)  hortative ;  for,  simply  done,  it  is  an  unfolding  often  of  mere 
hortation.  And  as  to  being  (r)  illustrative;  it  will  be  illustra- 
tive in  the  text  itself.  The  Bible  is  a  string  of  parables,  and  an 
honest  vigor  in  simply  mining  at  its  sense  would  give,  in  our 
view,  a  new  epoch  in  all  hcrmeneutical  exercitation. 


PREFACE.  5 

Begging  God  to  give  him  success  in  this  one  direction  of  his 
effort,  viz  :  of  the  plain  sense  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  commends 
the  work  humbly  to  His  care,  that  He  may  carry  anything  that  is 
true  in  it  to  pulpits  and  to  pens,  by  which  it  will  be  better  ex- 
pressed ;  and  that  He  may  smother  anything  false,  and  prevent 
its  mischiefs.  John  Miller. 

Princeton,  N.  J.,  June  27,  1872. 


INTRODUCTION. 


8  I.    OBJECTION    TO    THIS   NEW    TRANSLATION. 

This  New  Translation  suddenly  prints  itself  and  offers  itself 
to  the  Church  with  nearly  one-half  of  its  texts  colored  with  some 
entirely  new  signification.  That  a  tithe  should  be  correct,  seems 
prima  facie  impossible.  That  hundreds  of  able  men  should 
be  busy  for  thirty  centuries  in  deciphering  the  book,  and  that 
there  suddenly  should  shoot  up  such  new  light  upon  it,  seems 
incredible  :  and  is  really  a  confusion,  painfully,  to  the  author's 
idea  of  what  can  promise  to  be  a  successful  work.  He  is  con- 
scious of  every  care,  and  that  he  has  moved  his  foot  about  hon- 
estly until  he  got  it  planted  each  time  in  what  seemed  finally  to 
fit ;  and  yet,  the  innovation  is  too  large.  He  takes  refuge  only 
in  the  thought  that  some  of  his  readings  may  hold ;  and,  if  any 
unmeaning  texts  are  restored,  as  the  result  of  his  work,  there 
will  be  that  m.uch  gained,  and  the  world  will  easily  dispose  of 
his  unreasonable  and  extreme  interpretations. 

§   2.    DEFENCE    OF    THIS    NEW    TRANSLATION, 

One  defence  may  by  chance  be  possible.  In  this  field  of 
Scripture  extraordinary  results  might  follow,  even  in  feeble 
hands,  from  a  happy  theory.  In  the  Australian  gold-fields,  a 
good  theory  might  find  the  gold  faster  than  promiscuous  digging. 
Grammar  is  not  exact.  It  is  only,  like  the  click  of  Morse's  tele- 
graph dots,  approximate  and  not  hard  to  be  mistaken.  Wf 
read  a  book  partly  by  grammar,  but  largely  by  logic  or  the  an- 
alogy of  the  sense.     Suppose  the  Proverbs  never  had  a  Idgic. 


8  IN  TROD  UCTION. 

It  is  meant  by  that, — suppose  they  never  had  a  theory,  or  a 
thought  as  to  what  one  had  to  expect.  Suppose  that  in  the  Aus- 
tralian fields  we  were  looking  for  silver,  or  brass,  or  even  pota- 
toes, just  as  it  might  hap :  in  hill-tops  or  water-courses ;  pro- 
miscuously; hither  or  thither;  would  we  find  as  much  gold? 
Would  not  even  a  plain  mind  come  in,  and,  if  it  had  a  geologic 
plan,  and,  moreover,  an  aim  altogether  one,  heap  up  the  one 
thing,  gold,  cheaper  and  faster  than  abler  and  more  industrious 
hands  ?  Now  there  has  been  a  strange  dishonor  to  this  gold- 
mine of  the  Proverbs :  first,  in  not  expecting  gold  at  all,  and 
second,  in  not  expecting  it  in  streaks,  or  in  such  a  bed  as  that 
one  panful  would  lead  on  to  another. 

§  3.    THEORY    OF    THE   BOOK    OF    PROVERBS. 

The  Proverbs  must  have  three  traits  :  first,  wisdom  ;  second, 
spirituality ;  third,  a  nextis. 

§  4.    FIRST,  WISDOM  ;    OR,  THE    IMPOSSIBLITY    OF    COiMMONPLACE 
IN    THE    PROVERBS. 

A  man  that  believes  in  the  Proverbs  and  expects  them  to  be 
profound,  will  wait  till  he  gets  down  to  that  profoundness; 
while  everybody  else  will  be  put  off  with  a  commonplace  mean- 
ing. 

That  there  cannot  be  any  commonplace,  appears,  first,  from 
the  rank  of  their  author ;  second,  from  his  wisdom,  which  was 
supernatural;  third,  from  his  inspiration,  which  was  complete; 
and  fourth,  from  their  nature,  proverbs  of  all  things  else  on 
earth  not  admitting  of  a  commonplace  interpretation. 

Solomon  in  his  rank. 

Solomon,  in  his  rank  or  grade  of  intellectual  and  aesthetic 
life,wa«  not  only  a  king,  and  not  only  the  son  of  a  king,  and 
not  only  the  son  of  a  very  extraordinary  poet  and  man  of 
thought,  but  held  this  grade  in  a  land  which  had  been  the  her- 


IN  TROD  UCTION.  9 

itor  of  Egyptian  strength,  and  in  an  age  before  or  since  not 
equalled  among  the  Israelitish  people. 

It  is  true  all  this  has  to  be  learned  from  the  Bible.  Though 
Solomon  printed  himself  upon  the  East,  it  is  astonishing  how- 
Eastern  legend  adds  nothing  to  his  history.  And  even  modern 
thought  does  little  to  make  him  greater.  He  has  been  com- 
pared to  Louis  XV.,  and  David,  his  father,  to  Louis  XIV : 
David  in  his  terrible  wars  and  in  his  splendors  like  Le  Grand 
Monarque,  and  Solomon  in  profusenesses  and  license  like  the 
younger  king.  But,  of  course,  this  touches  either  in  but  a  sin- 
gle point.  No  land  has  added  much  to  the  Scriptures  in  what 
they  say  of  Solomon ;  and,  if  any  one  will  search  them  and  study 
them  together,  one  must  see  that  here  was  an  intellectual  prince ; 
that,  if  he  talked  proverbs,  he  could  not  have  talked  poor  ones ; 
that,  if  he  had  three  thousand  (i  Kings,  4 :  32),  and  these  were 
worked  down  to  nine  hundred,  they  must  be  nine  hundred 
gems;  and,  if  the  v/orld  begins  to  think  that,  and  take  any 
man's  translation,  and  throw  out  all  that  is  commonplace,  it 
might  at  once  become  the  epoch  of  a  great  many  hermeneutical 
innovations. 

Solomon  supernaturally  wise. 

But  Solomon,  king's  son  as  he  was,  was  also  a  living  miracle. 
There  was  something  shadowy  in  his  intellectual  prowess.  We 
are  not  sure  that  he  was  a  Christian ;  and,  therefore,  when  he 
asked  for  wisdom  (i  Kings  3  :  9),  it  must  have  been  for  intel- 
lect. The  Queen  of  Sheba  fainted  when  she  saw  all  his  taste 
and  genius  (i  Kings  10:4,  5).  If  God  essayed  once  to  give  to 
a  man  talent  in  answer  to  a  special  choice,  and  talent  had  taken 
almost  its  name  from  him  in  all  the  ages  of  the  East,  how  safe 
the  church  must  be  in  saying,  These  Proverbs  must  mean 
something;  every  one  of  them.  We  are  not  now  to  be  put  off 
with  any  mere  jangle  of  words.  Each  text  must  be  a  brilliant. 
And  we  will  positively  lay  away  a  verse,  before  we  will  "do  it  the 
indignity  of  any  mere  commonplace  specification ! 

Nay,  might  not  this  make  a  new  epoch  in  all  our  hermeneu- 
tics  ?  for  thirdly, 


lo  IN  TROD  UCTION. 


Solomon  was  inspired. 


This,  after  all,  transcends  everything.  Balaam  may  have 
been  very  shrewd ;  but  what  of  that  to  the  moments  when  he 
was  inspired !  Solomon  may  have  been  miraculously  able,  and 
superhuman  genius  may  have  colored  all  he  said ;  but  yet  at 
times  he  might  have  almost  purposely  drivelled.  Like  a  strong 
swimmer  he  might  have  cast  himself  upon  his  back  for  relief. 
But  how  anything  of  that  when  specially  inspired  ?  and  how  when 
his  proverbs  had  been  sifted  over  7  It  is  impossible  to  imagine 
a  poor  text  in  Proverbs ;  and,  especially  when  we  add  the  pur- 
pose of  gnomic  writing,  or,  in  other  words, 

The  nature  of  Proverbs  themselves. 

What  business  had  a  proverb  to  be  dull }  In  common  hands 
history  may  sometimes  nod :  but  how  as  to  these  "  dark  say- 
ings "  (1:6).''  The  idea  is  that  they  are  condensed  wisdom. 
Is  he  a  good  expositor  who  does  not  insist  that  they  shall  so 
appear } 

And  now  put  all  these  things  together.  Would  it  not  be 
an  intellectual  miracle  to  find  in  Solomon  a  stupid  Proverb  } 

Yet  then,  in  the  light  of  this,  look  at  our  authorized  Eng- 
lish :— 

§  5.    OBJECTION    TO    THE    OLD    TRANSLATION. 

The  Proverbs,  Psalms,  Ecclesiastes,  Job  and,  perhaps,  the 
Book  of  Canticles,are  specimens  of  the  most  exquisite  English. 
They  are  polished  to  the  last  degree.  English  has  modelled 
itself  upon  them.  And  hapless  commentators,  who  have  drifted 
away,  have  found  in  the  very  first  sentence  that  they  are  sailing 
in  different  waters.  But  man  cannot  live  by  euphony  alone. 
Let  us  consider  these  sentences  : — "  The  wise  in  heart  will  re- 
ceive commandments  "  (10:8).  "  In  the  lips  of  him  that  hath 
understanding,  wisdom  is  found  "  (10  :  13).  "  He  is  in  the  way 
of  life  that  keepeth  instruction;  but,  he  that  refuseth  reproof, 
erreth "  (10:17).     "Destruction    shall    be  to  the  workers  of 


IN  TROD  UCTION, 


zi 


iniquity  "  (lo  :  29).  "  The  thoughts  of  the  righteous  are  right" 
(12  :  5).  "  Heaviness  in  the  heart  of  man  maketh  it  stoop  :  but 
a  good  word  maketh  it  glad  "  (12  :  25).  "  A  wise  son  heareth 
his  father's  instruction :  but  a  scorner  heareth  not  rebuke " 
(13  :  i).  "A  righteous  man  hateth  lying :  but  a  wicked  man  is 
loathsome,  and  cometh  to  shame  "  (13  :  5).  We  are  disposed  to 
quote  in  the  largest  quantity,  because  the  absence  of  any  faith 
in  the  deep  meaning  of  what  they  rendered,  becomes  the  more 
obvious  in  the  work  of  the  translators.  Where  is  there  any  depth 
in  texts  like  these  ? — "  Whoso  despiseth  the  word'  shall  be 
destroyed :  buv  he  that  feareth  the  commandment  shall  be  re- 
warded "  (13:13).  "  A  faithful  witness  will  not  lie  :  but  a  false 
witness  will  utter  lies"  (14:5).  "He  that  handleth  a  matter 
wisely  shall  find  good  "  (16  :  20).  "Also  to  punish  the  just  is 
not  good,  nor  to  strike  princes  for  equity"  (17:26).  "The 
fear  of  the  Lord  tendeth  to  life"  (19:23),  "The  just  man 
walketh  in  his  integrity"  (20:7-).  "The  way  of  man  is 
froward  and  strange :  but  as  for  the  pure  his  work  is  right " 
(21 :  8).  "  God  overthroweth  the  wicked  for  their  wickedness  " 
(21  :  12).  "Let  not  thind  heart  envy  sinners;  but  be  thou  in 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  all  the  day  long"  (23  :  17).  "When  the 
wicked  are  multiplied,  transgression  increaseth  :  but  the  righte- 
ous shall  see  their  fall  "  (29  :  16). 

Now  we  are  not  satisfied  alone  to  ask,  Is  there  any  rugged  ■ 
sense  in  these  passages  }  but  must  ask  further,  Is  there  not  a 
false  principle  in  them  ?  Considering  their  amazing  origin,  has 
there  not  been  too  little  expectation  of  both  brilliancy  and 
depth.?  Pythagoras  and  Plato;  would  we  not  stare,  if  they 
turned  up  such  special  apothegms  }  We  have  a  right  to  insist 
upon  this.  Even  Lacon ;  would  he  not  suffer,  if  he  were  pre- 
sented in  such  a  dress  }  A  divinity  that  hedges  a  ghostly  book 
seems  to  numb  us  as  to  insisting  that  it  shall  have  great  sense. 
But,  forget  all  this.  Treat  Solomon  as  though  he  were  one 
of  us.  Forget  the  Empress,  and  think  of  some  plain  woman 
in  the  Rue  St.  Antoine.  And  might  not  this  simple  prospect- 
ing for  gold  create  a  new  mining,  and  give  the  very  idea  that 
has  been  mentioned  of  over-innovation. 

Still,  let  us  not  be  misunderstood.     We  are  not  teaching  the 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

doctrine  that  we  are  to  supply  sense  to  Solomon,  but  only  teach- 
ing the  doctrine  that  we  are  to  start  sure  he  has  it.  We  are 
teaching  that,  if  a  man  translates  this  Eastern  prodigy,  and 
reads, — "  A  faithful  witness  will  not  lie,"  there  is  some  screw 
loose  in  his  translation;  that,  if  he  translates  whole  pages  in 
that  way,  there  is  a  false  theory  in  his  work ;  that  such  was 
the  fame  of  Solomon  and  such  his  mind,  as  both  supernatural 
and  inspired,  that  these  texts  ought  to  have  been  considered 
mentally  incredible ;  and  that  grave  men  should  have  refused 
to  translate,  or  else  indefinitely  postponed,  or,  better  still,  pa- 
tiently dug  till  there  began  to  come  out  some  earth  of  a  better 
color. 

And  this  is  not  all : — 

§6.  SECOND,  spirituality;  or,  the   impossibility  of   any- 
thing  SECULAR  IN   THE  PROVERBS, 

The  Bible  is  a  religious  book.  It  is  a  very  small  one.  It  is 
intended  for  all  mankind.  We  cannot  suppose  it  would  be 
a  Poor  Richard  Almanac;  or,  that  a  holy  inspiration  would 
show  mere  secular  pith.  The  apostle  tells  us  the  contrary 
(2  Tim.  3  :  16). 

And  yet  the  work  of  King  James  makes  no  such  point  as 
this.  His  workmen  leave  us  hopelessly  secular  in  many 
places.  ' 

Indeed,  their  whole  Bible  seems,  helplessly,  to  lack  the  clamp 
of  a  high  typical  theory  for  all  its  inspirations. 

Might  we  not  attempt  one.? 

We  have  seven  parts:  (i)  History;  (2)  Prophecy;  (3)  Lit- 
urgy; (4)  Miracle;  (5)  Direct  Teaching;  (6)  Fabled  or  Apo- 
calyptic Allegory;  and  (7)  these  Gnomic  texts.  Let  us  build  on 
two  common  facts : — first,  all  seven  are  literal ;  second,  all  seven 
are  spiritual. 

I.  The  History  in  both  Testaments  really  was  such.  Egypt 
is  a  country  on  the  Nile;  and  Pharaoh  re  ipsa  governed  it.  Is- 
rael really  lived;  and  Canaan  really  produced  in  Chronicles 
and  Mosaic  books,  a  genuine  secular  narration.  Yet  still,  was 
it  not  all  spiritual  >    The  Red  Sea :  would  it  ever  have  been 


IN  TROD  UC  TION.  1 3 

of  record  ?  nay,  would  it  ever  have  been  crossed,  but  as  a  spirit- 
ual allegory  ? 

2.  So  the  Prophecies.  Babylon  was  really  predicted  of. 
And  so  was  Cyrus.  And  the  prophecies  were  all  fulfilled,  and 
were  all  a  miracle,  and  were  all  intended  for  a  supernatural 
proof.  But,  high  above  all  such  uses,  they  were  link-men  of  a 
spiritual  meaning.  They  carried  a  lantern  of  the  gospel.  And 
all  through  Isaiah,  for  example,  with  a  base  of  secular  speech, 
they  had  a  burden  of  spiritual  knowledge.  This  is  our  theory. 
Sometimes  the  vision  breaks  a  little ;  but  it  is  because  the  gos- 
pel-mind bursts  too  much  in  upon  the  prophecy.  It  is  a  rift  in 
the  vault  of  heaven.  We  could  cite  instances  (Is.  45  :  13,  14; 
46  :  II,  13),  as  though  the  prophet  wished  to  let  out  his  secret. 
At  any  rate,  this  is  our  faith:  that  every  one  of  the  prophetic 
Scriptures  is  a  Delphic  allegory ;  and,  when  we  come  to  under- 
stand it,  every  one  of  its  parts  will  be  read  as  a  teaching  of  the 
gospel. 

3.  So  of  the  Liturgical  works.  They  are  bi-footed.  If  they 
limp  at  all,  it  is  where  they  cannot  be  united — the  literal  and 
the  prophetic.  Sometimes  they  are  too  sinful  to  apply  to 
Christ ;  and  sometimes  they  are  too  holy  to  apply  to  Israel. 
Generally,  they  could  be  sung  by  both.  The  Psalms^  therefore, 
are  allegoric  like  the  Prophecies. 

4.  So  now  are  Miracles.  They  are  secular.  They  healed 
the  sick.  They  fed  the  multitude.  They  rent  the  temple-veil. 
They  wfere  hard  secular  occurrences.  But  more ;  they  taught 
the  gospel.  The  Leper  and  the  Withered  Hand  were  allegoric 
sights.  So  was  the  scene  with  the  Demoniacs.  Nature  resigned 
her  seat  for  the  double  purpose.  The  Miracles,  exactly  like 
the  Prophecies,  were  light-bearers. 

5.  So  of  the  Teachings  of  Christ.  He  mourned  over  Jeru- 
salem (Lu.  19  :  41),  but  he  meant  more.  He  gave  His  mother 
to  John  (  Jo.  19  :  27) ;  but  it  meant  a  great  deal  more. 

6.  So  of  the  Parables.  They  were  fabled  allegories — rich  as 
secular — but  with  an  object  altogether  spiritual.  So  the  Visions. 
John  was  actually  in  Patmos ;  and  he  saw  what  he  has  reported 
— possibly  with  his  physical  eyes.  But  the  end  was  spiritual. 
We   conceive   the   theory  that    it  was    not    much    prophetic. 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

These  were  great  Cartoons  of  the  gospel.  Tlie  "  Seals  "  were 
God's  chastisements.  The  "  Beast  "  was  man's  impenitence. 
The  "Prophet"  (Rev.  19  :  20)  was  the  "Little  Beast"  (Rev. 
13:11),  and  was  man's  hypocrisy.  Babylon  was  Sodom 
or  Egypt  (Rev.  11:8);  that  is,  the  City  of  Destruction  (See 
Bunyan).  These  were  great  sensible  signs  with  an  inward 
thought. 

7.  When,  therefore,  we  come  to  the  Proverbs,  we  are  all 
ready  to  give  them  their  place.  Rest  assured  they  are  spiritual. 
They  would  never  have  been  written  but  for  a  spiritual  use. 
And  yet  secular.  Solomon  may  have  taken  them  out  of  the 
street.  They  are  secular  maxims,  and  some  of  them  of  great 
value;  just  as  the  history  was  of  great  value  of  all  the  kingdom 
of  Israel.  But  they  are  not  secular  v.hen  they  get  into  the  Bible. 
Solomon  chose  them  for  what  is  spiritual.  They  limp  sometimes 
as  secular.  They  are  not  all  true  (6:1,  2,  33-35;  14:23). 
They  are  outrageously  false,  at  times,  as  mere  Poor  Richard's 
maxims  (10:4;  22:29),  and  cruel  (20:16;  28:19).  Men 
cannot  get  rich  and  cannot  become  honored,  as  of  a  certainty, 
in  the  way  they  would  imply.  But  they  may  get  rich,  spirit- 
ually. And  hence  our  faith : — that  this  spiritual  theory  of  the 
book  might  justifiably  change  everything.  If  other  commen- 
tators are  without  it,  we  might  be  right  to  innovate.  It  might 
excuse  hosts  of  alterations.  There  must  have  been  covered  up 
much  mistake.  And,  pointing  out  the  spots  to  dig,  it  might 
create  the  fruitful  epoch  and  multiply  results  throughout  this 
portion  of  the  field  of  Scripture. 

Now  add  to  this  a  third  point : — 

§   7.    THIRD,    A     NEXUS.       IMPROBABILITY    THAT    THE    PROVERBS 
SHOULD    BE    WITHOUT    A    THREAD. 

In  a  doctrine  like  this,  we  admit  there  may  be  a  play  for  fan- 
cy; and  it  maybe  right  to  doubt  ourselves.  But,  let  the  work 
be  undertaken;  and  let  the  point  be  tested.  If  commentators 
can  find  a  clear  thread  through  the  book,  what  a  blessing! 
How  the  work  will  loom  out  in  all  the  pomp  of  Solomon ! 
Such  a  task  may  be  in  its  infancy  for  a  long  period  of  years. 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

Still,  what  a  task !  This  track  of  the  giants,  with  its  deep  cuts 
and  its  high  gradings,  may  be  slow  to  be  revealed  ;  but,  how  each 
fresh  length  of  the  bed  will  help  !  Like  the  Sibylline  leaves,  one 
page  will  light  another;  and  the  line,  in  one  place,  become 
a  clue  to  thread  the  sense  all  through  its  more  mazy  mysteries. 
Then,  thus  we  mark  the  theory : — first,  these  Proverbs  must 
be  deep;  second,  they  must  be  spiritual;  and  third,  they  must 
be  connected — not  connected  in  their  secular  sense — but  con- 
nected in  their  line  of  religious  intimations. 

§  8.    PLAN    THEREFORE    DEFENSIVE. 

Too  great  innovation  being  the  writer's  own  suspicion  of  his 
work,  he  has  been  led  to  examine  a  good  deal  collaterally,  and 
find  how  far  new  readings  can  b^  thought  to  sustain  each  other. 
It  led  to  the  third  portion  of  the  work.  The  readings  for  the 
most  part  can  quote  a  precedent.  Large  numbers  of  them  can 
find  a  precedent  in  King  James'  work;  and  all  of  them,  (or,  if 
there  be  any,  there  are  out  few  ex:eption5,)  can  be  ranged  un- 
der a  grammatic  class  that  can  claim  the  cover  of  accepted 
usage. 

Three  departments,  therefore,  comprise  the  work : — first,  a 
New  Translation ;  second,  a  Commentary  of  the  text  throughout ; 
and  third,  an  Appendix,  which  selects  from  the  original  exposi- 
tions, and  classifies  them  for  mutual  support. 


I. 

NEW   TRANSLATION, 


PROVERBS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

1  Proverbs  of   Solomon,  son  of    David, 

King  of  Israel. 

2  To  know  wisdom  and  admonition  ; 

to  put  a  distinct  meaning  into  discrimin- 
ated speeches ; 

3  to  accept  clear-sighted  admonition, 

is  righteousness   and  judgment  and  right 
behaviour. 

4  In  order  to  give  subtlety  to  the  simple ; 

to    the    child    knowledge    and    thorough 
thought ; 

5  the  wise  man  will  hear,  and  increasingly 

acquire ; 
and  a  man  already  become  discerning,  will 
gain  in  capability  to  guide . 

6  For  putting  a  distinct  meaning  into  a  pro- 

verb or  an  enigma ; 
into  the  words  of  the  wise  and  their  intri- 
cate things ; 

7  the  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  main  knowledge ; 
a  wisdom  and  a  discipline  that  fools  despise. 

8  Hear,  my  son,  the  admonition  of  thy  father ; 
and  repel  not  the   direction   of  thy   mo- 
ther ; 

9  for  a  garland  of  grace  shall  these  things  be 

for  thy  head, 
and  chains  about  thy  neck. 

ID  My  son,  if  sinners  would  make  a  door  of 
thy  simplicity, 
afford  thou  no  entrance. 

(19) 


CHAP.  I. 

The  Proverbs  of 
''olomon,  the  son  of 
David,  king  of  Israel ; 

2  To  know  wisdom 
and  instruction  ;  to 
perceive  the  words  o) 
understanding  ; 

3  To  receive  the  in- 
struction of  wisdom, 
justice,  and  judgment, 
and  equity  ; 

4  To  give  subtilty 
to  the  simple,  to  the 
yoimcj  man  knowledge 
and  discretion. 


5  A  wis';  man  will 
hear,  and  will  increase 
learning;  and  a  man 
of  understanding  shall 
attain  unto  wise  coun- 
sels : 


6  To  understand  a 
proverb,  and  the  inter- 
pret.-ition :  the  words 
of  the  wise,  and  their 
dark  sayings. 

■7  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  knowledge ;  but 
fools  despise  wisdom 
and  instruction. 

8  My  son,  hear  the 
instruction  of  thy  fa- 
ther, and  forsake  not 
the  law  of  thy  mother : 

9  For  they  shall  be 
an  ornament  of  grace 
unto  thy  head,  and 
chains  about  thy  neck. 


10  My  son,  if  sin- 
ners entice  thee,  con- 
sent thou  not. 


20 


THE  PROVERBS. 


Ti  If  they  say,  Come 
with  us,  let  us  lay  wait 
for  blood,  let  us  lurk 
privily  for  the  innocent 
without  cause ; 

12  Let  us  swallow 
them  up  alive  as  the 
grave :  and  whole,  as 
those  that  go  down  into 
the  pit : 

13  We  shall  find  all 
precious  substance,  we 
shall  fill  our  houses 
with  spoil : 

14  Cast  in  thy  lot 
among  us ;  let  us  all 
have  one  purse  : 

15  My  son,  walk  not 
thou  in  the  way  with 
them  ;  refrain  thy  foot 
from  their  path  : 

16  For  their  feet  run 
to  evil,  and  make  haste 
to  shed  blood  : 

17  (Surely  in  vain  the 
net  is  spread  in  the 
sight  of  any  bird  :) 

iS  And  they  lay  wait 
for  their  own  blood ; 
they  lurk  privily  for 
their  own  lives. 

19  So  a7-<:  the  waysof 
every  one  that  is  5;reedy 
of  gain  ;  ivhich  taketh 
away  the  life  of  the 
owners  tlicreof. 


20  Wisdom  crieth 
without ;  she  uttereth 
her  voice  in  the  streets  ; 


21  She  crieth  in  the 
chief  place  of  con- 
course, ni  the  openings 
of  the  gales:  in  the 
city  she  uttereth  her 
words,  sayings 

22  How  long,  ye  sim- 
ple ones,  will  ye  love 
simplicity?  and  the 
scornersdclieht  in  their 
scorning,  and  fools  hate 
knowledge  ? 

23  Turn  you  at  mv 
reproof:  bcni'ld,  I  will 
pour  out  my  spirit  unto 
you,  I  will  make  known 
my  words  unto  you. 

24  Because  I  have 
called,  and  ye  refused  ; 
I  have  strcif^hcd  out 
my  hand,  and  no  man 
regarded  ; 


24 


If  they   say,  Come   with   us ;    let    us   lay 

wait  for  blood  ; 
let  us  lurk  privily  for  those  who  are  inno- 
cent to  no  purpose ; 
let  us  swallow  them  alive  as  Sheol, 
and  whole  as  those  that  go  down  jnto  the 

pit; 
we  shall  find  all  precious  substance ; 
we  shall  fill  our  houses  with  spoil ; 
thou  shalt  cast  in  thy  lot  among  us ; 
we  will  all  have  one  purse ; 
my  son,  walk    not   thou    in  the   way  with 

them ; 
refrain  thy  foot  from  their  path  ; 
for  their  feet  are  running  toward  evil ; 
and   they    are   making   haste   to   pour  out 

blood ; 
because  it  avails  not  that  the  net  is  spread 

in  the  very  eyes  of  all  the  birds; 
and  these    are   laying  wait  for  their  own 

blood ; 
they  are  lurking  privily  for  their  own  lives. 
So  are  the  paths  of  every  one   that  seizes 

upon  prey. 
It  takes  away  the  life  of  him  that  gets  it  in 

possession. 

Out  of  doors,  wisdom  cries; 

on  the  open  squares  she  gives  forth  her 
voice. 

Where  confusion  is  at  its  height  she  calls, 
in  the  opening  of  the  gates ; 

in  the  citadel  sh.e  utters  her  words ; — 

How  long,  ye  simple  ones,  will  yc  love  sim- 
plicity, 

and  scorners  in  their  own  case  delight  in 
scorning, 

and  fools  hate  knowledge? 

Would  ye  turn  at  my  reproof .'' 

behold,  I  would  pour  out  my  spirit  upon 
you ; 

I  would  make  you  know  my  words. 

Because  I  have  called  and  ye  refused; 

I  have  stretched  out  my  hand  and  no  man 
regarded ; 


NEW   TRANSLATION, 


21 


25  but  ye  have  let  go  all  my  counsel ; 
and  would  none  of  my  reproof ; 

26  even  I,  in  the  midst  of  your  destruction, 

will  laugh ; 
I  will  mock  when  your  fear  enters. 

27  When  your  fear  enters  like  a  tempest, 
and  your  destruction  comes  like  a  whirl- 

■v^ind ; 
when  distress  and  anguish  come  in  upon 
you; 

28  then  shall  they  call  upon  me,  and  I  will  not 

answer ; 
they  shall  seek  me  diligently,  and  shall  not 
find  me. 

29  Forasmuch  as  they  hated  knowledge  ; 
and  did  not  choose  the  fear  of  Jehovah  ; 

30  they  did  not  want  my  counsel ; 
they  despised  all  my  reproof ; 
therefore  do  they  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their 


31 


way, 


and  are  filled  with  their  own  counsellings. 

32  For  the  turning  away  of  the  simple  slays 

them, 
and  the  tranquility  of  fools  destroys  them  ; 

33  but  whoso  hearkens  to  me  dwells  safely, 
and  has  been  quieted  from  fear  of  evil. 


25  But  ye  have  set  at 
nought  all  my  counsel, 
and  would  n^ne  of  my 
reproof : 

26  I  also  will  laugh 
at  your  calamity  ;  I  will 
mock  when  your  fear 
Cometh  ; 

27  When  your  fear 
Cometh  as  desolation, 
and  your  destruction 
Cometh  as  a  whirlwind  ; 
when  distress  and  an- 
guish Cometh  upon 
you : 

28  Then  shall  they 
call  upon  me,  but  I  will 
not  answer  ;  they  shall 
seek  me  early,  but  they 
shall  not  find  me  ; 

29  For  that  they  ha- 
ted knowledge,  and  did 
not  choose  the  fear  of 
the  Lord  : 

30  They  would  none 
of  my  counsel  ;  they 
despised  all  my  re- 
proof. 

31  Therefore  shall 
they  eat  of  the  fruit  of 
their  own  way,  and  be 
filled  with  their  own 
devices. 

32  For  the  turning 
away  of  the  simple 
shall  slay  them,  and 
the  prosperity  of  fools 
shall  destroy  them. 

33  But  whoso  heark- 
eneth  unto  me  shall 
dwell  safely,  and  shall 
be  quiet  from  fear  of 
evil. 


CHAPTER  II. 

1  My  son,  if  thou  wilt  take  my  words, 
and  hide  my  commandments  with  thee, 

2  so  as  to  point  thine  ear  toward  wisdom, 
thou  shalt  incline  thine  heart  .toward  dis- 
cernment. 

3  But  if  thou  wilt  cry  after  discernment, 
ai;id  lift  up  thy  voice  for  understanding ; 

4  if  thou  wilt  seek  it  like  money, 

and  dig  for  it  as  for  hid  places  of  store ; 

5  Ihen  shalt  thou  discern  the  fear  of  Jehovah, 
and  find  the  knowledge  of  God. 

6  For  Jehovah  gives  wisdom, 

out  of  His  mouth  knowledge  and  discern- 
ment; 


CHAP  II. 

Mv  son,  if  thou  wilt 
receive  my  words,  and 
hide  my  command- 
ments with  thee  ; 

2  So  that  thou  in- 
cline thine  ear  unto 
wisdom,  and  apply 
thine  heart  to  under- 
standing; 

3  Yea,  if  thou  criest 
after  knowledge,  and 
liftest  up  thy  voice  for 
understanding ; 

4  If  thou  seekest  her 
as  silver,  and  searchest 
for  her  as/()r  hid  trea- 
sures ; 

5  Then  shalt  thou 
understand  the  fear  of 
the  Lord,  and  find  the 
knowledge  of  God. 

6  For  the  Lord  giv- 
eth  wisdom  :  out  of  his 
mouth  coincth  knowl- 
edge and  understand- 
ing. 


22 


THE  PROVERBS. 


7  He  layeth  u  p 
sound  wisdom  for  the 
righteous:  he  is  a 
buckler  to  them  that 
walk  uprightly. 

8  He  keepeth  the 
paths  of  jud^iriient,  and 
preservctli  the  way  of 
his  saints. 

Q  Theu  sh.ilt  thou 
understand  righteous- 
ness, and.  judgment, 
and  equity  ;  yea^  every 
good  path. 

10  When  wisdom  en- 
tereth  into  thine  heart, 
and  knowledge  is  plea- 
sant unto  thy  soul, 

11  Discretion  shall 
preserve  thee,  under- 
standing shall  keep 
thee  ; 

12  To  deliver  thee 
from  the  way  of  the 
evil  rn.tn,  from  the 
man  that  speakcth  fro- 
ward  things  ; 

i^  Who  leave  the 
paths  of  uprightness 
to  walk  in  the  ways  of 
darkness ; 

14  Who  rujoice  to  do 
evil,  ««(/ delight  in  the 
frowardness  of  the 
wicked  ; 

15  Whose  w.ays  are 
crooked,  and  i/irr  fro- 
ward  in  their  paths  : 

16  To  deliver  thee 
from  the  strange  wo- 
man, ei'en  from  the 
stranger  ivhich  flatter- 
cth  with  her  words  ; 

17  Which  forsaketh 
the  guide  of  her  youth, 
and  forgetteth  the 
covenant  uf  her  God. 

i8  For  her  house  in- 
clineth  unto  death,  and 
her  paths  unto  the 
dead. 

19  None  that  go  unto 
her  return  again,  nei- 
ther take  they  hold  of 
the  pa'hs  of  life. 

20  That  thou  mayest 
walk  in  the  way  of 
good  tnett.  and  keep 
the  paths  of  the  righte- 
ous. 

21  For  the  upright 
.shall  d-.veli  in  the  land, 
and  the  perfect  shall 
remain  in  it. 

22  I'.ut  the  wicked 
shall  be  cut  off  from 
the  earth,  and  the 
trangressors  shall  be 
rooted  out  of  it. 


and  He  stores  up  something  stable  for  the 

upright, 
a  buckler  to  them  of  sound  behavior. 
To  keep  watch  over  the  paths  of  judgment 
He  must  also  guard  the  way  of  His  saints. 
Then  shalt  thou  put   a    distinct    meaning 

upon  righteousness  and  judgment 
and  uprightness, — the  whole  good  "track. 
Because  wisdom  enters  thy  heart, 
and  knowledge  is  pleasant  to  thy  soul, 
reflection  shall  watch  over  thee, 
discernment  shall  guard  thee. 
To  deliver  thee  from  the  way  of  evil, 
from  the  man  that  utters  upturning  things, 
those  that  forsake  level  paths 
to  go  in  the  ways  of  darkness, 
who  rejoice  to  do  evil, 
exult  in  the  upturnings  of  evil ; 
who  are  crooked  in  their  own  paths, 
and  turned  off  of  their  own  tracks. 
To  deliver  thee  from  the  strange  woman, 
from    the    stranger   that  flatters  with  her 

speeches, 
she  who  forsakes  the  guide  of  her  youth, 
has  also  forgotten  the  covenant  of  her  God. 
Because  she  has  sunk  down  to  death  as  to 

her  house, 
and  to  the  shades  as  to  her  paths, 
none  that  go  in  to  her  return  again, 
or  overtake  the  paths  of  life ; 
for  the  very  purpose  that  thou  mayest  walk 

in  the  way  of  the  good, 
and  keep  the  paths  of  the  righteous. 
For  the  upright  are  to  inhabit  the  earth, 
and  the  men  of  integrity  to  be  left  in  it; 
but  the  wicked  are  to  be  cut  off  from  the 

earth, 
and  the  faithless  to  be  swept  away  out  of 

it. 


NEW   TRANSLATION. 


23 


CHAPTER  III. 

1  My  son,  forget  not  what  I  direct, 
and   let   thy   heart   watch   my  command- 
ments; 

2  for  length  of  days  and  years  of  lite 
and  prosperity  shall  make  thee  greater. 

3  Let  not  mercy  and  truth  forsake  thee. 
Bind  them  upon  thy  neck ; 
write  them  upon  the  tablet  of  thy  heart. 

4  And  thus  find  favor  and  good  intelligence 
in  the  eyes  of  God  and  man. 

c  Trust  in  Jehovah  with  all  thy  heart 

and  lean  not  to  thine  own  understandmg. 

6  In  all  thy  ways  do  thou  recognize  Him 
and  He  shall  Himself  level  thy  paths. 

7  Be  not  wise  in  thine  own  eyes. 
Fear  Jehovah  and  depart  from  evil. 

8  Let  there  be  healing  to  thy  muscles, 
and  moisture  to  thy  bones. 

Q  Honor  Jehovah  from  thy  substance 

and  from  the  first  of  all  thine  increase; 
10  and  thy  storehouses  shall  fill  with  plenty, 
and  thy  presses  burst  with  new  wine. 

My  son,  shrink  not  from  the  discipline  of 

Tehovah, 
and  be  not  revolted  at  His  correction. 
For  whom  Jehovah  loves  He  corrects, 
and,  as  a  father,  does  the  son  a  favor. 

13  Oh,  the  blessedness  of  the  man!    he  has 

found  wisdom ; 
yea  of  the  man  !  he  gets  discernment. 

14  For  her  gains  are  better  than  the  gams  of 

silver, 
and  her  increase  than  cho  ce  gold. 
In  her  very  self  she  is  more  precious  than 

and^aU  Ae  things  thou  couldest  desire  are 

not  to  be  compared  with  her. 
Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand, 
in  her  left,  riches  and  honor. 


II 


12 


15 


16 


CHAP.  III. 

My  son,  forget  not 
my  law  ;  but  let  thine 
heart  keep  my  com- 
mandments : 

2  For  length  of  days, 
and  long  life,  and 
peace,  shall  they  add  to 
thee. 

3  Let  not  mercy  and 
truth  forsake  thee : 
bind  them  about  thy 
neck  ;  write  them  upon 
the  table  of  thine  heart: 

4  So  shalt  thou  find 
favor  and  good  under- 
standing in  the  sight 
of  God  and  man. 

5  Trust  in  the  Lord 
with  all  thine  heart ; 
and  lean  not  unto  thine 
own  understanding. 

6  In  all  thy  ways  ac- 
knowledge him,  and  he 
shall  direct  thy  paths. 

7  Be  not  wise  in 
thine  own  eyes :  fear 
the  LoKD  and  depart 
from  evil. 

8  It  shall  be  health 
to  thy  navel,  and  mar- 
row to  thy  bones. 

g  Honor  the  Lord 
with  thy  substance, 
and  with  the  first-fruits 
of  all  thine  increase  : 

10  So  shall  thy  barns 
be  filled  with  plenty, 
and  thy  presses  shall 
burst  out  with  new 
wine. 

11  My  son,  despise 
not  the  chastening  of 
the  Lord,  neither  be 
weary  of  his  correc- 
tion : 

12  For  whom  the 
Lord  loveth  he  cor- 
recteth,  even  as  a  fa- 
ther the  son  in  whom 
he  delighteih 

13  Happy  «  the  man 
that  findeth  wisdom, 
and  the  man  thiit  get- 
teth  understanding: 

14  Ft  r  the  merchan- 
dise of  it  ;>  better  than 
the  merchandise  of  sil- 
ver, and  the  gain  there- 
of than  .ine  gold. 

15  She  is  more  pre- 
cious than  rubies  :  and 
all  the  things  thou 
canst  desire  are  not  to 
be  compared  unto  her. 

16  Length  of  days  it 
iin  her  right  hand;  and 

in  her  left  hand  riches 
land  honour. 


24 


THE  PROVERBS. 


17  Her  ways  are 
ways  of  pleasantness, 
and  all  her  paths  are 
peace. 

18  She  is  a  tree  of 
life  to  them  that  lay 
hold  upon  her:  and 
happy  is  every  one  that 
retaiDtth  her. 

19  The  Lord  by  wis- 
dom hath  founded  the 
earth  ;  by  understand- 
ing hath  he  established 
the  heavens. 

20  I?y  his  knowledge 
the  depths  are  broken 
up,  and  the  clouds  drop 
down  the  dew. 

21  My  son,  let  not 
them  depart  from  thine 
eyes  :  keep  sound  wis- 
dom and  discretion  : 

22  So  shall  they  be 
life  unto  thy  soul,  and 
grace  to  thy  neck. 

23  Then  shalt  thou 
walk  in  thy  way  safely, 
and  thy  fuut  shall  not 
stumble. 

24  When  thou  liest 
down,  thou  shalt  not 
be  afraid  ;  yea,  thou 
shalt  lie  down,  and  thy 
sleep  shall  be  sweet. 

25  Be  not  afraid  of 
sudden  fear,  neither  of 
the  desolation  of  the 
wicked,  when  it  Com- 
eth. 

26  For  the  Lord  shall 
be  thy  confidence,  and 
shall  keep  thy  foot  from 
being  taken. 

27  Withhold  not 
good  from  them  to 
whom  it  is  due,  when 
it  is  in  the  power  of 
thine  hand  to  do  it. 

28  Say  not  unto  thy 
neighbour.  Go,  and 
come  again,  and  to- 
morrow I  will  pive  ; 
when  thou  hast  it  by 
thee. 

2q  Devise  not  evil 
agamst  thy  neighbour, 
seeing  he  dwelleth  se- 
curely by  thee. 

30  Strive  not  with  a 
man  without  cause,  if 
he  have  done  thee  no 
harm. 

31  Envy  thou  not  the 
oppressorj  and  choose 
none  of  his  ways. 

32  For  the  froward  is 
abomination  to  the 
LoKD :  but  his  secret 
t>  with  the  righteous. 


17  Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness, 
and  all  her  paths  prosperity. 

18  In  her  very  self  she  is  a  tree  of  life  to  thera 

that  lay  hold  upon  her; 
and  each  is  led  straight  of  them  that  have 
her  by  the  hand. 

19  Jehovah  by  wisdom  founded  the  earth, 
setting  firm  the  heavens  by  discernment. 

20  By  His  knowledge   the  deeps  are  cloven 

up, 
and  the  clouds  drop  down  the  dew. 

21  My  son,  suffer  not  to  pass  from  thine  eyes, 
watch, what  is  stable  and  well-considered; 

22  and  they  shall  be  life  to  thy  soul 
and  grace  to  thy  neck. 

23  Then  shalt  thou  walk  thy  road  safely 
and  thy  foot  shall  not  stumble. 

24  If  thou  shalt  lie  down,  thou  shalt  not  be 

afraid ; 
yea,  thou  dost  lie  down  and  thy  sleep  is 
sweet. 

25  Be  not  afraid  of  sudden  fear, 

nor  of  the  destruction  of  the  wicked,  be- 
cause it  is  actually  coming  in. 

26  For  Jehovah  shall  be  as  loins  to  thee, 
and  guard  thy  foot  from  being  taken. 

27  Withhold  not  good  from  the  rightful  sub- 

ject of  it, 
when  it  is  in  the  power  of  thy  hand  to  do, 

28  Say  not  to    thy  neighbor,  Go  and  come 

again 
and  to-morrow  I  will  give ;  and  thou  hast 
means  at  the  time. 

29  Be  not  silent  with  thy  neighbor  as  to  an 
■     evil, 

and  he  dwelling  trustfully  with  thee. 

30  Thou  shalt  not  quarrel  with  a  man  to  no 

purpose ; 
verily,  he  has  already  done  thee  mischief. 

31  Do  not  become  excited  about  a  rapacious 

man, 
and  do  not  choose  any  of  his  ways  ; 

32  for  he  who  is  bent  out  of  his  course  is  an 

abomination  to  Jehovah 
but  wiih  the  straightforward  is  His  secret 
counsel. 


JV£IV   TRANSLATION. 


25 


33  The  curse  of  Jehovah  is  in  the  house  of 

the  wicked ; 
but   the   resting  place  of  the  righteous  is 
blessed. 

34  If  scoffers  are  in    question,  He   Himself 

will  scoff, 
but  if  the  humble,  He  will  bestow  favor. 

35  Glory,  wise  men  inherit ; 

but  fools  are  each  piling  shame. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

1  Hear,  ye   children,   the   admonition  of  a 

father, 
and  attend  so  as  to  learn  discernment ; 

2  for  a  good  lesson  is  that  I  give  you ; 
my  direction  forsake  ye  not. 

3  For  I  became  a  son  to  my  father, 

gentle    and   alone   in   the   regard   of   my 
mother. 

4  And  he  directed  me  and  said  to  me ; — 
Let  thy  heart  take  hold  of  my  words ;  ■ 
keep  watch  over  my  commandments  and 

live. 

5  Get  wisdom ;  get  discernment ; 

forget  not ;  and  turn  not  thou  away  from 
the  speeches  of  my  mouth. 

6  Forsake  her  not,  and  she  shall  guard  thee. 
Love  her,  and  she  shall  stand  sentry  over 

thee. 

7  As  the  height  of  wisdom  get  wisdom ; 

and  by  means  of  all  thy  getting    get  dis- 
cernment. 

8  Exalt  her,  and  she  shall  promote  thee. 
She  shall  load   thee  with  honor  because 

thou  dost  embrace  her. 

9  She  shall  give  to  thy  head  a  garland  of 

grace ; 
as  a  crown  of  glory  shall  she  serve    for 
thee. 

10  Hear,  O  my  son,  and  take  my  words, 

and  they  shall  grow  greater  to  thee  thro' 
years  of  life. 

11  I  have  directed  thee  in  the  way  of  wisdom ; 
I  have  guided  thee  in  level  paths. 


33  The  curse  of  the 
LoRLi  is  in  the  house 
of  the  wicked  :  but  he 
blesseth  the  habitation 
of  the  just. 

34  Surely  he  scorn- 
eth  the  scorners :  but 
he  giveth  grace  unto 
the  lowly. 

35  The  wise  shall  in- 
herit glory  :  but  shame 
shall  be  the  promotion 
of  fools. 


CHAP.    IV. 

Hear,  ye  children, 
the  instruction  of  a 
father,  and  attend  to 
know  understanding. 

2  For  I  give  '  you 
good  doctrine,  forsake 
ye  not  my  law. 

3  For  I  was  my  fath- 
er s  son,  tender  and 
only  beloved  in  the 
sight  of  my  mother. 

4  He  taught  mc  also, 
and  said  unto  me,  Let 
thine  heart  retain  my 
words  :  keep  my  com- 
mandments, and  live. 

5  Get  wisdom,  get 
understanding ;  forget 
it  not  :  neither  decline 
from  the  words  of  my 
mouth. 

6  Forsake  her  not, 
and  she  shall  preserve 
thee:  love  her,  and  she 
shall  keep  thee. 

7  Wisdom  is  the 
principal  thing  ;  there- 
fore get  wisdom  :  and 
with  all  thy  getting  get 
understanding. 

8  Exalt  her,  and  she 
shall  promote  thee; 
she  shall  bring  thee  to 
honour,  when  thou 
dost  embrace  her. 

q  She  shall  give  to 
thine  head  an  orna- 
ment of  grace:  a  crown 
of  glory  shall  she  deliv- 
er to  thee. 

10  Hear,  O  my  son, 
and  receive  my  say- 
ings ;  and  the  years  of 
thy  life  shall  be  many. 

11  I  have  taught theo 
in  the  way  of  wisdom  ; 
I  have  led  thee  in  right 


paths. 


26 


THE  PROVERBS. 


12  When  thou  goest,' 

thy  steps  shall  i  ot  be 
straitened  ;  and  when 
thou  runnest,  thou 
shalt  not  stumble. 

13  Take  fast  hold  of 
instruction;  let  her 
not  go  :  keep  her  ;  for 
she  is  thy  life. 

14  Enter  not  into  the 
path  of  the  wicked, 
and  go  not  in  the  way 
of  evil  men, 

15  Avoid  it,  pass  not 
by  it,  turn  from  it,  and 
pass  away. 

16  For  they  sleep 
not,  except  they  have 
done  mischief;  and 
their  sleep  is  taken 
away,  unless  they  cause 
sovte  to  fall. 

17  For  they  eat  the 
bread  of  wickedness, 
and  drink  the  wine  of 
violence. 

18  But  the  path  of 
the  just  is  as  the  shin- 
ing light,  that  shineth 
more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day. 

iq  The  way  of  the 
wicked  is  as  darkness  ; 
they  know  not  at  what 
they  stumble. 

20  My  son,  attend  to 
my  words  ;  incline 
thine  ear  unto  my  say 
ings. 

21  Let  them  not  de- 
part from  thine  eyes ; 
keep  them  in  the  midst 
.of  thine  heart. 

22  For  they  are  life 
unto  those  that  find 
them,  and  health  to  all 
their  tlesh. 

23  Keep  thy  heart 
■with  all  diligence  ;  for 
out  of  it  are  the  issues 
of  life. 

24  Put  away  from 
thee  a  froward  mouth, 
and  perverse  lips  put 
far  from  thee. 

21;  Let  thine  eyes 
look  right  on,  and  let 
thine  eyelids  look 
straight  before  thee. 

26  Ponder  the  path 
of  thy  feet,  and  let  all 
thy  ways  be  establish- 
ed. 

27  Turn  not  to  the 
right  hand  nor  to  the 
left  :  remove  thy  foot 
from  evil. 


12  When  thou  walkest,  thy  step  shall  not  be 

straitened ; 
and  if  thou  runnest,  thou  shalt  not  be  made 
to  stumble. 

13  Take  fast  hold  of  discipline.     Do  not  let 

go. 
Keep  watch  over  her ;  for  she  is  herself 
thy  life. 

14  Enter  not  by  the  path  of  the  wicked ; 

and  do  not  attempt  straight  guidance  by 
the  way  of  evil  men. 

15  Let  that  go ;  do  not  get  on  by  that; 
turn  off  of  it ;  and  pass  on. 

16  For  the  mere  reason  that  they  sleep  not, 

rest  assured  they  do  mischief, 
and  that  their  sleep  is  stolen,  rest  assured 
they  occasion  stumbling. 

17  For  they  feed  on  food  of  wickedness, 
and  drink  wine  of  wrongs. 

18  But  the  path  of  the  righteous  is  as  dawn- 

ing light, 
advancing  and  brightening  toward  perfect 
day. 

19  The  way  of  the  wicked  is  as  darkness. 
They  know  not  by  what  they  are  made  to 

stumble. 

20  My  son, attend  to  my  words; 
bend  thine  ear  to  my  speeches. 

21  Let  them  not  get  away  from  thine  eyes; 
guard  them  in  the  midst  of  thine  heart ; 

22  for  they  are  life  to  them  that  find  them, 
and  healing  to  all  their  flesh. 

23  More  than  any  guard-post  keep  watch  ovei 

thine  heart ; 
for  out  of  it  are  the  outgoings  of  life. 

24  Remove  from  thee  crookedness  of  mouth, 
and  swerving  lips  put  far  from  thee. 

25  Let  thine  eyes  look  right  on, 

and  thine  eyelids  be  level  before  thee. 

26  Make  smooth    the   planting-place    of   thy 

foot ; 
and  all  thy  ways  shall  be  established  firmly. 

27  Turn  not  to  the  right-or  to  the  left. 
Remove  thy  foot  from  evil. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


27 


CHAPTER   V. 

1  JSly  son,  attend  to  my  wisdom; 

to  my  discernment  bend  down  thine  ear. 

2  To  guard  deep  counsels 

and  knowledge,  let  them  mount  guard  over 
thy  lips. 

3  For  the  lips   of  a   strange   woman    distil 

honey  ; 
and  her  mouth  is  smoother  than  oil ; 

4  but  her  end  bitter  as  wormwood ; 
sharp  as  the  edges  of  a  sword. 

5  Her  feet  go  down  to  death. 
Her  steps  take  hold  of  Sheol. 

6  Lest  she  should  lay  smooth  the  path  of 

life, 
her  tracks  are  shifting.     She  does  not  get 
to  know. 

7  And  now,  ye  children,  hearken  unto  me ; 
and     turn    not    from    the    words    of    my 

mouth. 

8  Let  thy  way  be  far  off  from  her ; 

and  approach  not  the  door  of  her  house  ; 

9  lest  thou  give  thy  powers  to  others, 
and  thy  years  to  the  cruel ; 

ID  lest  strangers  be  filled  with  thy  strength, 
and  thy  hard  toils  be  in  the  house  of  a 
stranger ; 

1 1  and  thou  groan  in  thine  after  lot, 

when    thy   flesh    and    thy    roundness    are 
consumed, 

12  and  say,  How  have  I  hated  admonition, 
and  my  heart  despised  reproof, 

13  and  I   not  heard  the  voice  of  them  that 

directed  me, 
nor  to  my  teachers  inclined  mine  ear ! 

14  I  soon  became  like  any  wicked  man 

in  the  midst  of  the  congregation  and  as- 
sembly. 

15  Drink  waters  out  of  thine  own  cistern; 
Yea,  running  waters  from  within  thine  own 

well. 

16  Let  thy  fountains  overflow  abroad; 

as  streams  of  water  in  the  open  squares. 


CHAP.   V. 

My  son,  attend  unto 
my  wisdom,  and  bow 
thine  ear  to  my  under- 
standing ; 

2  That  thou  niayest 
regard  discretion,  and 
that  thy  lips  may  keep 
knowledge. 

3  For  the  lips  of  3 
strange  woniaji  drop  ai 
an  honey-comb,  and 
her  mouth  is  smoother 
than  oil  : 

4  But  her  end  is  bit- 
ter as  wormwood,  sharp 
as  a  two-edged  sword. 

5  Her  feet  go  down 
to  death;  her  steps 
take  hold  on  hell. 

6  Lest  thou  shouldest 
ponder  the  path  of  life, 
her  ways  are  moveable, 
that  thou  canst  not 
know  them. 

7  Hear  me  now  there- 
fore, O  ye  children,  and 
depart  not  from  the 
words  of  my  moutii. 

8  Remove  thy  way 
far  from  her,  and  come 
not  nigh  the  door  of  her 
house  ; 

9  Lest  thou  give  thine 
honour  unto  others, 
and  thy  years  tinto  the 
cruel ; 

10  Lest  strangers  be 
filled  with  thy  weaUh, 
and  thy  labours  be  in 
the  house  of  a  stranger : 

11  And  thou  mourn 
at  the  last,  when  thy 
flesh  and  thy  body  are 
consumed, 

12  And  say,  How 
have  I  hated  instruc- 
tion, and  my  heart  des- 
pised reproof ; 

13  And  have  not 
obeyed  the  voice  of  my 
teachers,  nor  inclined 
mine  ear  to  them  that 
instructed  me  ! 

14  I  w.as  almost  in  all 
evil  in  the  midst  of  the 
congregation  and  as- 
sembly. 

15  Drink  waters  out 
of  thine  own  cistern, 
and  running  waters  out 
of  thine  own  well. 

16  Let  thy  fountains 
be  dispersed  abroad » 
and  rivers  of  water  in 
the  streets. 


28 


THE  PROVERBS. 


If  Let  them  be  only 
thine  own,  and  not 
strangers'  with  thee. 

i8  Let  thy  fountain 
be  blessed  •  and  re- 
joice with  the  wife  of 
thy  youth. 

13  Let  her  be  as  the 
loving  hind  and  pleas- 
ant roe  ;  let  her  breasts 
satisfy  thee  at  all  times, 
and  be  thou  ravished 
always  with  her  love. 

20  And  why  wilt 
thou,  my  son,  be  rav- 
ished with  a  strange 
woman,  and  embrace 
the  bosom  of  a 
stranger  ? 

21  For  the  v/ays  of 
man  are  before  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord,  and 
he  pondereth  all  his 
goings. 

22  His  own  iniquities 
shall  take  the  kicked 
himself,  and  he  shall  be 
holden  with  the  cords 
)f  his  sins. 

23  He  shall  die  with- 
out instruction  ;  and  in 
the  greatness  of  his 
folly  he  shall  go  astray. 


CH.\P.  VL 


My  son,  if  thou  be 
surety  fjr  thy  friend, 
t/  thou  hast  stricken 
thy  hand  with  a 
stranger, 

2  Thou  art  snared 
with  the  words  of  thy 
mouth,  tliuu  art  taken 
v/ith  the  words  of  thy 
mouth. 

3  Do  this  now,  my 
son,  and  deliver  thy- 
self, when  thou  art 
come  into  the  hand  of 
thy  friend  ;  go,  humble 
thyself,  and  make  sure 
thy  friend. 

f  Give  not  sleep  to 
thine  eyes,  nor  slumber 
to  thine  eyelids. 

5  Heliver  thvself  as  a 
roc  from  the  hand  o/" 
the  hunter^  and  as  a 
bird  from  the  hand  of 
the  fowler. 

6  tjo  to  the  ant,  thou 
sluggard  ;  consider  her 
ways,  and  be  wise  : 

7  Which  having  no 
;uide,  overseer,  or  ru- 
ler, 


17  Let  them  be  for  thyself  alone, 
and  for  no  strangers  with  thee. 

18  Let  thy  fountain  be  blessed  ; 

and  have  joy  from  the  wife  of  thy  youth. 

19  A  loving  hind  and  graceful  ibex, 

let  her  breasts  satisfy  thee  at  all  times ; 
and  be  thou  always  insane  with  her  love. 

20  And  why,  my  son,  be  insane  over  a  strange 

woman, 
and  embrace  the  bosom  of  an  alien .? 

21  For  directly  in   God's  sight  are  the  ways 

of  a  man  ; 
and  all  his  paths  He  levels  down. 

22  His  very  iniquities  trap  him,  if  he  be  a 

wicked  man ; 
and  he  is  holden  by  the  cords  of  his  sin. 

23  In  his  very  self  he  dies  for  lack  of  discip- 

line ; 
and  by  the  greatness  of  his  folly  is  he  made 
insane. 


CHAPTER   VL 

1  My  son,  if  thou   art  under  surety  to  thy 

friend, 
thou  hast  stricken  thy  hand  for  a  stranger. 

2  Thou  art   snared  by  the  speeches  of  thy 

mouth. 
Thou  hast  been  caught  by  the  speeches  of 
thy  mouth. 

3  Uo  this  now,  my  son,  and  deliver  thyself; 
for  thou  hast  come  into  the  hand  of  thy 

friend : — 
Go  cast  thyself  under  foot,  and  importune 
thy  friend. 

4  Give  not  sleep  to  thine  eyes, 

or  drowsy  heaviness  to  thine  eyelids. 

5  Get  snatched  as  a  roe  from  the  hand; 
yea,  as  a  bird  from  the  hand  of  the  en- 

snarer. 

6  Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard; 
see  her  ways,  and  be  wise  : 

7  wlio,  having  no  counsellor, 
director,  or  ruler, 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


29 


8  lays  up  her  food  in  the  summer,  ' 
*    yea,   through  harvest  has  gathered   what 

she  is  to  eat. 

9  How  long  wilt  thou  lie,  O  sluggard  ? 
When  wilt  thou  arise  out  of  thy  sleep  ? 

10  A  little  sleep  !     A  little  drowsing! 
A  little  folding  of  the  hands  to  rest ! 

1 1  So  comes  thy  poverty  like  one  that  travels ; 
and  thy  want  like  an  armed  man. 

12  A  worthless  man  ;  a  man  utterly  in  vain  ; 
walking  in  crookedness  of  mouth  ; 

13  talking  with  his  eyes ;  speaking  with  his 

feet ; 
motioning  with  his  fingers  ; 

14  with  upturnings  in  his  heart ;  fabricating 

evil ; 
will  be  putting  forth  grounds  of  quarrel  all 
the  time. 

15  Wherefore   his  crushing   shall  come  sud- 

denly; 
at  a  stroke  shall  he  be  broken,  and  there 
be  no  remedy. 

16  These  six  things  Jehovah  hates; 

yea,  seven  are  an  abomination  to  His  very 
soul : — 

17  Lofty  eyes;  a  lying  tongue; 
and  hands  that  shed  innocent  blood ; 

18  a  heart  fabricating  empty  devices; 
feet  that  run  swift  to  evil ; 

19  a  deceived  witness  whose  breath  is  lies 
and  he  that  puts  grounds  of  quarrel  among 

brethren. 

20  Keep  watch,  my  son,  of  thy  father's  com- 

mandment, 
and  repel  not  what  thy  mother  directs. 

21  Bind  them  upon  thine  heart  forever; 
tie  them  about  thy  neck. 

22  When  thou  walkest,  she  shall  lead  thee; 
when  thou  best  down,  she  shall  guard  thee; 
and  when   thou  wakest  up,   she   shall   be 

herself  communing  with  thee. 

23  For  the  commandment  is  a  lamp,  and  what 

is  directed  is  a  light ; 
and  in  the  way  of  life  is  admonitory  dis- 
cipline ; 


8  Provideth  her  meat 
the    summer,    a>ia 
gathereth    her  food  in 
the  harvest. 

g  How  long  wilt  thou 
sleep,  O  sluggard  ? 
when  wilt  thou  arise 
out  of  thy  sleep  ? 

10  Yet  a  little  sleep, 
a  little  slumber,  a  little 
folding  of  the  hands  to 
sleep : 

11  So  shall  thy  pov- 
erty come  as  one  that 
travelleth,  and  thy 
want  as  an  armed  man. 

12  A  naughty  person, 
a  wicked  man,  walketh 
with  a  froward  mouth. 

13  He  winketh  with 
his  eyes,  he  speaketh 
with  his  feet,  he  teach- 
eth  with  his  fingers  ; 

14  Frowardness  is  in 
his  heart,  he  deviseth 
mischief  continually ; 
he  soweth  discord. 

15  Therefore  shall 
his  calamity  come  sud- 
denly ;  suddenly  shall 
he  be  broken  without 
remedy. 

16  These  six  things 
doth  the  Lord  hate  ; 
yea,  seven  are  an  ab- 
omination unto  him  ; 

17  A  proud  look,  a 
lying  tongue,  and 
hands  that  shed  inno- 
cent blood  ; 

18  An  heart  that  de- 
viseth wicked  imagina- 
tions, feet  that  be  swift 
in  running  to  mischief; 

19  A  false  witness 
that  speaketh  lies,  and 
him  that  soweth  dis- 
cord among  brethren. 

20  My  son,  keep  thy 
father's  command- 
ment, and  forsake  not 
the  law  of  thy  mother. 

21  Bind  them  con- 
tinually upon  thine 
heart,  and  tie  them 
about  thy  neck. 

22  When  thou  goest, 
it  shall  lead  thee  ;  when 
thou  sleepest,  it  shall 
keep  thee  ;  and  when 
thou  awakest,  it  shall 
talk  with  thee. 

23  For  the  command- 
ment is  a  lamp  ;  and 
the  law  is  light  ;  and 
reproofs  of  instruction 
are  the  way  of  life  : 


30 


THE  FRO  VERBS. 


24  To  keep  thee  from 
the  evil  woman,  from 
the  flattery  of  the 
tongue  of  a  strange 
woman. 

25  Lust  not  after  her 
beauty  in  thine  heart  ; 
neither  let  her  take 
thee  with  her  eyelids. 

26  I'or  by  means  of  a 
whori  h  woman  a  tnan 
is  brouglit  to  a  piece 
of  bread  ;  and  the 
adulteress  will  hunt  for 
the  precious  life. 

27  Can  a  man  take 
fire  in  his  bosom,  and 
his  clothes  not  be 
burnt  ? 

28  Can  one  go  upon 
hot  coals,  and  his  feet 
not  be  burnt  ? 

29  So  he  that  goeth 
in  to  his  neighbour's 
wife  ;  whosoever  touch- 
eth  her  shall  not  be  in- 
nocent. 

30  Men  do  not  des- 
pise a  thiefj  if  he  steal 
to  satisfy  his  soul  when 
he  is  hungry  : 

31  But  //he  be  found, 
he  shall  restore  seven- 
fold ;  he  shall  give  all 
the  substance  of  his 
house. 

32  But  whoso  com- 
mitteth  adultery  with  a 
woman  lacketh  under- 
standing: he  that 
doeth  it  destroyeth  his 
own  soul. 

33  A  wound  and  dis- 
honour shall  he  get  ; 
and  his  reproach  shall 
not  be  wiped  away. 

34  For  jealousy  is  the 
rage  of  a  man  ;  there- 
fore he  will  not  spare 
in  the  day  of  ven- 
geance. 

35  He  will  not  regard 
any  ransom  ;  neither 
will  he  rest  content, 
though  thou  givest 
many  gifts. 

CHAP.   VII. 

M  V  son,  keep  m  y 
words,  and  lay  up  my 
commandments  with 
thee. 

2  Keep  my  com- 
mandments, and  live  ; 
and  my  law  as  the  apple 
of  thine  eye. 

3  Bind  them  upon 
thy  fineers,  write  them 
upon  the  table  of  thine 
)eart. 


24  to  guard  thee  from  the  Woman  of  Evil ;    . 
from  the  flattery  of  an  alien  tongue. 

25  Lust  not  after  her  beauty  in  thy  heart ; 
and  let  her  not  trap  thee  with  her  eyelids. 

26  For  after  a  woman  selling  herself  as  low  as 

for  a  loaf  of  bread, 
and  she  a  man's  wife, 
a  precious  soul  will  hunt. 

27  Can  a  man  shovel  fire  into  his  bosom, 
and  his  clothes  not  be  burnt .'' 

28  Can  a  man  walk  on  coals, 

and  his  feet  not  have  the  deep  brand  1 

29  So  shall  he  be  who  goes  in  to  his  neigh- 

bor's wife. 
Whoso  touches  her  shall  not  go  unpun- 
ished. 
2fi  Men  do  not  turn  adrift  a  thief  because  he 
steals 
to  fill  his  appetite  because  he  is  hungry ; 

31  but  caught,  he  must  pay  sevenfold; 

he  must  give  all  the  substance  of  his  house. 

32  The  adulterous  debaucher  of  a  woman  is 

absolutely  senseless. 
He  who  would  destroy  himself,  is  the  man 

to  do  just  that  thing.    ^ 
TyT,  A  wound  and  dishonor  does  he  get; 
and  his  reproach  is  not  wiped  away. 

34  For  jealousy  is  the  rage  of  a  man ; 

and  he  shall  not  spare  in  the  day  of  ven- 
geance. 

35  He  shall  not  show  favor  for  any  ransom  ; 
and  he  shall  not  yield  because  thou  swell 

up  the  bribe. 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

My  son,  watch  my  words, 

and  thou   shalt  store  my  commandments 

with  thee. 
Guard  my  commandments  and  live  ; 
and  my  directions  as  the  apple  of  thine 

eyes. 
Bind  them  upon  thy  fingers; 
write  them  upon  the  tablet  of  thine  heart. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


31 


4  Say  unto  Wisdom, — Thou  art  my  sister ; 
and  call  Discernment  a  well-known  friend ; 

5  to  guard  thee  from  the  Strange  Woman  ; 
from  an  alien  that  makes  smooth  her  words. 

6  For  in  the  window  of  my  house, 
at  my  lattice,  I  looked  over, 

7  and  saw  among  the  simple  ones — 
I  distinguished  among  the  sons — 
a  young  man  destitute  of  sense. 

8  Going  by  in  the  back  street  near  her  cor 

ner, 
he  will  also   saunter   in  the  way   to   her 
house ; 

9  in  the  cool ;  in  the  evening  of  the  day ; 

in  the  very  bosom  of  the  night  and  deep 
darkness. 

10  And  behold  a  woman  to  meet  him  ! 
exposed  as  a  harlot,  but  hidden  in  heart. 

11  She  is  loud  and  reckless. 

Her  feet  abide  not  in  her  house. 

12  Now   is   she  in   the   street;    now   in   the 

broad  squares; 
and  she  lies  in  wait  at  every  corner. 

13  And  she  caught  him,  and  kissed  him. 

She  put  on  a  bold  face  and  said  to  him  : — 

14  Peace  offerings  are  upon  me. 
This  day  I  have  paid  my  vows. 

r5  Therefore  went  I  out  to  meet  thee ; 
diligently  to  seek  thy  face  and  find  thee. 

16  I  have  spread  my  couch  with  coverings 
striped  with  the  yarn  of  Egypt. 

17  I  have  sprinkled  my  bed 

with  myrrh,  aloes  and  cinnamon. 

18  Come,  let  us  drink  deep  of  love  until  the 

morning. 
Let  us  entrance  ourselves  with   amorous 
delights. 

19  For  there  is  no  husband  at  home. 
He  is  gone  a  long  way. 

20  Quite  a  bundle  of  the  money  he  took  in 

his  hand. 
The  day  the  moon  fulls  he  will  come  home 
again. 

21  By  her  very  taking  way  she  bent  him. 

By  the  flattery  of  her  lips  she  drives  him 
along, 


'  4  Say  unto  wisdom, 
[  Thou    art    my    sister  ; 

and  call  understanding 

thy  kinswoman  : 

5  That  they  may 
keep  thee  from  the 
stij^nge  woman,  from 
the  stranger  which 
fiattereth  with  her 
words. 

6  For  at  the  window 
of  my  house  I  looked 
through  my  casement, 

7  Atid  beheld  among 
I  the  simple  ones,  I   dis- 

cerned  among  the 
youths,  a  young  man 
void  of  understanding, 

8  Passing  through 
the  street  near  her  cor- 
ner ;  and  he  went  the 
way  to  her  house, 

9  In  the  twilight,  in 
the  evening,  in  the 
black  and  dark  night  ; 

10  And,  behold,  there 
met  him  a  woman  luith 
the  attire  of  an  harlot, 
and  subtile  of  heart. 

11  (She  is  loud  and 
stubborn;  her  feet 
abide  not  in  her  house  : 

12  Now  is  she  with- 
out, now  in  the  streets, 
and  lieth  in  wait  at 
every  corner.) 

13  So  she  caught  him, 
ancf  kissed  him,  and 
with  an  impudent  face 
said  unto  him, 

14  /  have  peace-of- 
ferings with  me  ;  this 
day  have  I  paid  my 
vows : 

15  Therefore  cam.e  I 
forth  to  meet  thee,  dili- 
gently to  seek  thy  face  ; 
and  1  have  found  thee. 

16  I  have  decked  my 
bed  with  coverings  of 
tapestry,  with  carved 
works,  with  fine  linen 
of  Egypt. 

17  I  have  perfumed 
my  bed  with  myrrh, 
aloes,  and  cinnamon. 

18  Come  let  us  take 
our  fill  ot'love  until  the 
morning  ;  let  us  solace 
ourselves  with  loves. 

ig  For  the  goodman 
is  not  at  home,  he  is . 
gone  a  long  journey  ; 

20  He  hath  taken  a  ■ 
bag  of  money  with  him, 
««(/ will  come  home  at 
the  da^  appointed. 

21  With  her  much 
fair  speech  she  caused 
him  to  yield,  with  the 
fl.-ittering  of  her  lips  she 
forced  him. 


32 


THE  PROVERBS. 


92  He  goeth  after  her   22 
straightway,    as   an    ox 
goeth  to  the  slaughter, 
or  as  a  fool  to  the  cor- 
rection of  the  stocks ; 


23  Till  a  dart  strtfce 
through  his  liver  ;  as  a 
bird  hasteth  to  the 
snare,  and  knoweth  not 
that  it  is  for  his  life. 

24  Hearken  unto  me 
now  therefore,  O  ye 
children,  and  attend  to 
the  words  of  my  mouth: 

25  Let  not  thine 
heart  decline  to  her 
ways,  go  not  astray  in 
her  paths  : 

26  For  she  hath  'cast 
down  many  wounded  ; 
yea,  many  strong  jnen 
have  been  slain  by  her. 

27  Her  house  is  the 
way  to  hell,  going  down 
to  the  chambers  o f 
death. 


CHAP.  vni. 

Doth  not  wisdom 
cry  ?  and  understand- 
ing put  forth  her  voice? 

2  She  standeth  in  the 
top  of  high  places,  by 
the  way  m  the  places 
of  the  paths, 

3  She  crieth  at  the 
gates,  at  the  entry  of 
the  city,  at  the  coming 
in  at  the  doors  ; 

4  Unto  you,  O  men, 
I  call ;  anti  my  voice  is 
to  the  sons  of  man. 

5  O  ye  simple,  under- 
stand wisdom  ;  and,  ye 
fools,  be  ye  of  an  under- 
standing heart. 


6  Hear,  for  I  will 
speak  of  excellent 
things  ;  and  the  open- 
ing of  my  lips  shall  be 
right  things. 

7  For  my  mouth  shall 
speak  truth  ;  and  wick- 
edness is  an  abomina- 
tion to  my  lips. 

8  All  the  words  nf 
my  mouth  are\x\  right- 
eousness ;  there  is 
nothing  froward  or  per- 
verse in  them. 

q  They  are  all  plain 
toliim  that  understand- 
cth,  and  right  to  them 
that  find  knowledge. 


Starting  after  her  suddenly  as  an  ox  enters 

to  the  slaughter, 
and  as  a  chain  for  the  punishment  of  a 

fool ; 

23  till  a  dart  strike  through  his  liver ; 
as  a  bird  hastens  to  the  net, 

and   knows   not    that   he    is   in    its   very 
throat. 

24  And  now,  ye  children,  hearken  unto  me; 
and  attend  to  the  speeches  of  my  mouth. 

25  Let  not  thy  heart  go  aside  into  her  ways ; 
nor  do  thou  stray  into  her  paths. 

26  For  mighty  men,  when  polluted,  she  has 

hurled  down  ; 
and  strong  men  were  all  her  slain. 

27  The  ways  to  Sheol  are  at  her  house 
descending  to  the  chambers  of  death. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

1  Does  not  Wisdom  call  .-* 

and  Discernment  give  forth  her  voice  .'' 

2  At  high  points  in  the  road 

she  stands;  at  home  among  the  paths. 

3  By  the  side  of  gates ;  at  a  city's  mouth  ; 
at   the   entrance  of  doors  she  utters   her 
cry : — 

4  To  you,  O  men,  I  call ; 

and  my  voice  is  to  the  sons  of  man. 

5  Make  subtlety  really  discerning,  O  ye  sim- 

ple ones; 
and  ye  stupid  ones,  give  true  discernment 
to  the  heart. 

6  Hear,  for  I  will  speak  obvious  things ; 
and  what  is  opened  by  my  lips  shall  be 

plain  matters. 

7  For  my  mouth  even  mutters  truth ; 

and  wickedness  is  an  abomination  to  my 
lips. 

8  All  the  words  of  my  mouth  are  in  right- 

eousness. 
There  is  nothing  twisted  or  crooked  in  them. 

9  They  are  all  plain  to  him  that  can  give  a 

meaning, 
and  level  to  them  that  find  knowledge. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


ZZ 


10  Take  my  discipline,  and  not  silver; 
and  knowledge  rather  than  choice  gold ; 

11  for  wisdom  is  better  than  pearls; 

and  all  the  things  that  can  be  desired  are 
not  to  be  compared  with  it. 

1 2  I,  Wisdom,  have  made  a  dwelling  of  subtlety, 
and  find  the  knowledge  of  deep  devices. 

13  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  hatred  of  evil. 
Pride  and  arrogancy  and  the  evil  way 
and  an  upturning  mouth  have  I  hated. 

14  Counsel  is  mine,  and  something  stable. 
I  am  discernment.     I  have  strength. 

15  By  me  kings  reign, 

and  rulers  decree  righteousness. 

16  By  me  princes  rule,  and  nobles; 
yea,  all  the  judges  of  the  earth. 

17  I  love  them  that  love  me; 

and  those  that  seek  me  earnestly  shall  find 
me. 

18  Riches  and  honor  are  with  me; 
durable  ease  and  righteousness. 

19  My  fruit  is  better  than  gold,  yea,  than  fine 

gold ; 
and'  my  increase  than  choice  silver. 

20  In  the  way  of  righteousness  I  walk ; 
in  the  midst  of  the  paths  of  judgment. 

21  So  results  a  heritage  to  them  that  love  me ; 
and  I  fill  full  their  treasures. 

22  Jehovah  got  possession  of  me  as  the  first 

of  His  way  ; 
before  His  works  of  old. 

23  I  was  anointed  from  everlasting ;  from  the 

beginning; 
or  ever  the  earth  was. 

24  When  there  were  no  deeps  I  was  brought 

forth ; 
when  there  were  no  fountains  heavy  with 
waters. 

25  Before  the  mountains  were  sunk  fast; 
before  the  hills  was  I  brought  forth. 

26  Even  when  He  had  not  made  the  land  or 

the  parts  beyond 
or  the  beginning  of  the  dust  of  the  world. 

27  When  He  set  up  the  heavens  I  was  there ; 
when  He  fixed  a  vault  over  the  face  of  the 

deep; 


10  Receive  my  in- 
struction, and  not  sil- 
ver ;  and  knowledge 
rather  than  choice  gold. 

11  For  wisdom  2.J  bet- 
ter than  rubies ;  and 
all  the  things  that  are 
to  be  desired  are  not  to 
be  compared  to  it. 

12  I  wisdom  dwell 
with  prudence,  and  find 
out  knowledge  of  witty 
inventions. 

13  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  to  hate  evil  : 
pride  and  arrogancy  and 
the  evil  way  and  the  fro- 
ward  mouth  do  I  hate. 

14  Counsel  is  mine, 
and  sound  wisdom :  I 
ain  understanding  ;  I 
have  strength. 

15  By  me  kings  reign, 
and  princes  decree  just- 
ice. 

16  By  me  princes 
rule  and  nobles,  even  all 
the  judges  of  the  earth. 

17  I  love  them  that 
love  me;  and  those 
that  seek  me  early  shall 
find  me. 

18  Riches  and  honour 
are  with  me  ;  yea^  dur- 
able riches  and  right- 
eousness. 

19  My  fruit  is  better 
than  gold,  yea,  than 
fine  gold  ;  and  my  rev- 
enue than  choice  silver. 

20  I  lead  in  the  way 
of  righteousness,  in  the 
midst  of  the  paths  of 
judgment ; 

21  That  I  may  cause 
those  that  love  me  to 
inherit  substance  ;  and 
I  will  fill  their  treasures. 

22  The  Lord  pos- 
sessed me  in  the  begin- 
ning of  his  way,  before 
his  works  of  old. 

23  I  was  set  up  from 
everlasting,  from  the 
beginning,  or  ever  the 
earth  was. 

24  When  there  were 
no  depths,  I  was 
brought  forth;  when 
there  were  no  fountains 
abounding  with  water. 

25  Before  the  mount- 
ains were  settled  ;  be- 
fore the  hills  was  1 
brought  forth  : 

26  While  as  yet  he 
had  not  made  the  earth, 
nor  the  fields,  nor  the 
highest  part  of  the  dust 
of  the  world. 

27  When  he  prepared 
the  heavens,  I  was 
there  :  when  he  set  a 
compass  upon  the  face 
of  the  depth: 


34 


THE  PROVERBS. 


28  When  he  estab- 
lished the  clouds  above: 
when  he  strengthened 
the  fountains  of  the 
deep. 

29  When  he  gave  to 
the  sea  his  decree,  that 
the  waterj  should  not 
pass  his  commandment: 
when  he  appointed  the 
foundations  of  the 
earth  : 

30  Then  I  was  by 
him,  as  one  brought 
up  with  hint ;  and  I 
was  daily  his  delight, 
rejoicing  always  before 
him  ; 

^i  Rejoicing  in  the 
habitable  part  of  his 
earth  :  and  my  delights 
ivere  with  the  sons  of 
men. 

32  Now  therefore 
hearken  unto  me,  O  ye 
children  :  for  blessed 
are  they  that  keep  my 
ways. 

33  Hear  instruction, 
and  be  wise,  and  refuse 
it  not. 

34  Blessed  is  the  man 
that  heareth  me,  watch- 
ing daily  at  my  gates, 
waiting  at  the  posts  of 
my  doors. 

35  For  whoso  findeth 
me  findeth  life,  and 
shall  obtain  favour  of 
the  Lord. 

36  But  he  that  sin- 
neth  against  me  wrong- 
eth  his  own  soul  :  all 
they  that  hate  me  love 
death. 

CHAP.  IX. 

Wisdom  hath  build- 
ed  her  house,  she  hath 
hewn  out  her  seven 
pillars  ; 

2  She  halh  killed  her 
beasts  ;  she  hath  min- 
gled her  wine  ;  she 
hath  also  furnished  her 
table  ; 

3  She  hath  sent  forth 
her  maidens  ;  she  crieth 
upon  the  highest  places 
of  the  city, 

4  Whoso  is  simple, 
let  him  turn  in  hither: 
as  for  \\\m  that  want- 
eth  understanding,  she 
saith  to  him, 

5  Come,  cat  of  my 
bread,  and  drink  of  the 
wine  uih  ich  I  have 
mingled. 

6  Forsake  the  foolish, 
and  live  ;  and  go  in  the 
way  of  understanding. 


28  when  He  strengthened  the  clouds  above  ; 
when  He  settled  firmly  the  fountains  of  the 

deep; 

29  when  He  gave  the  sea  her  decree, 

that  the  waters  should  not  run  over  her 

mouth ; 
when  He  decreed  foundations  for  the  earth. 

30  And  I  became  a  builder  at  His  side. 

And  I  became  a  deep  pleasure  day  by  day; 

a  joy  in  His  sight  all  the  time ; 
31a  joy  in  the  habitable  part  of  His  earth; 

and  my  deep  pleasures  were  for  the  sons 
of  man. 
32  Now,  therefore,  hearken    unto   me,  O  ye 
sons; 

and  blessed  are  they  that  watch  my  ways. 
^Ty  Hearken  to  discipline,  and  be  wise; 

and  do  not  ye  let  go. 

34  Blessed  is  the  man  who  hearkens  unto  me, 
so  as  to  lurk  at  my  gates  day  after  day ; 

so  as  to  watch  at  the  posts  of  my  doors ; 

35  for  he  that  finds  me  has  found  me  life, 
and  is  bringing  out  favor  from  Jehovah. 

^G  But  he  that  misses  me,  wrongs  himself. 
All  that  hate  me,  have  fallen  in  love  with 
death. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Wisdom  has  buildisd  her  house. 

She  has  hewed  out  her  seven  pillars. 

She  has  killed  her  killing. 

She  has  mingled  her  wine. 

She  has  also  spread  her  table. 

She  has  sent  forth  her  maidens. 

She  calls  on  the  tops  of  the  high  places  of 
the  city : — 

Whoso  is  simple  let  him  turn  this  way. 

As  for  him  that  lacks  sense,  she  says  to 
him  : — 

Come  eat  of  my  food, 

and  drink  of  the  wine  that  I  have  min- 
gled. 

Forsake  the  simple  and  live ; 

and  go  straight  in  the  way  of  discernment. 


NEW  TRANSLATION, 


35 


7  He  that  disciplines  a  scorner  brings  down 

upon  him  shame ; 
and    he  that  reproves  a  wicked   man  his 
disgrace. 

8  Reprove  not  a  scorner,  lest  he  hate  thee. 
Reprove  a  wise  man,  and  he  will  love  thee. 

9  Impart  to  a  wise  man,  and  he  will  be  yet 

wiser. 
Teach  a  righteous  man,  and  he  will  make 
still  higher  acquisitions. 

10  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  beginning  of 

wisdom  ; 
and  the  knowledge  of  holy  things  is  dis- 
cernment. 

1 1  For  by  me  thy  days  shall  become  great ; 
and  they  shall  make  thee  greater  through 

years  of  life. 

12  If  thou  art  wise,  thou  art  wise  for  thyself; 
and  if  thou  scornest,  thou  alone  shalt  bear 

it. 

13  The  Woman  of  Folly  is  clamorous. 

She  is  simple,  and  knows  nothing  whatever. 

14  And  she  sits  at  the  door  of  her  house 
on  a  seat  in  the  high  places  of  the  city, 

15  to  call  those  who  are  passing  on  the  way, 
who  are  attempting  straight  paths  ; — 

16  Whoso  is  simple  let  him  turn  in  hither ; 
yea,  he  who  lacks  sense.    And  she  says  to 

him  : — 

17  Stolen  waters  are  sweet;  . 
and  food  in  secret  is  pleasant. 

18  And  he  knows  not  that   the   shades   are 

there ; 
and  that  her  guests  are  in  the  depths  of 
Sheol. 

CHAPTER   X. 

1  Proverbs  of  Solomon. 
Let  a  wise  son  make  a  glad  father ; 

and  let  a  foolish  son  be  the  grief  of  his 
mother. 

2  Of  no  profit  are  treasures  of  wickedness  ; 
but  righteousness  delivers  from  death. 


7  He  that  reprovctli 
a  sconier  getleth  to 
himself  shame  ;  and  he 
that  rebuketh  a  wicked 
man  getteth  himself  a 
blot. 

8  Reprove  not  a 
scorner,  lest  he  hate 
thee :  rebuke  a  wise 
man,  and  he  will  love 
thee. 

9  Give  instructio7t 
to  a  wise  man,  and  he 
will  be  yet  wiser  ;  teach 
a  just  man,  and  he  will 
increase  in  learning. 

10  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom  ;  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  Holy 
is  understanding. 

11  For  by  me  thy 
days  shall  be  multi- 
plied, and  the  years  of 
thy  life  shall  be  in- 
creased. 

12  If  thou  be  wise, 
thou  shalt  be  wise  for 
thyself:  but  2/  thou 
scornest,  thou  alone 
shalt  bear  it. 


13  A  foolish  woman 
is  clamorous  ;  she  !<: 
simple,  and  knoweth 
nothing. 

14  For  she  sitteth  at 
the  door  of  her  house, 
on  a  scat  in  the  high 
places  of  the  city, 

15  To  call  passengers 
who  go  right  on  their 
ways  : 

16  Whoso  is  simple, 
let  him  turn  in  hither: 
and  as  for  him  that 
wanteth  understand- 
ing, she  saith  to  him, 

17  Stolen  waters  are 
sweet,  and  bread  eaten 
in  secret  is  pleasant. 

18  But  he  knoweth 
not  that  the  dead  are 
there  ;  and  that  her 
guests  are  in  the 
depths  of  hell. 


CHAP.   X. 

The    Proverbs     o  f 

Solomon.  A  wise  non 
maketh  a  glad  father: 
but  a  foulUli  son  is  the 
heavinessof  his  mother. 

2  Treasures  of  w-ick- 
edness  profit  nothing  : 
but  righteousness  de- 
livereth  from  death. 


36 


THE  PROVERBS. 


3  The  Lord  will  not 
sutler  the  soul  of  the 
righteous  to  famish  : 
but  he  casteth  away 
the  substance  of  the 
wicked. 


4  He  becometh  poor 
that  dealeth  nvith  a 
slack  hand  :  but  the 
hand  of  the  diligent 
maketh  rich. 

5  He  that  gathereth 
in  summer  is  a  wise 
son  :  btit  he  that  sleep- 
eth  in  harvest  is  a  son 
that  causeth  shame. 


6  Blessings  are  upon 
the  head  ot  the  just: 
but  violence  covereth 
the  mouth  of  the  wick- 
ed. 


7  The  memory  of  the 
■just  is  blessed  :  but  the 
name  of  the  wicked 
shall  rot. 


8  The  wise  in  heart 
will  receive  command- 
ments :  but  a  prating 
fool  shall  fall. 


9  He  that  walketh 
uprightly  walketh  sure- 
ly :  but  he  that  per- 
vertetli  his  ways  shall 
be  known. 


lo  He  that  winketh 
with  the  eye  causeth 
sorrow  :  but  a  prating 
fool  shall  fall. 


II  The  mouth  of  a 
righteous  man  is  a  well 
o  f  life  :  but  violence 
covereth  the  mouth  of 
the  wicked. 


12  Hatred  stirfeth  up 
strifes  ;  but  love  cover- 
eth all  sins. 


13  In  the  lips  of  him 
that  hath  understand- 
ing wisdom  is  found  ; 
but  a  rod  is  for  the  back 
of  him  that  is  void  of 
understanding. 


3  Jehovah  will  not  starve  the  righteous  ap- 

petite; 
but   the   craving   of  the   wicked  He  will 
thrust  away. 

4  He  is  poor  who  acts  with  a  languid  hand ; 
but  the  hand  of  the  diligent  makes  riches. 

5  He  that  stores  in  summer,  is  a  prosperous 

son. 
He  that  snores  in  harvest,  is  a  son  to  bring 
shame. 

6  Blessings  are  for  the  head  of  the  righteous 

man; 
but  wrong  covers  the  mouth  of  the  wicked. 

7  The  memory  of  the   righteous   man  is  a 

blessing ; 
but  the  name  of  the  wicked  rots. 

8  He  of  the  wise  heart  shall  lift  away  the 

commandments ; 
and  he  of  the  foolish  lips  shall  be  the  one 
entangled. 

9  He  that  walks  in  integrity,  walks  securely  ; 
but  he  that  makes  his  ways  crooked,  shall 

be  made  to  know  it. 

10  He  of  the  lowering  eye  shall  give  sorrow, 
and  he  of  the  foolish  lips  shall  be  the  one 

entangled. 

1 1  A  fountain  of  life  is  the  mouth  of  a  right- 

eous man; 
but  wrong  covers  the  mouth  of  the  wicked. 

12  Hatred  stirs  old  quarrels; 
but  love  covers  all  sins. 

13  Through  the  lips  of  the  discerning  wisdom 

is  found ; 
but  a  rod  for  the  back  of  the  senseless 
man. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


37 


14  The  wise  store  away  knowledge  ; 
but  the  mouth  of  the  fool  early  ruin. 

15  The  wealth  of  the  rich  is  his  strong  city. 
The  destruction  of  the  poor  is  their  poverty. 

16  The  labor  of  a  righteous  man  serves  as  life ; 
the  gains  of  a  wicked  man  as  a  sin-offering. 

1 7  He  that  watches  admonition  is  a  path  to  life ; 
but  he  that  lets  go  reproof  puts  others  astray. 

18  He  that  hides  hatred  with  lying  lips 

but  puts  forth  slander,  is  himself  the  fool. 

19  In  a  multitude  of  words  trespasses  never 

cease; 
but  he  that  restrains  his  lips,  prospers. 

20  Choice  silver  is  the  tongue  of  a  righteous 

man. 
The  heart  of  the  wicked  is  as  a  scrap. 

21  The  lips  of  a  wise  man  feed  many  ; 
but  fools  die  for  want  of  heart. 

22  The  blessing  of  Jehovah  that  itself  makes 

wealth  ; 
and  He  adds  no  sorrow  with  it. 

23  As  a  jest  to  a  fool  is  the  execution  of  a 

purpose ; 
but  it  is  wisdom  to  a  discerning  man. 

24  What  the  wicked  man  dreads  comes  of  its 

own  nature  upon  him  ; 
and   a  desire  of  righteous  men  shall   he 
gratify. 

25  There  is  as  the  coming  up  of  a  whirlwind, 

and  the  wicked  is  no  more ; 
but  the  righteous  is  an  eternal  foundation. 

26  As  vinegar  to  the  teeth  and  as  smoke  to 

the  eyes, 
so  is  the  sluggard  to  them  that  send  him. 
forth. 


14  Wise  }nen  l.iy  up 
knowledge  :  but  t  h  t 
mouth  of  the  foolish  is 
near  destruction. 

15  The  rich  man's 
wealth  is  his  strong 
city  :  the  destruction 
of  the  poor  is  their  pov- 
erty. 

16  The  labour  of  the 
righteous  tendetk  t  o 
life  :  the  fruit  of  the 
wicked  to  sin. 

17  He  is  in  the  way 
o  f  life  that  keepeth 
instruction  :  but  he 
that  refuseth  reproof 
erreth. 

iS  He  that  hideth 
hatred  with  lying  lips, 
and  he  that  ultereth 
a  slander,  is  a  fool. 

19  In  the  multitude 
of  words  there  wanteth 
not  sin  :  but  he  that 
refraineth  his  lips  is 
wise. 

20  The  tongue  of  the 
just  zj  ai- choice  silver : 
the  heart  of  the  wicked 
is  little  worth. 


21  The  lips  of  the 
righteous  feed  many : 
but  fools  die  for  want 
of  wisdom. 

22  The  blessing  of 
the  Lord,  it  maketh 
rich,  and  he  addeth  no 
sorrow  with  it. 


23  It  is  as  sport  to  a 
fool  to  do  mischief : 
but  a  man  of  under- 
standing hath  wisdom. 


24  The  fear  of  the 
wicked,  it  shall  come 
upon  him  :  but  the  de- 
sire of  the  righteous 
shall  be  granted. 


25  As  the  whirlwind 
passeth,  so  is  the  wick- 
ed no  more :  but  the 
righteous  is  an  ever- 
lasting foundation. 


26  As  vinegar  to  the 
teeth,  and  as  smoke  to 
the  eyes,  so  is  the  slug- 

fard  to  them  that  send 
im. 


38 


THE  PROVERBS. 


LJLjrlngc'h^Lys:  ^7  The  fcar  of  Jehovali  makes  great  days; 

but  the  years  of  the  wicked  shall  be  made 
little. 


but  the  years  uf  tl 
wicked  shall  be  short 
cncd. 


28  The  hope  of  the 
righteous  shall  he  glad- 
ness :  but  the  expecta- 
tiun  of  the  wicked  jhall 
perish. 


29  The  way  of  the 
Lord  is  strength  to  the 
upright  :  but  destruc- 
tion shall  be  to  the 
workers  of  iniquity. 

30  The  righteous 
shall  never  be  remov- 
ed :  but  the  wicked 
shall  not  inhabit  the 
earth. 


31  The  mouth  of  the 
just  bringeth  forth  wis- 
dom :  but  the  froward 
tongue  shall  be  cut  out. 


32  The  lips  of  the 
righteous  know  what  is 
acceptable :  b  u  t  t  h  e 
mouth  (if  the  wicked 
spcaketli  frowardness. 


CHAP.    XI. 


A  FALSE  balance  is 
abomination  to  the 
■Lord:  but  a  just 
weight  is  his  delight. 


2  When  pride  com- 
et h  ,  then  Cometh 
shame  :  but  with  the 
lowly  is  wisdom. 

3  The  integrity  of 
the  upright  shall  guide 
them  :  but  the  p  c  r- 
verseness  of  transgress- 
ors shall  destroy  them. 

4  Riches  profit  not  in 
the  day  of  wrath  :  but 
righteousness  delivcr- 
ctn  from  death. 

5  The  righteousness 
of  the  perfect  shall  di 
rcct  his  way  :  but  the 
wicked  shall  fr.U  by  his 
own  wirkuduess. 


28  The  hope  of  the  righteous  turns  to  joy; 
while  the  confidence   of  the  wicked  per- 
ishes. 

29  The  way  of  Jehovah  is  a  fortress  to  the 

upright, 
but  ruin  to  the  workers  of  iniquity. 

30  The  righteous  man  shall  not  be  moved  for- 

ever : 
but  the  wicked  shall  not  inhabit  the  earth. 

31  The  mouth  of  the  righteous  blooms  forth 

wisdom  : 
but  the  upturning  tongue  shall  be  cut  out. 

32  The  lips  of  the  righteous  man  are  instinct 

with  kindness  : 
but  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  with  subver- 
sive things. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

1  False  balances  are  an  abomination  to  Je- 

hovah : 
but  a  full  stone  is  His  delight. 

2  Has  pride  entered  1  then  enters  shame  ; 
but  with  the  lowly  is  wisdom. 

3  The  integrity  of  the  upright  leads  them  : 
but  the  slipperiness  of  the  spoilers  makes 

themselves  also  a  spoil. 

4  Wealth  profits  not  in  the  day  of  wrath  : 
but  righteousness  delivers  from  death. 

5  The  righteousness  of  the  man  of  integrity 

levels  his  way  : 
but  the  wicked  shall  fall  by  his  wickedness. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


39 


6  The  righteousness  of  the  upright  delivers  oahluprftVshaiTde! 

them  :  llver  them  :  but  trans- 

but  by  desire  are  the  treacherous  taken.       ^ITeTrtfn  nlSu! 

7  By  the  death  of  a  wicked  man  hope  is  lost; 
and  the  expectation  of  sorrowing  ones  is 

lost  already. 

8  The  righteous  is  delivered  from  distress  : 
and  the  wicked  comes  into  his  room. 

9  By  the  mouth  the   ungodly  destroys  his 

neighbour : 
but  by    knowledge  the  righteous  are   de- 
livered. 

10  By  the  good  of  the  righteous  a  city  exults  ; 
and  by  the  perishing  of  the  wicked  there 

is  a  cry  of  joy. 

11  By  the  blessing  of  the  righteous  a  city  is 

lifted  up  : 
but  by  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  pulled 
down. 

12  A  heartless  man    is  contemptuous   to   his 

neighbor : 
but  a  man  of  discernment  is  silent. 

13  He  who  goes  tale-bearing  lays  open  secret 

counsels : 
but  he  who  is  of  a  faithful  spirit  covers  up 
a  matter. 

14  Where  there  is  no  helmsmanship  a  people 

fall: 
but  by  the  greatness  of  a  counsellor  there 
is  salvation. 

15  The  evil  man  does  ill  because  he  is  surety 

for  a  stranger  : 
but  a  hater  of  sureties  is  the  believer. 

16  Grace  gets  hold  of  glory; 
and  the  violent  get  hold  of  riches. 


7  When  a  wicked 
man  dieth,  his  expecta- 
tion shall  perish  ;  and 
the  hope  of  unjust  men 
perisheth. 

8  The  righteous  is 
delivered  out  of 
trouble,  and  the  wick- 
ed Cometh  in  his  stead. 

9  An  hypocrite  with 
his  mouth  destroyeth 
his  neighbour:  but 
through  knowledge 
shall  the  just  be  deliv- 
ered. 


10  When  it  goeth 
well  with  the  righteous, 
the  city  rejoiceth  ;  and 
when  the  wicked  per- 
ish, there  is  shouting. 


II  By  the  blessing 
of  the  upright  the  city 
is  exalted  :  but  it  is 
overthrown  by  the 
mouth  of  the  wicked. 


12  He  that  is  void  of 
wisdom  despiseth  his 
neighbour:  but  a  man 
of  understanding  hold- 
eth  his  peace. 

13  A  talebearer  re- 
vealeth  secrets  :  but  he 
that  is  of  a  faithful 
spirit  concealeth  the 
matter. 


14  Where  no  counsel 
isy  the  people  fall  :  but 
in  the  multitude  of 
counsellors     there     is 


safety. 


15  He  that  is  surety 
f  o  r  a  'tranger  shall 
smart  y^r  it;  and  he 
that  hateth  suretiship 
is  sure. 

16  A  grracious  woman 
retaineth  honour  ;  and 
strong  men  retain 
riches. 


40 


THE  PROVERBS. 


17  The  merciful  man 
doeth  good  to  his  own 
soul  :  out  he  that  is 
cruel  troubleth  his  own 
flesh. 

18  The  wicked  work- 
eth  a  deceitful  work : 
but  to  him  that  soweth 
righteousness  shall  be 
a  sure  reward. 

19  As  righteousness 
tendeth  to  life  ;  so  he 
that  pursueth  evil, 
fursneth  it  to  his  own 
death. 

20  They  that  are  of  a 
froward  heart  are  ab- 
omination to  the  Lord  : 
but  such  as  are  up- 
right in  their  way  are 
his  delight. 

21  Though  hand 
join  in  hand,  the 
wicked  shall  not  be 
unpunished  :  but  the 
seed  of  the  righteous 
shall  be  delivered. 


22  ^5  a  jewel  of  gold 
in  a  swine's  snout,  so  is 
a  fair  woman  which  is 
without  discretion. 

23  The  desire  of  the 
righteous  ;Vonly  good  : 
but  the  expectation  of 
the  wicked  is  wrath. 

24  There  is  that  scat- 
tereth,  and  yet  increas- 
cth  ;  and  there  is  that 
withholdeth  more  than 
is  meet,  but  //  tendeth 
to  poverty. 

25  The  liberal  soul 
shall  be  made  fat  ;  and 
he  that  watereth  shall 
be  watered  also  him- 
self. 

26  He  that  withhold- 
eth corn,  the  people 
shall  curse  him  :  but 
blessing  shall  he  upon 
the  head  of  him  that 
selleth  //. 

27  He  that  diligently 
seeketh  good  procureth 
favour  :  but  he  that 
seeketh  mischief,  it 
shall  come  unto  him. 


28  He  that  trusteth 
in  his  riches  shall  fall  : 
but  the  righteous  shall 
flourish  as  a  branch. 


17  He  who  manages  for  his  own  soul  is  a  man 

of  mercy  : 
and  he  who  afflicts  his  own  flesh  is  cruel. 

18  A  wicked  man  doing  a  deceiving  work, 
and  he  who  sows  righteousness  having  a 

true  reward, 

19  thus  righteousness  is  unto  life, 

but  he  that  chases  evil  does  so  to  his  death. 

20  An    abomination    to    Jehovah    are    men 

crooked  in  heart : 
but  men  of  integrity  in  their  way  are  His 
delight. 

21  When  hand  to  hand  the  wicked  shall  not 

go  unpunished : 
but   the    seed  of  the    righteous    shall    be 
let  off.    . 

22  A  gold  ring  in  a  swine's  snout ; 
a  fair  and  tasteless  woman. 

23  A  wish  of  the  righteous  is  only  good  : 
an  assurance  of  the  wicked  is  wrath. 

24  There  is  that  scatters  and  is  yet  increa.sed : 
and  there  is  that  keeps  more  than  is  right 

only  unto  want. 

25  The  soul  that  blesses  shall  be  made  fat : 
and  he  who  gives  to  drink  shall  himself 

also  have  drink  given. 

26  Him  that  hoards  corn  the  people  curse  : 
but  blessing  is  for  the  head  of  him  that 

sells. 

27  He  who  is  eager  for  what  is  good,  hunts  up 

favor : 
but  he  who  goes  in  quest  of  evil,  it  shall 
come  to  him. 

28  He  that  trusts  in  his  riches  shall  fall  him- 

self; 
but  like  a  leaf  shall  the  righteous  put  forth. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


41 


29  He  tlmt  troubles  his  own  house,  inherits 

the  wind ; 
and  a  fool  is  servant  to  the  wise  in  heart. 

30  The  fruit  of  a  righteous  man  is  as  of  a  tree 

of  life : 
and  one  who  catches  souls  is  the  wise  man. 

31  Behold,  the  man  righteous  on  earth  shall 

be  recompensed ; 
because  also  the  wicked  and  the  sinner. 


CHAPTER   Xn. 

1  He  that  loves  discipline,  loves  knowledge, 
and  he  that  hates  reproof,  is  brutish. 

2  A  good  man  draws  out  favor  from  Jehovah ; 
but  a  man  of  mere   intellect  pronounces 

Him  guilty. 

3  A  man  shall  not  be  set  firm  by  wickedness  : 
while  the  root  of  the  righteous  shall  not  be 

shaken. 

4  A  capable  woman  is  her  husband's  crown  : 
and  as  rottenness  in  his  bones  is  one  that 

causes  shame. 

5  The  plans  of  the  righteous  are  a  judgment : 
the  helmsmanships  of  the  wicked  are  a  de- 
ceit. 

6  The  words  of  the  wicked  are  a  lying-in- 

wait  for  blood  : 
but  the  mouth  of  the  upright  shall  deliver 
them. 

7  Be  there  overthrow  to  the  wicked,  there  is 

nothing  of  them  left : 
but  the  house  of  the  righteous  shall  stand. 

8  In  exact  proportion  to  his  shrewdness  is  a 

man  applauded  : 
but  a  man  of  crooked  sense  is  a  subject  of 
contempt. 


29  He  that  troubleth 
his  own  house  shall  in- 
herit the  wind  ;  and  the 
fool  shall  be  servant  to 
the  wise  of  heart. 


30  The  fruit  of  the 
righteous  is  a  tree  of 
lile  ;  and  he  that  win- 
neth  souls  is  wise. 


31  Behold,  the  right- 
eous shall  be  recom- 
pensed in  the  earth  ; 
much  more  the  wicked 
and  the  sinner. 


CHAP.  xn. 

Whoso  loveth  i  n  - 
struction  loveth  knowl- 
edge :  but  he  that  hat- 
eth  reproof  is  brutish. 

2  A  good  fiian  ob- 
taineth  favour  of  the 
Lord  :  but  a  man  of 
wicked  devices  will  he 
condemn. 

3  A  man  shall  not  be 
established  by  wicked- 
ness :  but  the  root  of 
the  righteous  shall  not 
be  moved. 

4  A  virtuous  woman 
?j  a  crown  to  her  hus- 
band :  but  she  that 
maketh  ashamed  is  as 
rottenness  in  his  bones. 

5  The  thoughts  of 
the  righteous  are  right: 
but  the  counsels  of  the 
wicked  are  deceit. 


6  The  words  of  the 
wicked  are  to  lie  in 
wait  for  blood  :  but  the 
mouth  of  the  upright 
shall  deliver  them. 


7  The  wicked  are 
overthrown,  and  are 
not  :  but  the  house  of 
the  righteous  shall 
stand. 


8  A  man  shall  bo 
commended  according 
to  his  wisdom  :  but  ho 
that  is  of  a  perversa 
heart  shall  be  despised. 


42 


THE  PROVERBS. 


9  He  that  is  despis- 
ed, and  hath  a  servant, 
is  better  than  he  that 
honoiireth  himself,  and 
lacketh  bread. 


lo  A  righteous  man 
regardeth  the  life  of  his 
beast  :  but  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  wicked 
are  cruel. 


11  He  that  tilleth  his 
land  shall  be  satisfied 
with  bread  :  but  he  that 
followeth  vain  J>ersons 
is  void  of  understand- 
ing. 

12  The  wicked  de- 
sireth  the  net  of  evil 
men  :  but  the  root  of 
the  righteous  yieldeth 
/ruit. 


13  The  wicked  i  s 
snared  by  the  trans- 
gressions of  his  lips  : 
but  the  just  shall  come 
out  of  trouble. 


14  A  man  shall  be 
satisfied  with  good  by 
the  fruit  of  his  mouth  ; 
and  the  recompence  of 
a  man's  hands  shall  be 
rendered  unto  him. 


15  The  way  of  a  fool 
is  right  in  his  own 
eyes :  but  he  that 
hearkeneth  unto  coun- 
sel is  wise. 

16  A  fool's  wrath  is 
presently  known  :  but 
a  prudent  man  cover- 
eth  shame. 


17  He  thai  speaketh 
truth  sheweth  forth 
righteousness  :  but  a 
false  witness  deceit. 


18  Th  ere  is  that 
spcnketh  like  the 
piercings  of  a  sword  : 
but  the  tongue  of  the 
wise  is  health. 

iQ  The  lip  of  truth 
shall  be  established  for 
ever  :  but  a  lying 
tongue  is  but  for  a  mo- 
ment. 


9  A  man  that  is  little  noticed,  but  is  a  servant 
to  himself,  is  better 
than  he  who  sets  himself  up  for  something, 
and  is  without  food. 

10  The  righteous  takes  thought  for  the  life  of 

his  very  beast : 
but  the  tender  mercies  of  the  wicked  are 
cruel. 

1 1  He  that  works'  his  own  land  shall  be  satis- 

fied with  food  : 
but  he  that  follows  after  empty  people  is 
void  of  heart. 

12  The  wicked  longs  for  the  prey  of  evil  men ; 
but  the  root  of  the  righteous  gives  to  others. 

13  In  the  transgression  of  the  lips  is  an  evil 

snare  : 
but  the  righteous  gets  out  of  the  strait. 

14  With  the  earnings  of  the  mouth  of  a  man 

of  the  better  sort,  the  good  man  will  be 
satisfied  : 
and  the  reward  of  the  hands  of  a  laboring 
man  he  will  render  to  him. 

15  The  vt^ay  of  a  fool  is  right  in  his  own  eyes  : 

but  he  who  listens  to  counsel  is  wise. 

16  A  fool,  in  the  day  that  he  is  made  to  know 

his  provocation, 
also  covers  over  his  shame,  a  wise  man. 

17  He   that   breathes   forth   truth,   publishes 

righteousness  : 
but  the  deceived  witness, delusion. 

18  There  is  that  babbles  like  the  piercings  of 

a  sword : 
but  the  tongue  of  the  wise  is  healing. 

19  The  lip  of  truth  shall  be  kept  up  forever : 
but  only  while  I  wink  the  tongue  of  false- 
hood. 


•  JVEJV  TRANSLATION. 

20  Delusion  is  in  the  heart  of  them  that  plot 

evil : 
but  for  the  counsellors  of  good  is  joy. 

21  No  calamity  happens  to  the  righteous: 
but  the  wicked  have  been  filled  with  evil. 

22  An  abomination   of  Jehovah   are  lips  of 

falsehood  : 
but  they  that  practise  truth  are  His  delight. 

23  A  subtle  man  conceals  knowledge : 

but  the  heart  of  the  stupid  promulges  fool- 
ishness. 

24  The  hand  of  the  diligent  bears  rule : 
but  sloth  shall  be  under  tribute. 

25  Is  there  anxiety  in  the  heart  of  a  man,  let 

him  subdue  it : 
and  let  a  good  word  cheer  it  away. 

26  A  righteous  man  guides  his  neighbour: 
but  the  way  of  the  wicked  leads  their  own 

selves  astray. 

27  One  cannot  roast  laziness  as  something  he 

has  taken  in  the  chase : 
but  a  precious  treasure  of  a  man  is  a  dili- 
gent one. 

28  In  the  path  of  righteousness  is  life  : 
and  the  way  is  a  path,  not  a  death. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

1  A  wise  son  has  listened  to  a  father's  dis- 

cipline : 
but  a  scorner  to  no  rebuke. 

2  Out  of  the  fair  earnings  of  the  mouth  of  a 

man  a  good  man  will  get  his  food ; 
but  the  appetite  of  the  faithless  out  of  rob- 
bery. 


43 

20  Deceit  is  in  the 
heart  of  them  that  im- 
agine evil  :  but  to  the 
counsellors  of  peace  is 

joy. 


21  There  shall  no 
evil  happen  10  the  just : 
but  the  wicked  shall  be 
filled  with  mischief. 

22  Lying  lips  are 
abomination  to  the 
Lord  :  but  they  that 
deal  truly  are  his  de- 
light. 

23  A  prudent  man 
concealeth  knowledge : 
but  the  heart  of  fools 
proclaimeth  foolish- 
ness. 


24  The  hand  of  the 
diligent  shall  bear  rule  : 
but  the  slothful  shall 
be  under  tribute. 

25  Heaviness  in  the 
heart  of  man  maketh  it 
stoop:  but  a  good  word 
maketh  it  glad. 


26  The  righteous  is 
more  excellent  than  his 
neighbour:  but  the 
way  of  the  wicked  se- 
duceth  them. 

27  The  slothful  7nan 
roasteth  not  that  which 
he  took  in  hunting: 
but  the  substance  of  a 
diligent  man  is  pre- 
cious. 


28  In  the  way  of 
righteousness  is  life  ; 
and  in  the  pathway 
thereof  there  is  no 
death. 


CHAP.  xni. 


A  WISE  son  hearetk 
his  father's  instruction  : 
but  a  scorner  heureth 
not  rebuke. 


2  A  man  shall  eat 
good  by  the  fruit  o{ his 
mouth :  but  the  soul 
of  the  transgressors 
shall  eat  violence. 


44 


THE  PROVERBS. 


3  He  that  keepeth 
hi;  mouth  keepeth  his 
life  :  but  he  that  open- 
eth  wide  his  lips  shall 
have  destruction. 


4  The  soul  of  the 
sluggard  desireth,  and 
hath  nothing  :  but  the 
soul  of  the  diligent 
shall  be  made  fat. 


5  A  righteous  man 
hateth  lying:  but  a 
wicked  7nan  is  loath- 
some, and  Cometh  to 
shame. 


6  Righteousness 
keepeth  him  that  is 
upright  in  the  way : 
but  wickedness  over- 
throweth  the  sinner. 


7  There  is  that  mak- 
eth  himself  rich,  yet 
hath  nothing  :  there  is 
that  maketh  himself 
poor,  yet  hath  great 
riches. 


8  The  ransom  of  a 
man's  life  arc  his  rich- 
es :  but  the  poor  hear- 
eth  not  rebuke. 


9  The  light  of  the 
righteous  rejoiceth  : 
but  the  lamp  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  put  out. 

10  Only  by  pride 
Cometh  contention  ; 
but  with  the  well-ad- 
vised is  wisdom. 

11  Wealth  gotten  by 
vanity  shall  be  dimin- 
ished :  but  he  that 
gathereth  by  labour 
shall  increase. 


12  Hope  deferred 
maketh  the  heart  sick  : 
but  'MheJi  the  desire 
Cometh,  //  is  a  tree  of 
life. 


13  Whoso  despiseth 
the  word  shall  be  des- 
troyed :  but  he  that 
feareih  the  command- 
ment shall  be  reward- 
ed. 


3  He  that  sets  watch  over  his  mouth,  stands 

guard  over  his  soul : 
but  he  that  sets  wide  his  lips,  it  is  ruin  to 
him. 

4  The  sluggard  longs,  but  as  to  his  soul  has 

nothing; 
but  the  soul  of  the  diligent  shall  be  made 
fat. 

5  A  deceiving  business  hates  the  righteous 

man, 
but  also  shames  and  disgraces  the  wicked. 

6  Righteousness  keeps  guard  over  him  that 

is  of  integrity  in  his  way  : 
but  wickedness  subverts  the  Sin-Offering. 

7  There  is  that  makes  himself  rich,  and  is  all 

nothing. 
There  is  that  makes  himself  poor,  and  is  a 
great  treasure. 

8  The  ransom  of  a  man's  soul  is  his  wealth ; 
and  a  poor  man  is  he  who  has  not  listened 

to  rebuke. 

9  The  light  of  the  righteous  shall  rejoice ; 
but  the  lamp  of  the  wicked  shall  be  put  out 

ID  Only  by  pride  comes  quarrel; 

but  with  those  that  take  advice  is  wisdom. 

1 1  Wealth  dwindles  faster  than  the  breath  ; 
but  he   that  keeps  gathering  on  the  hand 

increases. 

12  Protracted  delay  enfeebles  the  heart; 
but  the  desire  arrived  at  is  a  tree  of  life. 

13  He  that  despises  the  word  is  bound  by  it ; 
but  he  that  fears  the  law,  as  so  doing  shall 

be  made  whole. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


45 


14  The  direction  of  a  wise  man  is  a  burrow- 

ing out  place  of  life, 
for  getting  away  out  of  the  snares  of  death. 

15  Good  intelligence  gives  grace; 

but  the  way  of  the  faithless  is  perpetual. 

16  Every  subtle  man  acts  as  he  knows ; 
but  the  stupid  acts  out  folly. 

17  A  wicked  messenger  falls  as  being  an  evil ; 
but  a  faithful  errand-man  is  health, 

18  Poverty  and  shame  is  he  who  lets  go  dis- 

cipline ; 
but  he  that  watches  reproof  shall  be  hon- 
oured. 

19  A  desire  that  has  sprung  up,  is  swpet  to 

the  soul ; 
but  it  is  abomination  to  the  stupid  to  turn 
away  from  evil. 

20  He  that  goes  with  the  wise,  shall  be  also 

wise ; 
but  the  companion  of  fools  shall  do  badly. 

21  Evil  shall  pursue  sinners; 

but  good  shall  perfect  the  righteous. 

22  A   good   man   sends  down   a  heritage  to 

children's  children ; 
but  the  wealth  of  the  sinner  is  laid  up  for 
the  righteous. 


23  Much  to  eat  is  the  light  of  the  poor ; 
but  there  is   that  is   swept  away   as 
judgment. 


not 


24  He  who  spares  his  rod,  hates  his  son ; 
but  he  who  loves  him,  is  earnest  after  him 

with  discipline. 

25  The  righteous  eats  so  that  he  satisfies  his 

appetite  ; 
but  the  belly  of  the  wicked  wants. 


14  The  law  of  the 
wise  is  a  fountain  of 
life,  to  depart  from  the 
snares  of  death. 


15  Good  understand- 
ing giveth  favour :  but 
the  way  of  tlic  trans- 
gressors is  hard. 

16  Every  prudent 
m  a  n  dealeth  with 
knowledge  :  but  a  fool 
layeth  open  Ins  folly. 

17  A  wicked  messen- 
ger falleth  into  mis- 
chief: but  a  faithful 
ambassador  is  health. 

18  Poverty  and 
shame  shall  be  to  him 
that  refuseth  instruc- 
tion :  but  he  that  re- 
gardeth  reproof  shall  be 
honoured. 


19  The  desire  accom- 
plished is  sweet  to  the 
soul  :  but  it  is  abom- 
ination to  fools  to  de- 
part from  evil. 


20  He  that  walketh 
with  wise  men  shall  be 
wise:  but  a  companion 
of  fools  shall  be  des- 
troyed. 

21  Evil  pursueth  sin- 
ners :  but  to  the  right- 
eous good  shall  be  re- 
paid. 

22  A  good  Man  leav- 
eth  an  inheritance  to 
his  children's  children  ; 
and  the  wealth  of  the 
sinner  is  laid  up  for  the 
just. 


23  Much  food  is  in 
the  tillage  of  the  poor  : 
but  there  is  t/iai  is 
destroyed  for  want  of 
judgment. 

24  He  that  spareth 
his  rod  hateth  his  son  : 
but  he  that  loveth  him 
chasteneth  him  be- 
times. 

25  The  righteous;  eat- 
eth  to  the  satisfying  of 
his  soul :  but  the  belly 
o  f   the    wicked    shall 


46 


THE  PROVERBS. 


CHAP.   XIV. 

Every  wise  woman 
buildeth  her  house: 
but  tlie  foolish  pluck- 
eth  it  down  with  her 
hands. 

2  He  that  walketh  in 
his  uprightness  feareth 
the  Lord  :  but  he  that 
is  perverse  in  his  ways 
despiseth  him. 


3  In  the  mouth  of  the 
foolish  is -^s.  rod  of  pride; 
but  the  lips  of  the  wise 
shall  preserve  them. 

4  Where  no  oxen 
are^  the  crib  is  clean  : 
but  much  increase  is 
by  the  strength  of  the 


5  A  faithful  witness 
will  not  lie  :  but  a  false 
witness  will  utter  lies. 


6  A  scorn er  seeketh 
vnsdom,  2Lnd,  fitideth  it 
not :  but  knowledge  is 
easy  unto  him  that  un- 
dersta:>deth. 


7  Go  from  the  pres- 
ence of  a  foolish  man, 
when  thou  perceivest 
not  in  him  the  lips  of 
knowledge. 

8  The  wisdom  of  the 
prudent  is  to  under- 
stand his  way  :  but  the 
folly  of  fools  is  deceit. 


g  Fools  make  a  mock 
at  sin  :  but  among  the 
righteous  there  is  fav- 
our. 

TO  The  heart  know- 
eth  his  own  bitterness  ; 
and  a  stranger  doth  not 
intermeddle  with  his 
joy. 

II  The  house  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  over- 
thrown :  but  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  upright 
shall  flourish. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

1  The  Wise  Woman  has  built  her  house; 
and  Folly  tears  it  down  with  her  hands. 

2  He  that  walks  in  His  level  track  fears  Je- 

hovah ; 
but  he  that  is  turned  out  of  His  way  des- 
pises Him. 

3  In  the  mouth  of  a  fool  is  a  sceptre  of  pride ; 
but  the  lips  of  the  wise  shall  guard  them. 

4  Where  no  oxen  are  the  stable  is  clean ; 
but  there  is  great  profit  in  the  strength  of 

an  ox. 

5  He  who  witnesses   things  correctly,  does 

not  lie; 
but,  of  a  deceived  witness,  the  very  breath 
is  lies. 

6  A  scorner  has  sought  wisdom,  and  there 

was  no  such  thing  ; 
but  knowledge  is  easy  to  him  who  has  be- 
come discerning. 

7  Go  from  the  presence  of  a  stupid  man ; 
and  thou  shalt  not  know  the  lips  of  knowl- 
edge. 

8  The  wisdom  of  the  subtle  is  the  making 

discernible  of  his  way  ; 
but  the  folly  of  the  stupid  is  delusion, 

9  Sin  makes  a  mock  at  fools  ; 

but  between  upright  beings  there  is  favor. 

10  A  knowing  heart  is  a  bitterness  to  itself; 
but  with  its  joy   it   does  not  hold  inter- 
course as  an  enemy. 

11  The  house  of  the  wicked  shall  be  made 

desolate  ; 
but  the  tent  of  the  upright  shall  f  ourish; 


NEW  TRANSLATION 


47 


12  There  is  a  way  that  seems  right  unto  a 

man ; 
but  its  afterpart  is  the  ways  of  death. 

13  Even  in  laughter  a  heart  is  sad  ; 
and  joy,  in  its  afterpart,  is  heaviness. 

14  The  backslider  in  heart  shall  be  satisfied 

with  his  ways ; 
and  the  good  man  from  him. 

15  The  simple  trusts  everything; 

but  the  subtle  must  make  it  discernible 
that  he  is  going  right. 

16  The  wise  is  afraid,  and  departs  from  evil : 
but  the  stupid  push  on,  and  are  confident. 

17  He  that  has  quick  passions,  does  foolish- 

ness : 
but  the  man  of  deep  schemes  is  hated. 

18  The  simple  have  inherited  folly  : 

but  the  subtle  make  a  crown  of  knowledge. 

19  The  evil  bow  before  the  good, 

and  the  wicked  at  the  gates  of  the  right- 
eous man. 

20  The  poor  is  odious  even  to  his  neighbor; 
but  the  lovers  of  the  rich  man  are  many. 

21  He  who  despises  his  neighbor,  blunders; 
but  he  who  pities  the  poor,  blessed  is  he  ! 

22  Must  they  not  err  that  devise  evil, 
seeing  that  Mercy  and  Truth  devise  good  "> 

23  By  all  labor  there  comes  a  profit ; 

but  the  talk  of  the  lips  tends  only  to  want. 

24  The  crown  of  the  wise  is  their  wealth ; 
the  folly  of  the  stupid  is  folly. 

25  A  witness  of  truth  saves  souls  : 

but  he  whose  breath  is  lies,  deludes.  I 


12  There  is  a  way 
which  seemeth  right 
unto  a  man  :  but  the 
end  thereof  are  the 
ways  of  death. 

13  Even  in  lauglUei 
the  heart  is  soriowful  ; 
and  the  end  of  that 
mirth  is  heaviness. 

14  The  backslider  in 
heart  shall  be  filled 
with  his  own  ways; 
and  a  good  man  shall 
be  satisfied  from  him- 
self. 

15  The  simple  be- 
lieveth  every  word: 
but  the  prudent  man 
looketh  well  to  his 
going. 

16  A  wise  man  fear- 
eth ,  and  departeth  from 
evil:  but  the  fool  rag- 
eth,  and  is  confident. 

17  He  that  is  soon 
angry  dealeth  foolish- 
ly ;  and  a  man  of  wick- 
ed devices  is  hated. 


18  The  simple  inherit 
folly  :  but  the  prudent 
are  crowned  with 
knowledge. 

ig  The  evil  bow  be- 
fore the  good  ;  and  the 
wicked  at  the  gates  of 
the  righteous. 


20  The  poor  is  hated 
even  of  his  own  neigh- 
bour :  but  the  rich  hath 
many  friends. 

21  He  that  despiseth 
his  neighbour  sinneth  : 
but  he  that  hath  mercy 
on  the  poor,  happy  is 
he. 

22  Do  they  not  err 
that  devise  evil  ?  but 
mercy  and  truth  shall 
he  to  them  that  devise 
good. 

23  lu  all  labour  there 
is  profit :  hut  the  talk 
of  the  lips  tendeth  only 
to  penury. 

24  The  crown  of  the 
wise  is  their  riches : 
but  the  foolishness  of 
fools  is  folly. 

25  A  true  witness  de- 
livereth  souls :  but  a 
deceitful  witness 
speaketh  lies. 


48 


THE  PROVERBS. 


26  Ifi  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  strong  confi- 
dence ;  and  his  chil- 
dren shall  have  a  place 
of  refuge. 

27  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  a  fountain  of 
life,  to  depart  from  the 
snares  of  death.    ' 


28  In  the  multitude 
of  people  is  the  king's 
honour :  but  in  the 
want  of  people  is  the 
destruction  of  the 
prince. 

29  He  that  is  slow  to 
wrath  is  of  great  under- 
standing :  but  he  that 
z"j- hasty  of  spirit  exalt- 
eth  folly. 

30  A  sound  heart  is 
the  life  of  the  flesh  : 
but  envy  the  rottenness 
of  the  bones. 


31  He  that  oppres- 
seth  the  poor  reproach- 
eth  his  Maker :  but  he 
that  honoureth  him 
hath  mercy  on  t  h  e 
poor. 


32  The  wicked  i  s 
driven  away  in  his 
wickedness  :  but  the 
righteous  hath  hope  in 
his  death. 


33  Wisdom  resteth^ 
in  the  heart  of  him  that 
hath  understanding  : 
but  that  'duliicli  is  in 
the  midst  of  fools  is 
made  known. 

34  Righteousness  ex- 
alteth  a  nation  :  but 
sin  is  a  reproach  to  any 
people. 


35  The  king's  favour 
is  toward  a  wise  ser- 
vant :  but  his  wrath  is 
against  him  that  caus- 
cth  shame. 


CHAP.   XV. 


A  SOFT  answer 
turneth  away  wrath  : 
bnt  grievous  words  stir 
up  anger. 


26  In  the  fear  of  Jehovah  is  a  strong  trust ; 
and  to  His  children  it  becomes  a  refuge. 

27  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  where  life  burrows 

out 
in  getting  away  out  of  the  snares  of  death. 

28  In  a  great  people  is  the  king's  honor; 

but  in  the  people's  coming  to  nothing  the 
prince's  ruin. 

29  He  that  is  slow  to  anger,  is  of  great  dis- 

cernment : 
but  he  that  is  quick  of  spirit,  enhances  folly. 

30  A  healthy  heart  is  the  life  of  the  flesh ; 
but  perturbation  is  the  rottenness  of  the 

bones. 

31  He   that   oppresses   the   weak,  scorns   his 

Maker; 
but  he  that  honors  Him,  has  pity  on  the 
•poor. 

32  The  wicked  is  thrust  lower  by  his  evil ; 
but  the  righteous  takes  refuge  in  his  very 

death. 

-^T,  In  a  discerning  heart  wisdom  rests  quiet ; 
but  in  the  midst  of  the  stupid  it  is  made 
known. 

34  Righteousness  lifts  up  a  people ; 

and  the  mercy  for  nations  is  the  Sin-Offer- 
ing- 

35  The  kindness  of  a  king  is  a  wise  servant ; 
but   his   wrath   becomes  one  that  brings 

shame. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

I  A  soft  answer  turns  away  wrath ; 
but  a  trying  word  arouses  anger. 


J\r£JV  TRANSLATION. 


49 


2  The  tongue  of  the 
wise  useth  knowledge 
aright :  but  the  mouth 
of  fools  poureth  out 
foolishness. 


2  The  tongue  of  the  wise  improves  knowl- 

edge ; 
but  the  mouth  of  the  stupid  makes  folly 
pour  forth. 

3  The  eyes  of  Jehovah  are  in  every  place 
taking  note  of  the  wicked  and  the  good. 

4  The  tongue,  as  a  healing  thing,  is  a  tree  of 

life; 
but,  as  a  subverting  thing,  it  is  ruin  like  the 
wind. 

5  A  fool  rejects  the  discipline  of  his  father, 
but  gives  him  subtlety  who  keeps  watch 

upon  reproof. 

6  The   house   of  a  righteous  man  is  great 

wealth ; 
but  in  the  revenue  of  a  wicked  man  is 
trouble. 

7  The  lips  of  the  wise  winnow  knowledge ; 
but  the  heart  of  the  stupid  is  not  fixed. 

8  The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomina- 

tion to  Jehovah  ; 
but  the  prayer  of  the  upright  is  His  de- 
light. 

9  An  abomination  to  Jehovah  is  a  way  for 

the  wicked  man  ; 
but  him  who  is  journeying  after  righteous- 
ness He  loves. 

10  Discipline  is  an  evil  to  him  who  forsakes 

the  path. 
It  is  in  hating  reproof  he  dies. 

11  Sheol  and  Destruction  are  before  Jehovah, 
because  also  the  hearts  of  the  children  of 

men. 

12  A  scorner  loveth 

12  A  scorner  loves  not  him  that  reproves  him  ;  not  one  that  rerroveth 

.   ,  ...    ,  ■,  ■  hira  ;  neither  will  he  go 

neither  will  he  go  to  the  wise.  unto  the  wise. 


3  The  eyes  of  the 
Lord  are  in  every 
place,  beholding  the 
evil  and  the  good. 

4  A  wholesome 
tongue  is  a  tree  of  life : 
but  perverseness  there- 
in is  a  breach  in  the 
spirit. 


5  A  fool  despiseth 
his  father's  instruction: 
but  he  that  regardeth 
reproof  is  prudent. 


6  In  the  house  of  the 
righteous  is  much 
treasure :  hut  in  the 
revenues  of  the  wicked 
is  trouble. 


7  The  lips  of  t  h  e 
wise  disperse  knowl- 
edge :  but  the  heart  of 
the   foolish    doetli    not 


8  The  sacrifice  of  the 
wicked  is  an  abomina- 
tion to  the  Lord: 
but  the  prayer  of  the 
•upright  is  his  delight. 


9  The  way  of  the 
wicked  is  an  abomina- 
tion unto  the  Lord  : 
but  he  loveth  him  that 
followeth  after  right- 
eousness. 


10  Correction  is 
grievous  unto  him  that 
forsaketh  the  way  ;  a7id 
he  that  hateth  reproof 
shall  die. 

11  Hell  and  destruc- 
t  i  o  n  are  before  the 
Lord  :  how  much  more 
then  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  men  ? 


so 


THE  PROVERBS. 


13  A  merry  heart 
maketh  a  cheerful 
countenance  :  but  by 
sorrow  of  the  heart  the 
spirit  is  broken. 

14  The  heart  of  him 
that  hath  understand- 
ing seeketh  knowledge: 
but  the  mouth  of  fools 
feedeth  on  foolishness. 


15  All  the  days  of  the 
afflicted  are  evil  :  but 
he  that  is  of  a  merry 
heart  hath  a  continual 
feast. 


16  Better  is  little 
with  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  than  great  treas- 
ure, and  trouble  there- 
with. 


17  Better  is  a  dinner 
of  herbs  where  love  is, 
than  a  stalled  ox  and 
hatred  therewith. 

18  A  wrathful  man 
stirreth  up  strife  :  but 
he  that  is  slow  to  anger 
appeaseth  strife. 

iQ  The  way  of  the 
slothful  man  is  as  an 
hedge  of  thorns :  but 
the  way  of  the  right- 
eous is  made  plain. 

20  A  wise  son  mak- 
eth a  glad  father  :  but 
a  foolish  man  despiseth 
his  mother. 


21  Folly  is  joy  to 
him  that  is  destitute 
of  wisdom:  but  a  man 
of  understanding  walk- 
eth  uprightly. 

22  Without  counsel 
purposes  are  d  i  s  a  p  - 
pointed  :  but  in  t  h  e 
multitude  of  counsel- 
1  o  r  s  they  are  estab- 
lished. 

23  A  man  hath  joy 
by  the  answer  of  his 
mouth  ;  and  a  word 
spoken  in  due  season. 
How  good  is  it ! 

24  The  w.iy  of  life  is 
above  to  the  wise,  that 
he  may  depart  from 
hell  beneath. 


13  A  glad  heart   does  good    to   the  counte- 

nance ; 
but  by  grief  of  heart  comes  an  upbraiding 
spirit. 

14  A  heart,  made  discerning,  seeks  knowledge ; 
but  the  countenance  of  the  stupid  feeds  on 

folly. 

15  All  the  days  of  the  toiling  are  evil ; 
but  a  good  heart  is  a  continual  feast. 

16  Better  is  a  little  with  the  fear  of  Jehovah, 
than  a  great  treasure  and   trouble   there- 
with. 

17  Better  is  an  allowance  of  vegetables,  and 

love  there, 
than  a  stalled  ox,  and  hatred  therewith. 

18  A   wrathful   man  stirs   up   a   ground    for 

quarrel ; 
but  one  slow  to  anger  quiets  contention. 

19  The  way  of  a  sluggard  is  as  a  hedge  of 

thorns ; 
but  the  path  of  the  upright  is  cast  up. 

20  A  wise  son  will  gladden  his  father; 

but  a  fool  of  a  man  despises  his  mother. 

21  Folly  is  joy  to  the  heartless  man  ; 

but  a  man  of  discernment  makes  a  direct 
track. 

22  There  is  a  failure  of  plans  where  there  is 

no  consulting ; 
but  by  greatness  of  counsellors  each  plan 
succeeds. 

23  A  man  has  joy  by  the  decree  of  his  mouth ; 
and  a  word  in  its  season,  how  good  it  is ! 

24  The  path  of  life  is  upward  for  the  wise  man  • 
because  of  the  turning  from  Sheol  beneath. 


NEW   TRANSLATION. 


51 


25  The  house  of  the  proud  shall  Jehovah  pull 

down ; 
but  He  keeps  fixed  the  boundary  of  the 
widow. 

26  Plans  of  evil  are  the  abomination  of  Jeho- 

vah; 
but  pleasant  words  are  pure. 


27  He   troubles  his  house  who   seizes  upon 

prey ; 
but  he  who  hates  bribes,  lives. 

28  A  righteous  heart  thinks  in  order  to  decide  ; 
but  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  pours  out 

evils. 

29  Jehovah  is  far  from  the  wicked  ; 

but  the  prayer  of  the  righteous  He  hears. 

•      30  The  light  of  the  eyes  rejoices  the  heart. 
A  good  report  fattens  the  bones. 

31  The  ear  that  hears  the  reproof  of  life 
abides  in  the  midst  of  the  wise. 

32  He  that  lets  go  admonition,  despises  him- 

self; 
but  he  that  hears  reproof,  gets  possession 
of  heart. 

II  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  discipline  of 
wisdom ;  , 

and  before  glory  is  affliction. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

1  To  man  may  belong  the  arrangings  of  the 

heart; 
but   from   Jehovah  is   the  decree   of  the 
tongue. 

2  As  to   all  the  ways  of  a  man,  pure  in  His 

own  eyes, 
while  yet  He  weighs  out  spirits,  is  Jehovah. 


25  The  Lord  will 
destroy  the  house  of 
the  proud  :  but  he  will 
establish  the  border  of 
the  widow. 


26  The  thoughts  of 
the  wicked  are  an  ab- 
omination to  the  Lord: 
but  the  words  of  the 
pure  are  pleasant 
words. 


27  He  that  is  greedy 
of  gain  troubleth  his 
own  house  :  but  he  that 
hateth  gifts  sliall  live. 

28  The  heart  of  the 
righteous  studieth  to 
answer  :  but  the  mouth 
of  the  wicked  poureth 
out  evil  things. 


29  The  Lord  is  far 
from  the  wicked  :  but 
he  heareth  the  prayer 
of  the  righteous. 


30  The  light  of  the 
eyes  rejoiceth  the 
heart :  and  a  good  re- 
port maketh  the  bones 
fat. 


31  The  ear  that  hear- 
eth the  reproof  of  life 
a  b  i  d  e  t  h  among  the 
wise. 


32  He  that  refuseth 
instruction  despiseth 
his  own  soul  :  but  he 
that  heareth  reproof 
getteth  understanding. 

33  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  the  instruction 
of  wisdom;  and  before 
honour  is  humility. 


CHAP.    XVL     • 

The  preparations 
of  the  heart  in  man, 
and  the  answer  of  the 
tongue,  is  from  the 
Lord. 


2  All  the  ways  of  a 
man  are  clean  in  his 
own  eyes :  but  the 
Lord  weigheth  the 
spirits. 


52 


THE  PROVERBS. 


3  Commit  thy  works 
unto  the  Lord,  and  thy 
thoughts  shall  be  es- 
tablished. 


4  The  Lord  hath 
made  all  things  for 
himself:  yea,  even  the 
wicked  for  the  day  of 
evil. 


5  Every  one  that  is 
proud  in  heart  is  an 
abomination  to  the 
Lord  :  though  hand 
joi^'  in  hand,  he  shall 
not  be  unpunished. 


6  By  mercy  and  truth 
iniquity  is  purged  ;  and 
by  the  fear  of  the  Lord 
men  depart  from  evil. 


7  When  a  man's  ways 
please  the  Lord,  he 
maketh  even  his  ene- 
mies to  be  at  peace 
with  him. 


8  Better  is  a  little 
with  righteousness, 
than  great  revenues 
without  right. 


9  A  man's  heart  de- 
viseth  his  way  :  but  the 
Lord  directeth  h  i  s 
steps. 


lo  A  divine  sentence 
is  in  the  lips  of  the 
king  ;  his  mouth  trans- 
gresseth  not  in  judg- 
ment. 


II  A  just  weight  and 
balance  are  the 
Lord's  ;  all  the  weights 
of  the  bag  are  his  work. 


12  //  is  an  abomina- 
tion to  kings  to  commit 
wickedness  ;  for  the 
throne  is  established  by 
righteousness. 


13  Righteous  lips  rtr^ 
the  delight  of  kings  ; 
and  they  love  him  that 
speaketh  right. 


3  Roll  thy  doings  in  the   direction   of  Je- 

hovah ; 
and  they  shall  have  success  according  to 
thy  plans. 

4  Jehovah  has  made  everything  for  His  de- 

cree ; 
yea,  even  the  wicked  man  for  the  day  of 
evil. 

5  Every  one  that  is  proud  of  heart  is  an  ab- 

omination to  Jehovah. 
When  hand  to  hand,  he  shall  not  go  un- 
punished. 

6  By  mercy  and  truth  iniquity  is  covered ; 
and  through   the  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the 

turning  from  evil. 

7  Because  it  pleases  Jehovah,  the  ways  of  a 

man, 
even  of  His  enemies.  He  sets  at  peace  with 
Him. 

8  Better  is  a  little  by  means  of  righteousness, 
than  great  revenues  by  that  which  is  not 

a  judgment. 

9  The  heart  of  a  man  devises  his  way  ; 
but  Jehovah  plants  his  step. 

10  There  is   a   divination   on   the   lips   of  a 

king ; 
his  mouth  is  not  treatherous  in  judgment. 

11  The  balance  and  scales  of  judgment  are 

•Jehovah's; 
His  work  is  all  the  stones  of  the  bag. 

12  It  is  an  abomination  to  kings  to  do  wick- 

edness ; 
for  in  righteousness  a  throne  is  set  firm. 

13  A  pleasure  to  kings  are  lips  of  righteous- 

ness ; 
and  he  who  speaks  right,  is  loved. 


NEW   TRANSLATION. 


IZ 


14  The  wrath  of  a  king  is  death's  messengers; 
and  a  wise  man  will  get  it  covered. 

15  In  the  light  of  a  king's  countenance  is  life; 
and  his  favor  is  as  the  cloud  of  the  latter  rain. 

16  To  get  wisdom,  how  much  better  than  gold  ! 
and  to  get  discernment  to  be  chosen  rather 

than  silver ! 

17  The  highway  of  the  upright  is  the  depart- 

ing from  evil. 
He  that  guards  his  soul,  watches  his  way. 

18  Before  ruin  is  pride  ; 

and  before  a  fall  a  haughty  spirit. 

19  Better  is  it  to  be  humble  of  spirit  with  the 

afflicted, 
than  to  divide  the  spoil  with  the  proud. 

*    20  He  that  is  wise,  may,  for  one  act,  find  good ; 

so  he  that  casts  himself  on  Jehovah,  blessed 

is  he ! 

81  The  wise  in  heart  get  the  name  of  being 
discerning : 
but  sweetness  of  lips  makes  a  lesson  better 
taken. 

22  A  fountain  of  life  is  wisdom  to  him  who 

has  any ; 
but  the  discipline  of  fools  is  folly. 

23  A  wise  heart  gives  subtlety  to  its  mouth ; 
and  upon  its  lips  makes  a  lesson  to  be  bet- 
ter taken. 

24  A  flow  of  honey  are  words  of  pleasantness, 
sweet  to  the  soul,  and  healing  to  the  bone. 

25  There  is  a  way  that  seems  right  to  a  man ; 
but  its  after  part  are  the  ways  of  death. 

26  The  laboring  soul  labors  for  it ;  _ 

for  its  mouth  imposes  it  upon  him.  1 


14  The  wrath  of  a 
king  is  as  messengers 
of  death  :  but  a  wise 
man  will  pacify  it. 

15  In  the  light  of  the 
king's  countenance  is 
life  ;  and  his  favour  is 
as  a  cloud  of  the  latter 
rain. 

16  How  much  better 
is  it  to  get  wisdom 
than  gold  !  and  to  get 
understanding  rather 
to  be  chosen  than  sil- 
ver ! 

17  The  highway  of 
the  upright  is\.o  depart 
from  evil  :  he  that 
keepeth  his  way  pre- 
serveth  his  soul. 

18  Pride ^o^M  before 
destruction,  and  an 
haughty  spirit  before  a 
fall. 

19  Better  it  is  to  be 
of  an  humble  spirit 
with  the  lowly,  than  to 
divide  the  spoil  with 
the  proud. 

20  He  that  handleth 
a  matter  wisely  shall 
find  good  ;  and  whoso 
trusteth  in  the  Lord, 
happy  is  he. 

21  The  wise  in  heart 
shall  be  called  prudent ; 
and  the  sweetness  of 
the  lips  increaseth 
learning. 

22  Understanding  is 
a  well-spring  of  1  i  f  e 
unto  him  that  hath  it: 
but  the  instruction  of 
fools  is  folly. 

23  The  heart  of  the 
wise  teacheth  h  i  s 
mouth,  and  addeth 
learning  to  his  lips. 

24  Pleasant  words 
are  ojan  honey-comb, 
sweet  to  the  soul,  and 
health  to  the  bones. 

25  There  is  a  way 
thatseemeth  right  unto 
a  man  ;  but  the  end 
thereof  a7-e  the  ways  of 
death. 

26  He  that  laboureth, 
laboureth  for  himself; 
for  his  mouth  craveth 
it  of  him. 


54 


THE  PROVERBS. 


27  An  ungodly  man  '  27 
diggeth  up  evil  ;  and  in       ' 
his   lips  there  is  as  a 
burning  fire. 


28  A  froward  man 
soweth   strife  ;    and    a 

whisperer      separateth 
chief  friends. 

29  A  vHoIent  man  en- 
ticeth  his  neighbour, 
and  leadeth  him  into 
the  way  that  is  not 
good. 

30  He  shutteth  his 
eyes  to  devise  froward 
things:  moving  his  lips 
he  bringeth  evil  to  pass. 

31  The  hoary  head 
is  a  crown  of  glory,  if 
it  be  found  in  the  way 
of  righteousness. 

32  He  that  iss\o-vi  to 
anger /.r  better  than  the 
mighty  ;  and  he  that 
ruleth  his  spirit  than  he 
that  tjiketh  a  city. 

33  The  lot    is    cast  I 
into   the   lap  ;  but   the 
whole  disposing  there 
of  is  of  the  Lord. 


CHAP.   XVII. 

Better  is  a  dry 
morsel  and  quietness 
therewith,  than  an 
house  full  of  sacrifices 
7vitk  strife. 


2  A  wise  servant  shall 
have  rule  over  a  son 
that  causeth  shame, 
and  shall  have  part  of 
the  inheritance  among 
the  brethren. 


3  The  fining-pot  is 
for  silver,  and  the  fur- 
nace for  gold  :  but  the 
Lord  trieth  the  hearts. 


4  A  wicked  doer  giv- 
eth  heed  to  false  lips  ; 
and  a  liar  giveth  ear  to 
a  naughty  tongue. 


5  Whoso  mockelh 
the  poor  reproach  eth 
his  Maker;  and  he 
that  is  gl.id  at  calami- 
ties shall  no  t  be  unpun- 
ished. 


28 
29 

32 

Z2, 


A  worthless  man,  digging  up  evil, 
and  having  upon  his  lips  as  it  were  burn- 
ing fire, 
as  a  mischievous  man,  spreads  discord, 
and,  as  a  talker,  separates  away  a  friend ; 
as  a  man  of  violence,  seduces  his  neigh- 
bour ; 
and  leads  him  in  a  way  not  good. 
Shutting  his  eyes  to  devise  mischiefs, 
pressing  his  lips,  he  has  already  accom- 
plished evil. 
Grey  hair,  to  be  a  crown  of  glory, 
must  be  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness. 

He  that  is  slow  to  anger,  is  better  than  the 

mighty; 
and  he  that  rules  his  spirit,  than  he  that 

takes  a  city. 

The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap ; 

but  its  whole  judgment  is  from  Jehovah. 


CHAPTER  XVn. 

1  Better    is    a   dry   morsel    and    quietness 

therewith, 
than  a  house  full  of  contentious  feasts. 

2  A  wise  servant  shall  have  rule  over  the  son 

of  one  who  causes  shame, 
and  in  the  very  midst  of  the  brethren  shall 
share  the  inheritance. 

3  The  fining  pot  for  silver,  and  the  furnace 

for  gold, 
and  Jehovah  as  trier  of  hearts. 

4  An  evil  doer  gives  heed  to  a  worthless  lip. 
A  lie  listens  to  a  reckless  tongue. 

5  He  that  mocks  the  poor  man,  scorns  his 

Maker. 
He  that  is  glad  of  calamity,  shall  not  go 
unpunished. 


NEW   TRANSLATION. 


55 


6  Tlie  crown  of  old  men  are  children's  chil- 

dren ; 
and  the  glory  of  children  are  their  fathers. 

7  Excellent  speech  is  not  agreeable  to  the  base, 
forthe  same  reason  also  that  lying  speech 

is  not  to  the  noble. 

8  The  Gift  is  a  precious  stone  in  the  eyes  of 

him  who  has  it : 
whithersoever  it  turns  it  prospers. 


9  He  that  covers  sin,  seeks  love ; 
but  he  who  falls  back  into  an 
away  a  friend. 


act,  drives 


ID  Rebuke  penetrates  further  into  a  discern- 
ing man 
than  a  hundred  stripes  into  a  stupid  one. 

1 1  Only  rebellion  goes  in  search  of  evil, 

and  has  a  cruel  messenger  sent  by  its  very 
self. 

12  Let  a  bear  robbed  of  her  cubs  meet  a  man  ; 
but  not  a  fool  his  folly. 

13  Whoso  returns  evil  for  good, 

evil  shall  not  depart  from  his  house. 

14  A  breaker  of  a  way  for  waters  is  the  begin- 

ning of  strife ; 
therefore   break   off  contention   before   it 
pours  forth. 

15  He  that  justifieth  the  wicked,  and  he  that 

condemns  the  righteous, 
even  both  of  them  are  an  abomination  to 
Jehovah. 

16  Why  is  this.'' — a  price  in  the  hand  of  a 

stupid  man 
to  get  wisdom  ;  and  no  heart .? 

17  At  all  times  the  Friend  loves; 
and  a  brother  is  born  for  straitness. 


6  Children's  children 
are  the  crown  of  old 
men  ;  and  the  glory  of 
children  are  their  fa- 
thers. 


7  Excellent  speech 
becometh  not  a  fool ; 
much  less  do  lying  lips 
a  prince. 

8  A  gift  is  as  a  pre- 
cious stone  in  the  eyes 
of  him  that  hath  it ; 
whithersoever  it  turn- 
eth,  it  prospereth. 


9  He  that  covereth  a 
transgression  seeketh 
love  :  but  he  that  re- 
peateth  a  matter  sepa- 
rateth  z'ery  friends. 

10  A  reproof  enter- 
eth  more  into  a  wise 
man  than  an   hundred 

"stripes  into  a  fool. 

Ti  An  evil  tnan  seelc- 
e  t  h  only  rebellion  ; 
therefore  a  cruel  mes- 
senger shall  be  sent 
against  him. 

12  Let  a  bear  robbed 
of  her  whclpr;  meet  a 
man,  rather  than  a  fool 
in  his  folly. 

13  Whoso  rewardeth 
evil  for  good,  evil  shall 
not  depart    from  •  h  i  s 

house. 

14  The  beginning  of 
strife  is  as  when  one 
1  e  t  t  e  t  h  out  water  ; 
therefore  leave  off  con- 
tention, before  it  b  e 
meddled  with. 

15  He  that  justifieth 
the  wicked,  and  he  that 
condemneth  the  just, 
even  they  both  are 
abomination  to  the 
Lord. 

16  Wherefore  is  there 
a  price  in  the  hand  of  a 
fool  to  get  wisdom,  see- 
ing he  hath  no  heart 
to  it  ? 

17  A  friend  loveth  at 
all  times,  and  a  brother 
is  born  for  adversity. 


56 


THE  PROVERBS. 


i8  A  man  void  of 
understanding  strikcth 
hands,  and  becometh 
surety  in  the  presence 
of  his  friend. 


19  He  loveth  trans- 
gression that  loveth 
strife  ;  and  he  that  ex- 
alteth  his  gate  seeketh 
destruction. 


2o  He  that  hath  a 
froward  heart  findeth 
no  good  ;  and  he  that 
hath  a  perverse  tongue 
falleth  into  mischief. 


21  He  that  begetteth 
a  fool  doetli  it  to  his 
sorrow  ;  and  the  father 
of  a  fool  hath  no  joy. 

22  A  merry  heart 
doeth  good  like  a  medi- 
cine:  but  a  broken 
spirit  drieth  the  bones. 


23  A  wicked  man 
taketh  a  gift  out  of  the 
bosom  to  pervert  the 
ways  of  judgment. 


24  Wisdom  is  before 
him  that  hath  under- 
standing :  but  the  eyes 
of  a  fool  are  in  the 
ends  of  the  earth. 


25  A  foolish  son  is  a 
grief  to  his  father,  and 
bitterness  to  her  thai 
bare  him. 


26  Also  to  punish  the 
just  is  not  good,  nor 
to  strike  princes  for 
equity. 

27  He  that  hath 
knowledge  spareth  his 
words  ;  and  a  man  of 
understanding  is  of  an 
excellent  spirit. 

28  Even  a  fool,  when 
he  holdeth  his  peace, 
is  counted  wise  ;  and 
he  that  shutteth  his 
lips  is  esteonrd  3.  man 
of  understanding. 


18  A  man  without  sense  strikes  hands, 
assuming  over  again  a  suretyship  in   the 

very  presence  of  his  Friend. 

19  He  loves  sin  that  loves  contention; 

and  he  that  sets  high  his  gate,  seeks  ruin. 

20  The  crooked  in  heart  cannot  find  good ; 
and  he  that  is  subversive  in  his   tongue, 

must  fall  as  being  an  evil. 

2 1  When  one  has  a  stupid  child  it  is  his  sorrow ; 
and  he  is  not  glad  who  is  father  of  the  base. 

22  A  glad  heart  helps  forward  a  cure; 

but  an  upbraiding  spirit  dries  the  bones. 

23  A  gift  out  of  the  bosom  the  wicked  has  to 

take 
to  turn  the  paths  of  judgment. 

24  Before  the  very  face  of  the  discerning  is 

wisdom  ; 
but  the  eyes  of  the  stupid  are  at  the  end 
of  the  earth. 

25  A  vexation  to  a  father  is  a  stupid  son, 
and  a  grief  to  her  who  bare  him. 

26  Even  deserved  punishment    to  the  right- 

eous does  not  seem  good 
when  designed  to  chasten  the  willing  with 
a  view  to  holiness. 

27  He  that  restrains  his  words,  knows  knowl- 

edge; 
and  he  that  is  cool  in  spirit,  is  a  discerning 
man. 

28  Even  a  fool  is  counted  wise  if  he  hold  his 

peace ; 
a  man  of  discernment,  if  he  shut  his  lips. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


57 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

1  The  aims  of  a  man  left  to  himself  are  at 

the  mere  dictate  of  desire ; 
against  everything  stable  he  lets  himself 
roll  along. 

2  The  stupid  has  no  delight  in  discernment, 
but  in  his  heart's  acting  itself  out. 

3  When  the  wicked  enters,  there  enters  also 

contemptuousness ; 
and  with  disgrace,  reproachfulness. 

4  Deep  waters  are   the   words   of  a   man's 

mouth ; 
a  gushing  stream  is  the  fountain  of  wis- 
dom. 

5  Partiality  to  a  wicked  man  is  not  good, 

to   the  turning  aside  of  the  righteous  in 
judgment. 

6  The  lips  of  a  stupid  man  come  into  a  quar- 

rel ; 
and  it  is  his  mouth  that  gives  a  name  to 
blows. 

7  The  mouth  of  a  stupid  man  is  ruin  to  him- 

self; 
and  his  lips  are  a  snare  to  his  soul. 

8  The  words  of  a  talker  are  as  dainty  mor- 

sels, 
and,  as  such,  go  down  to  the  very  chambers 
of  the  belly. 

9  Even  he  who  discourages  himself  in  his 

duty 
is  the  very  brother  of  him  who  is  a  master 
of  destruction. 

lo  The  name  of  Jehovah  is  a  tower  of  strength; 
the  righteous  runs  into  it,  and  is  lifted  high. 

3* 


CHAP,  xvrii. 

Through  desire  a 
man,  having  separated 
himself,  seelieth  and 
intermeddleth  with  all 
wisdom. 


2  A  fool  hath  no  de- 
light in  understanding, 
but  that  his  heart  may 
discover  itself. 


3  When  the  wicked 
Cometh,  then  cometh 
also  contempt,  and 
with  ignominy  re- 
proach. 


4  T  h  e  words  o  f  a 
man's  mouth  are  as 
deep  waters,  and  the 
well-spring  of  wisdom 
as  a  flowing  brook. 


5  It  is  not  good  to 
accept  the  person  of 
the  wicked,  to  over- 
throw the  righteous  in 
judgment. 


6  A  fool's  lips  enter 
into  contention,  and 
his  mouth  '•calleth  for 
strokes. 


7  A  fool's  mouth  is 
his  destruction,  and  his 
Ups  are  the  snare  of  his 
soul. 


8  The  words  of  a  tale- 
bearer are  as  wounds, 
and  they  go  down  into 
the  innermost  parts  of 
the  belly. 


9  He  also  that  is 
slothful  in  his  work  is 
brother  to  him  that  is 
a  great  waster. 


ID  The  name  of  the 
Lord  is  a  strong  tower  ; 
the  righteous  runneth 
into  it,  and  is  safe. 


58 


THE  PROVERBS. 


II  The  rich  man's 
wealth  is  his  strong 
city,  and  as  an  high 
wall  in  his  own  con- 
ceit. 


12  Before  destruction 
the  heart  of  man  is 
haughty  ;  and  before 
honour  is  humility. 


13  He  that  answer- 
eth  a  matter  before  he 
heareth  /V,  it  is  folly 
and  shame  unto  him. 


14  The  spirit  o  f  a 
man  will  sustain  his  in- 
firmity :  but  a  wound- 
ed spirit  who  can  bear  ? 


15  The  heart  of  the 
prudent  getteth  knowl- 
edge :  and  the  ear  of 
the  wise  seeketh  knowl- 
edge. 


16  A  man's  gift  mak- 
eth  room  for  him,  and 
hringeth  him  before 
great  men. 


17  He  that  is  first  in 
his  own  cause  seemeth 
just  ;  but  his  neigh- 
bour  Cometh  and 
searcheth  him. 


18  The  lot  causeth 
contentions  to  cease, 
and  parteth  between 
the  mighty. 


19  A  brother  offend- 
ed is  harder  to  be  ivon 
than  a  strong  city  ;  and 
their  contentions  are 
like  the  bars  of  a  castle. 


lly 

shall  be  satisfied  with 
the  fruit  of  his  mouth  ; 
and  with  the  increase 
of  his  lips  shall  he  be 
filled. 


21  Death  and  life  rtrir 
in  the  power  of  the 
tongue  ;  and  they  that 
love  it  shall  eat  the 
fruit  thereof. 


1 1  The  competency  of  a  rich  man  is  the  city 

of  his  strength ; 
and  as  a  high  wall  in  his  imagination. 

12  Before  ruin  the  heart  of  man  is  lofty  ; 
and  before  honor  is  humiliation. 

13  He  that  answers  a  thing  before  he  listens; 
it  is  folly  itself  to  him,  and  also  shame. 

14  The  spirit  of  a  man  may  control  his  sick- 

ness ; 
but  a  spirit  of  upbraiding — who  can  carry 
that  7 

15  A  heart  made  discerning  gains  in  knowl- 

edge ; 
and  the  ear  of  the  wise  seeks  knowledge. 

16  The  gift  of  a  plain  man  makes  room  for 

him, 
and  brings  him  before  the  great. 

17  He  who  is  righteous  as  first  in   his  own 

quarrel 
shall  have  his  neighbor  come  and  search 
him. 

18  The  lot  quiets  contentions, 
and  parts  the  mighty. 

19  When  a  brother  is  revolted  away  it  is  from 

a  city  of  strength  ; 
and  contentions  are  like  the  bar  of  a  cita- 
del. 

20  From  the  gains  of  a  man's  mouth  his  belly 

is  satisfied ; 
as  it  is  the  product  of  his  own  lips,  he  is 
satisfied  himself. 

21  Death    and   life   are   in    the  hand   of  the 

tongue ; 
and  just  as  they  love  it  each  man  shall  eat 
its  fruit. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


59 


22  He  that  has  found  a  wife,  has  found  a  good!   ??"  i^^"-"?  fi"deth  a 

.   .  '  °  wile   findeth   a    good 

thing,  t''iins,    and    obtaineth 

favour  of  the  Lord. 


and  shall  draw  forth  favor  from  Jehovah. 

23  The  poor  man  speaks  in  supplications  ; 
but  the  rich  man  utters  back  strong  things, 

24  A  man  of  friends  is  apt  to  be  broken  all  to 

pieces; 
but  there  is  that  loves  cleaving  closer  than 
a  brother. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

1  Better  is  a  poor  man  walking  in  his  in- 

tegrity, 
than  he  that  is  crooked  in  his  speech  and 
as  such  a  fool. 

2  Even  because  it  has  no  knowledge  life  is 

no  good; 
but  he  that  is  hasty  of  foot  is  he  that  misses. 

3  The  folly  of  a  man  subverts  his  way  ; 
and  then  his  heart  is  angry  with  Jehovah. 

4  A  competence  adds  many  friends ; 

but  the  poor  is  separated  even  from  the 
friend  he  has. 

5  A   deceived  witness  shall  not  go  unpun- 

ished ; 
and  he  whose  breath  is  lies  shall  not  escape. 

6  Many  court  a  generous  man ; 

and  every  one  is  the  friend  of  a  man  of 
gifts. 

7  All  the  brothers  of  a  poor  man  hate  him, 
for  the  same  reason  that  his  neighbors  also 

keep  at  a  distance  from  him. 
As  one  snatching  at  words  they  come  to 
stand  towards  him. 


23  The  poor  useth 
entreaties :  but  the 
rich  answereth  roujrh- 

ly. 

24  A  man  that  hath 
friends  must  show  him- 
self friendly  ;  and  there 
is  a  friend  that  sticketh 
closer  than  a  brother. 


CHAP.    XIX. 

Better  is  the  poor 
that  walketh  in  his  in- 
tegrity, than  he  that  is 
perverse  in  his  lips,  and 
IS  a  fool. 


2  Also,  that  tlie  soul 
be  without  knowledge, 
it  is  not  good  ;  and  he 
that  hasteth  with  his 
feet  sinneth. 


3  The  foolishness  of 
man  perverteth  his 
way;  and  his  heart 
fretteth  against  the 
Lord. 


4  Wealth  maketh 
many  friends :  but  the 
poor  is  separated  from 
his  neighbour. 


5    A   false  witness 

shall  not  be  unpunish- 
ed ;  and /if  ;'/;«;' speak- 
eth  lies  shall  not  es- 
cape. 


6  Many  will  entreat 
the  favour  of  the 
prince  ;  and  every  man 
is  a  friend  to  him  that 
giveth  gifts. 


7  All  the  brethren 
of  the  poor  do  hate 
him  ;  how  much  more 
do  his  friends  go  far 
from  him  ?  he  pursueth 
them  -with  words,  yet 
they  are  wanting  t« 
him. 


6o 


THE  PROVERBS. 


8  H  e  that  getteth 
wisdom  loveth  his  own 
ioi.l  ;  he  that  keepeth 
understanding  shall 
find  good. 

9  A  false  witness 
shall  not  be  unpunish- 
ed ;  and  he  that  speak- 
eth  lies  shall  perish. 

10  Delight  is  not 
seemly  for  a  fool ; 
much  less  for  a  servant 
to  have  rule  over 
princes. 

11  The  discretion  of 
a  man  deferreth  h  i  s 
anger ;  and  //  is  his 
glory  to  pass  over  a 
transgression. 

12  The  king's  wrath 
is  as  the  roaring  of  a 
lion  :  but  his  favour  is 
as  dew  upon  the  grass. 

13  A  foolish  son  is 
the  calamity  o  f  h  i  s 
father ;  and  the  con- 
tentions of  a  wife  are  a 
continual  dropping. 

14  House  and  riches 
are  the  inheritance  of 
fathers  ;  and  a  prudent 
wife  is  from  the  Lord. 


15  Slothfulness  cast- 
eth  into  a  deep  sleep; 
and  an  idle  soul  shall 
suffer  hunger. 

16  He  that  keepeth 
the  commandment 
keepeth  his  owa  soul  : 
but  he  that  despiseth 
his  ways  shall  die. 

17  He  that  hath  pity 
upon  the  poor  lendeth 
unto  the  Lord  ;  and 
that  which  he  hath 
given  will  he  pay  him 
again. 

18  Chasten  thy  son 
while  there  is  hope, 
and  let  not  thy  soul 
spare  for  his  crying. 

iQ  A  man  of  great 
wrath  shall  suffer  pun- 
ishment ;  for  if  thou 
deliver  him,  yet  thou 
must  do  it  again. 


8  He  that  gains  heart  loves  his  own  soul, 
and  He  that  keeps  watch  over  discernment 

meets  the  result  of  finding  good. 

9  A   deceived  witness  shall  not  go  unpun- 

ished; 
and  he  whose  breath  is  lies  shall  be  lost. 

10  Delight  is  not  suited  to  a  stupid  man  ; 

for  the  same  reason  also  that  it  is  not  to  a 
servant  to  rule  princes. 

11  The  intelligence  of  the    commonest   man 

gives  Slowness  to  his  anger ; 
and  it  is  his  honor  to  pass  over  an  offence. 

12  The  roaring  as  of  a  young  lion  is  the  w'rath 

of  a  king; 
and  as  dew  upon  herbs  is  his  favor. 

13  The  ruin  of  his  father  is  a  stupid  son  ; 
and  a  continual  dropping  are  a  wife's  con- 
tentions. 

14  House  and  competence  are  an  inheritance 

from  fathers  ; 
and  a  thrifty  wife  is  from  Jehovah. 

15  Sloth  causes  a  deep  sleep  to  fall  down  ; 
and  an  idle  soul  shall  starve. 

16  He  that  guards  the  commandment,  guards 

himself; 
in  scattering  his  ways  he  dies. 

1 7  He  that  shows  favor  to  the  poor  man,  makes 

a  borrower  of  Jehovah  ; 
and  his  transaction  pays  him. 

18  Discipline  thy  son   because  there  is  now 

hope; 
but  to  kill  him  lift  not  up  thy  soul. 

19  Roughness  of  anger  lifts  away  penalty  ; 
but  if  it  delivers,  it  must  do  so  continually. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


6i 


20  Hear  counsel,  and  let  discipline  in ; 

that  thou  mayest  be  wise  in  thine  after  his- 
tory. 

21  Many  are  the  schemes  in  the  heart  of  a 

man  of  the  better  sort ; 
but  the  counsel  of  Jehovah  as  such  stands. 

22  The  pleasure  of  the  commonest  sort  of 

man  is  his  kindness ; 
and  better  off  is  a  poor  man  than  a  false 
man  of  the  better  sort. 

27^  The  fear  of  Jehovah  serves  as  a  life  ; 

and  he  that  is  satisfied  with  it  has  a  dwell- 
ing; he  shall  not  be  visited  as  an  evil. 

24  The  sluggard  hides  his  hand  in  the  dish ; 
and  will  not  so  much  as  bring  it  to  his 

mouth  again. 

25  Smite  a  scorner  and  it  makes  the  simple 

wise ; 
and    reproof   for    the    discerning    causes 
knowledge  to  be  discerned. 

26  He  that  preys  upon  a  father,  will  drive  out 

a  mother; 
a  son  who  awakens  shame,  will  also  utterly 
disgrace. 

27  Cease,  my  son,  to  hear  admonition, 

with  the  result  of  wandering  further  from 
the  words  of  knowledge. 

28  A  worthless  witness  scorns  judgment; 
and  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  eagerly  de- 
vours worthlessness. 

29  Judgings  are  already  fixed  for  scorners; 
and  blows  for  the  back  of  the  stupid. 


20  Hear  counsel,  and 
receive  instruction, 
that  thou  mayest  b  e 
wise  in  thy  latter  end. 

21  There  are  many 
devices  in  a  man's 
heart  ;  nevertheless  the 
counsel  of  the  Lord, 
that  shall  stand. 


22  The  desire  of  a 
man  is  his  kindness ; 
and  a  poor  man/j  better 
than  a  liar. 


23  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  tendeth  to  life  ; 
and  he  that,  hath  it 
shall  abide  satisfied  ;  he 
shall  not  be  visited 
with  evil. 


24  A  slotliful  moK 
hideth  his  hand  in  his 
bosom,  and  will  not  so 
much  as  bring  it  to  his 
mouth  again. 

25  Smite  a  scorner, 
and  the  simple  will  be- 
ware ;  and  reprove  one 
that  hath  understand- 
ing, atid  he  will  under- 
stand knowledge. 

26  He  that  wasteth 
^/j' father,  and  chaseth 
away  his  mother,  is  a 
son  that  causeth 
shame,  and  bringeth 
reproach. 

27  Cease,  my  son,  to 
hear  the  instruction 
that  causeth  to  err 
from  the  words  of 
knowledge. 

28  An  ungodly  wit- 
ness scorneth  judg- 
ment ;  and  the  mouth 
of  the  wicked  devour- 
eth  iniquity. 


29  Judgments  are 
prepared  for  scorners, 
and  stripes  for  the  back 
of  fools. 


62 


THE  PROVERBS. 


CHAP.   XX. 

Wine  is  a  mocker, 
Strong  drink  is  raging  ; 
and  whosoever  is  de- 
reived  thereby  is  not 
wise. 


2  The  fear  of  a  king 
is  as  the  roaring  of  a 
lion  ;  lulinso  provoketh 
him  to  anger  sinneth 
against  his  own  soul 


3  It  is  an  honour  for 
a  man  to  cease  from 
strife  :  but  every  fool 
will  be  meddling. 


4  The  sluggard  will 
not  plow  by  reason  of 
the  cold  ;  therefore 
shall  he  beg  in  harvest, 
and  have  nothing. 


5  Counsel  in  the 
heart  of  man  is  like 
deep  water  :  but  a  man 
o  f  understanding  will 
draw  it  out. 


6  Most  men  will  pro- 
claim every  one  his  own 
goodness  :  but  a  faith- 
ful man  who  can  find  ? 


7  The  just  tn  an 
walketh  in  his  integ- 
rity :  his  children  are 
blessed  after  him. 


8  A  king  that  sitteth 
in  the  throne  of  judg- 
ment scattereth  away 
all  evil  with  his  eyes. 


9  Who  can  say,  1 
have  made  my  heart 
clean,  I  am  pure  from 
my  sin  ? 


lo  Divers  weights, 
and  divers  measures, 
both  of  them  are  alike 
abomination  to  the 
Lord. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

1  Wine  is  full  of  scoff;  strong  drink  is  full 

of  noise; 
and  every  one  who  gets  astray  by  it  fails 
of  wisdom. 

2  The  roar  as  of  a  young  lion  is  the  terrible- 

ness  of  a  king. 
He  that  throws  himself  upon  him,  loses  his 
life. 

3  It  is  honor  to  the  best  sort  of  man  to  live 

away  from  strife ; 
but  every  fool  pushes  recklessly  on. 

4  He  who  is  a   sluggard  by  reason  of  the 

winter,  will  not  plough. 
He  shall  seek  in  harvest  and  there  shall  be 
nothing. 

5  Deep  waters  is  counsel  in  the  heart  of  a 

man; 
but  a   man    of  discernment    will     sink   a 
bucket  after  it. 

6  Much  of  the  mere  man  one  calls  his  good- 

ness ; 
but  a  faithful  man,  who  can  find  .'' 

7  He  that  takes  his  very  walks  of  pleasure 

in  his  integrity,  is  a  righteous  man. 
Blessed  are  his  children  after  him. 

8  The  king  that  sits  upon  the  throne  of  judg- 

ment 
winnows  all  evil  with  his  eyes. 

9  Who  can  say,  I  have  cleansed  my  heart.-' 
I  have  become  purified  from  my  sin  }      . 

lo  Divers  weights  and  divers  measures, 

even  they  both,  are  an  abomination  to  Je- 
hovah. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


^l 


11  Even  by  his  common  doings  a  child  shall 

make  himself  known. 
Is  he  pure?  is  just  also  this, — Is  his  work 

right  ? 

12  The  hearing  ear  and  the  seeing  eye; 
even  both  of  them  are  the  work  of  Jehovah. 

13  Love  not  sleep  lest  thou  come  to  poverty. 
Open  thine  eyes.    Be  filled  with  good. 

14  Bad,  bad,  says  the  buyer; 

but  as  he  takes  himself  away,  then  he  boasts. 

15  There  actually  is  gold,  and  plenty  of  pearls, 
and  precious  vessels,  in  the  lips  of  know- 
ledge. 

16  Take  his  garment  because  he  has  gone  se- 

curity for  a  stranger ; 
and  on  account  of  strange  people  make 
him  give  a  pledge. 

17  Sweet  to  the  most  intelligent  man  is  the 

bread  of  deceit ; 
but  afterward  his  mouth  shall  be  filled  with 
gravel  stones. 

18  Do  thou  be  fixed  in  plans  by  counsel ; 
and  by  helmsmanship  make  war. 

19  He  that  will  disclose  a  secret  will  gad  as  a 

tale-bearer ; 
and  with  him  who  as  much  as  opens  his 
lips  have  thou  nothing  to  do. 

20  He  that  curses  his  father  and  his  mother ; 
his  lamp  shall  go  out  in  the  eye  of  the 

darkness. 

21  An  inheritance  greedily  seized  in  the  be- 

ginning, 
also,  as  its  after  history,  shall  not  be  blessed. 

22  Say  not,  I  will  make  tfte  evil  good  ; 
wait  on  Jehovah,  and  let  Him  help  thee. 


11  Even  a  child  is 
known  by  his  doings, 
whether  his  work  be 
pure,  and  whether  it  be 
right. 

12  The  hearing  ear, 
and  the  seeing  eye,  the 
Lord  hath  made  even 
both  of  them. 

13  Love  not  sleep, 
lest  thou  come  to  pov- 
erty :  open  thine  eyes, 
and  thou  shalt  be  sat- 
isfied with  bread. 

14  It  is  naught,  it  ii 
naught,  saith  the  buy- 
er :  but  when  h  e  1  s 
gone  his  way,  then  he 
boasteth. 

15  There  is  gold,  and 
a  multitude  of  rubies  : 
but  the  lips  of  knowl- 
edge are  a  precious 
jewel. 

16  Take  his  garment 
that  is  surety  for  a 
stranger ;  and  take  a 
pledge  of  him  f  o  r  a 
strange  woman. 

17  Bread  of  deceit  is 
sweet  to  a  man :  but 
afterwards  his  mouth 
shall  be  filled  with 
gravel. 


18  KTery  purpose  is 
established  by  counsel ; 
and  with  good  advice 
make  war. 


19  He  that  goeth 
about  as  a  talebearer 
revealeth  secrets: 
therefore  meddle  not 
with  him  that  flattereth 
with  his  lips. 

20  Whoso  curseth  his 
father  or  his  mother, 
his  lamp  shall  be  put 
out  in  obscure  dark- 
ness. 


21  An  inheritance 
may  be  gotten  hastily 
at  the  beginning  ;  but 
the  end  thereof  shall 
not  be  blessed. 


22  Say  not  thou,  I 
will  recompense  evil  ; 
but  wait  on  the  Lord, 
and  he  shall  save  thee. 


64 


THE  PROVERBS. 


23  Divers  \yeights  3 -j  An    abomination    to    Jehovah   are   divers 

are    an   abomination       <-'  -'  ^      v,   ^ 

unto  the  Lokd  ;  and  a 
false  balance  is  not 
good. 

24  Man's  goings  are 
of  the  Lord  ;  how  can 
a  man  then  understand 
his  own  way  ? 

25  It  is  a  snare  to  the 
man  ivlio  devoureth 
that  which  is  holy, 
and  after  vows  to  make 
enquiry. 

26  A  wise  king  scat- 
tereth  the  wicked,  and 
bringeth  the  wheel  over 
them. 

27  The  spirit  of  man 
is  the  candle  of  t  h  e 
Lord,  searching  all  the 
inward  parts  of  the 
belly. 

28  Mercy  and  truth 
preserve  the  king  ;  and 
his  throne  is  upholden 
by  mercy. 

29  The  glory  of 
young  men  is  their 
strength;  and  the 
beauty  of  old  men  is  the 
gray  head. 

30  The  blueness  of  a 
wound  cleanseth  away 
evil  ;  so  do  stripes  the 
inward  parts  of  the 
belly. 


CHAP.    XXL 

The  king's  heart  is 
i  n  the  hand  o  f  t  h  e 
Lord,  as  the  rivers  of 
water  :  he  turneth  i  t 
whithersoever  he  will. 


2  Every  way  of  a 
man  is  right  in  his  own 
eyes :  but  the  Lord 
pondereth  the  hearts. 


3  To  do  justice  and 
judgment  is  more  ac- 
ceptable to  the  Lord 
than  sacrifice. 


4  An  high  look,  and 
a  proud  heart,  and  the 
plowing  of  the  wicked, 
is  sin. 


weights  ; 
and  balances  of  deceit  are  no  good. 

24  The  steps  of  a  powerful  man  are  from  Je- 
hovah ; 

then  a  common  man,  how  shall  he  discern 
his  way .? 

25  An  act  of  consecration  such  that  after  vows 
there  comes  inquiry  as  a  snare  has  actually 

swallowed  a  man  in. 

26  A  winnower  of  the  wicked  is  the  wise  king ; 
and  he  brings  the  wheel  over  them. 

27  The  lamp  of  Jehovah  is  the  spirit  of  a  man, 
searching  all  the  chambers  of  the  belly. 

28  Mercy  and  truth  stand  guard  over  a  king; 
and  he  has  propped  his  throne  by  mercy. 

29  Glory  with  young  men  is  their  strength  ; 
and  beauty  with  old  men  is  grey  hair. 

30  The  welts  of  a  wound  cleanse  though  as  an 
evil; 

so  do  stripes  the   very  chambers   of  the 
belly. 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

1  Streams  of  water  is  the  heart  of  a  king  in 

the  hand  of  Jehovah ; 
upon  anything  He  pleases  He  turns  it. 

2  As  to  the  whole  way  of  a  man,  right  in 

His  own  eyes, 
and  weighing  out  hearts,  is  Jehovah. 

3  To  execute  righteousness  and  judgment 

is  more  the  choice  of  Jehovah  than  sacri- 
fice. 

4  Elation  of  eyes  and  dilation  of  heart, 

the  very  light  of  the  wicked,  is  the  Sin-Of- 
fering. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


65 


5  The  close  reckonings  of  a  decided  man 

result  only  in  profit ; 
but  of  every  hasty  man  only  in  want. 

6  The  making  of  wealth  by  a  lying  tongue 

is  driven  breath  as  of  men  chasing  after 
death, 

7  The  rapacity  of  the  wicked  snatches  away 

themselves; 
because  it  was  they  that  refused  to  carry 
out  judgment. 

8  The  man  who  has  been  twisting  about  as 

to  his  way,  has  also  been  getting  fur- 
ther off; 
but  the  pure  man  is  straight-forward  in  his 
work. 

9  It  is  better  to  dwell  upon  a  pinnacle  of  the 

roof, 
than  that  there  should  be  a  brawling  woman 
and  a  house  in  common. 

to  The  soul  of  a  wicked  man  has  conceived  a 
desire  for  evil. 
His  neighbor  meets  no  favor  in  his  eyes. 

11  By  the  punishment  of  the  scorner  the  sim- 

ple becomes  wise ; 
and  by  instruction  for  the  wise,  one  receives 
knowledge. 

12  He  who    gives  wisdom   to   the  righteous 

man   by   means   of  the   house   of  the 
wicked, 
overturns  the  wicked  by  means  of  evil. 

13  He  who  shuts  his  ear  from  the  cry  of  the 

weak ; 
even,  because  so  doing,  shall  himself  also 
call,  and  shall  not  be  answered. 

14  A  gift  in  secret  tames  anger ; 

and  a  present  in  the  bosom,  strong  wrath. 

15  The  execution  of  judgment  is  joy  to  the 

righteous, 
but  ruin  to  workers  of  iniquity. 


5  The  thoughts  of 
the  diligent  tend  only 
to  plenteousness  ;  but 
of  every  one  that  ii 
hasty,  only  to  want. 


6  The  getting  o  f 
treasures  by  a  lying 
tongue  is  a  vanity  toss- 
ed to  and  fro  of  them 
that  seek  death. 


7  The  robbery  of  the 
wicked  shall  destroy 
them  ;  because  they 
refuse  to  do  judgment. 


8  The  way  of  man  is 

froward  and  strange : 
but  as  for  the  pure, 
his  work  is  right. 


9  It  is  better  to  dwell 
in  a  corner  of  the 
house-top,  than  with  a 
brawling  woman  in  a 
wide  house. 


10  The  soul  of  the 
wicked  desireth  evil  ; 
his  neighbour  findeth 
no  favour  in  his  eyes. 


II  When  the  scorner 
is  punished,  the  simple 
is  made  wise  ;  and 
when  the  wise  is  i  n- 
structed,  he  receiveth 
knowledge. 


12  The  righteous 
man  wisely  consider- 
eth  t-he  house  of  the 
wicked:  but  God  ovcr- 
throweth  the  wicked 
for  their  wickedness. 


13  Whoso  stoppeth 
his  ears  at  the  cry  of 
the  poor,  he  also  shall 
cry  himself,  but  shall 
not  be  heard. 


14  A  gift  in  secret 
pacifieth  anger ;  and  a 
reward   in    the    bosom 

strong  wrath. 


15  It  is  joy  to  the 
just  to  do  judgment: 
but  destruction  sha/i 
be  to  the  workers  of  in- 
iqtiity. 


66 


THE  PROVERBS. 


16  The  man  that  jg  Man  Wandering  from  the  way  of  growing 

wandereth   out   of  the  .                        o                                      y            t>                o 

way    of   understanding  WlSC 

greladoTof  X^l^^t  shall  abide  in  the  assemblage  of  the  shades. 


17  He  that  loveth 
pleasure  shall  be  ^.  poor 
man  ;  he  that  loveth 
wine  and  oil  shall  not 
be  rich. 


18  The  wicked  shall 
be  a  ransom  for  the 
righteous,  and  the 
transgressor  for  the  up- 
right. 

ig  It  is  better  to 
dwell  in  the  wilderness, 
than  with  a  contentious 
and  an  angry  woman. 

20  There  is  treasure 
to  be  desired,  and  oil 
in  the  dwelling  of  the 
wise  :  but  a  foolish  man 
spendeth  it  up. 

21  He  that  followeth 
after  righteousness  and 
mercy,  findeth  life, 
righteousness,  and 
honour. 


22  A  wise  tnan  scal- 
eth  the  city  of  the 
mighty,  and  casteth 
down  the  strength  of 
the  confidence  thereof. 


23  Whoso  keepeth 
h  i  s  mouth  and  his 
tongue,  keepeth  his 
soul  from  troubles. 


24  Proud  and 
haughty  scorn er  is  his 
name  who  dealeth  in 
proud  wrath. 

25  The  desire  of  the 
slothful  killeth  him; 
for  his  hands  refuse  to 
labour. 


26  He  coveteth 
greedily  all  the  day 
long  ;  but  the  righteous 
giveth,  and  spareth  not. 

27  The  sacrifice  6f 
the  wicked  />  abomina- 
tion :  hew  much  more, 
■when  he  bringeth  it 
with  a  wicked  mind  ? 


17  A  poor  man  loving  happiness, 

loving  wine  and  oil,  does  not  create  wealth. 

18  A  cover  for  the  righteous  man  is  the  wicked 

man ; 
and  in  the  place  of  the  upright  shall  be  the 
faithless, 

19  Better  is  life  in  a  desert  land, 

than  a  contentious  and  fretful  woman. 

20  Treasure  to  be  desired,  and  oil,  are  in  the 

lodging-place  of  the  wise  man ; 
but  a  fool  of  a  man  devours  himself. 

21  He  who  pursues  righteousness  and  kind- 

ness, 
shall  find  life,  righteousness,  and  glory. 

22  A  wise  man  has  scaled    the  .city    of    the 

mighty, 
and  is  bringing  down  the  strength  of  its 
place  of  confidence. 

23  He  that  guards  his  mouth  and  his  tongue, 
guards  his  soul  from  troubles. 

24  Proud,  haughty,  scornful,  is  his  name, 
who  acts  with  the  headlong  gait  of  pride. 

25  The  desire  of  the  sluggard  kills  him  ; 
because  his  hands  have  refused  to  give  it 

execution. 

26  He  creates  himself  a  longing  all  the  day  ; 
while  the  righteous  gives,  and  spares  not. 

27  The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomina- 

tion ; 
because,  also,  he  brings  it  for  a  calculated 
purpose. 


NEW   TRANSLATION. 

28  A  deceived  witness  perishes  ; 

but  a  man  that  hearkens  speaks  forever. 

29  One  has  been  confirming  a  wicked  man  by 

his  mere  countenance ; 
but  the  level  walker,  as  s,uch,  beats  firm  his 
way. 

30  There  is  no  wisdom,  and  there  is  no  dis- 

cernment, 
and  there  is  no  counsel,  against  Jehovah. 

31  A  horse  is  made  ready  against  a  day  of 

battle; 
and  salvation  against  Jehovah. 


67 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

1  A  name  is  to  be  chosen  rather  than  great 

wealth. 
Grace  is  better  than  silver  or  than  gold. 

2  The  rich  man  and  poor  man  are  fitted  to- 

gether, 
Jehovah  making  all  of  them. 

3  The  subtle  has  seen  the  evil,  and  is  cover- 

ing it ; 
but  the  simple  have  rushed  on,  and  been 
punished. 

4  The  end  of  a  humiliation  which  is  the  fear 

of  Jehovah 
is  wealth  and  honor  and  life. 

5  Thorns  are  snares  in  the  way  of  the  crooked 

man. 
He  that  guards  his  soul  shall  get  far  from 
them. 

6  Hedge  in  a  child  upon  the  mouth  of  his 

way  : 
even  for  the  very  reason  that  he  grows  old 
he  shall  not  depart  from  it. 


28  A  false  witness 
shall  perish  :  but  the 
man  that  h  eare  t  h 
speaketh  constantly. 


29  A  wicked  man 
hardeneth  his  face: 
but  as  for  the  upright, 
he  directeth  his  way. 


30  There  is  no  wis- 
dom, nor  understand- 
ing, nor  counsel, 
against  the  Lord. 


31  The  horec  is  pre- 
pared against  the  day 
of  battle:  but  safety /> 
of  the  Lord. 


CHAP.    XXII. 

A  GOOD  name  is 
rather  to  be  chosen 
than  great  richas,  and 
loving  favour  rather 
than  silvorand  gold. 


2  The  rich  and  poor 
meet  together;  the 
Lord  is  the  maker  of 
them  all. 


3  A  prudent  jnan 
foreseeth  the  evil,  and 
hideth  himself:  but 
the  simple  pass  on,  and 
are  punished. 


4  By  humility,  and 
the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
are  riches,  and  honour, 
and  life. 


5  Thorns  ««</ snares 
arc  in  the  way  of  the 
froward  ;  he  that  doth 
keep  his  soul  shall  be 
far  from  them. 


6  Train  up  a  child  in 
the  way  he  should  go  ; 
and  when  he  is  old,  he 
will  not  depart  from  it. 


68 


THE  PROVERBS. 


7  The  rich  ruleth 
over  the  poor,  and  the 
borrower  is  servant  to 
the  lender. 


8  H  e  that  soweth 
iniquity  shall  reap 
vanity;  and  the  rod  of 
his  anger  shall  fail. 


g  He  that  hath  a 
bountiful  eye  shall  be 
blessed  ;  for  he  giveth 
of  his  bread  to  the  poor. 


ID  Cast  out  the  scorn- 
er,  and  contention  shall 
go  out  ;  yea,  strife  and 
reproach  ^hall  cease. 

II  He  that  loveth 
pureness  of  heart,  /or 
the  grace  of  his  lips 
the  king  shall  be  his 
friend. 


12  The  eyes  of  the 
Lord  preserve  knowl- 
edge; and  he  over- 
throweth  the  words  of 
the  transgressor. 

13  The  slothful  man 
saith.  There  is  a  lion 
without,  I  shall  be 
slain  in  the  streets. 


14  The  moutV  o  f 
strange  women  is  a 
deep  pit  :  he  that  is 
abhorred  of  the  Lord 
shall  fall  therein. 


15  Foolishness  is 
bound  in  the  heart  of  a 
child  ;  hut  the  rod  of 
correction  shall  drive  it 
far  from  him. 


16  He  that  oppress- 
eth  the  poor  to  increase 
his  riches,  anil  he  that 
giveth  to  the  r'xch,  shall 
surely  come  to  want. 

17  Bow  down  thine 
car,  and  hear  the  words 
of  the  wise,  and  apply 
thine  heart  unto  my 
knowledge. 


18  For  it  is  a  pleas- 
ant thing  if  thou  keep 
them  witliin  thee  ;  they 
shall  withal  be  fitted  in 
thy  lips. 


7  The  rich  man  rules  over  the  poor; 

and  the  borrower  is  servant    to  the  man 
that  lends. 

8  He  that  sows  iniquity,  reaps  worthlessness; 
and  the  rod  of  his  career  shall  fail. 

9  The  bountiful  eye,  in  its  very  self,  is  bless- 

ed ; 
because  it  has  given  away  its  own  food  to 
the  faint. 

10  Cast  out  the  scorner,   and  the   cause  of 

quarrel  passes  away ; 
and  strife  and  shame  cease. 

11  The  king,  loving  purity  of  he'art, 

has   graciousness  of  his  lips   as  his   near 
companion. 

12  The  eyes  of  Jehovah  have  mounted  guard 

over  knowledge ; 
but  He  subverts  the  words  of  the  faithless. 

13  The  sluggard  has  been  saying, — There  is  a 

lion  in  the  street ; 
I  shall  be  slain  in  the  midst  of  the  broad 
ways. 

14  A  deep  pit  is  the  mouth  of  strange  women. 
He  at  whom  God  is  angry  shall  fall  there. 

15  Folly  is  fettered  in  the  heart  of  a  child. 
The  rod  of  correction  removes  it  from  him. 

16  He  that  oppresses  the  weak  man,  to  make 

increase  for  himself, 
gives  to  the  rich  man,  only  with  poverty  as 
the  result. 

17  Incline  thine  ear  and  hear  the  words  of 

the  wise, 
and  thou  shalt  incline  thine  heart  to  my 
knowledge. 
iS  Because  it  is  pleasant  because  thou  dost 
watch  over  them  within  thyself; 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


69 


therefore  they  shall  get  fixed  together  upon 
thy  lips. 

19  That  thy  ground  of  trust  may  come  to  be 

in  Jehovah, 
I  have  made  thee  know     this  day,  even 
thee. 

20  Have  I  not  written  for  thee  eminent  things 
as  counsels  and  knowledge  ? 

21  that  I  might  make  thee  know  the  verity  of 

words  of  truth, 
so  as  to  return  words  of  truth  to  them  that 
send  for  thee  } 

22  Rob  not  the  weak  because  he  is  weak, 
and  crush  not  the  afflicted  in  the  gate  : 

23  because  Jehovah  takes  their  case; 

and  has  already  robbed  the  soul  of  them 
that  rob  them. 

24  Associate  not  thyself  with  a  fierce  man ; 
and  to  a  man  of  hot  tempers  go  not  in ; 

25  lest  thou  grow  accustomed  to  his  ways, 
and  take  a  snare  to  thy  soul. 

26  Be  not  among  those  that  strike  hands, 
and  among  those  that  are  surety  for  debts. 

27  If  thou  hast  nothing  to  pay, 

wherefore  should  one  take  thy  bed  from 
under  thee  } 

28  Draw  not  back  the  ancient  boundary 
which  thy  fathers  set. 

29  Seest  thou  a  man  quick  in  his  errand  ? 
He  shall  stand  before  kings ; 

he  shall  not  stand  before  mean  men. 


CHAPTER    XXHI. 

Forasmuch  as  thou  sittest  to  eat  with  a 

Ruler, 
discern  well  Who  is  before  thee ; 
and  thou  hast  put  a  knife  to  thy  throat, 
if  thou  be  a  man  given  to  appetite. 


19  That  thy  trust 
may  be  in  the  Lord,  I 
have  made  known  t  o 
thee  this  day,  even  to 
thee. 

20  Have  I  not  writ- 
ten to  thee  excellent 
things  in  counsels  and 
knowledge ; 

21  That  I  might 
make  thee  know  the 
certainty  of  the  words 
of  truth  ;  that  thou 
mightest  answer  the 
words  of  truth  to  them 
that  send  unto  thee? 

22  Rob  not  the  poor, 
because  he  is  poor; 
neither  oppress  the  af- 
flicted in  the  gate  ; 

23  For  the  Lord  will 
plead  their  cause,  and 
spoil  the  soul  of  those 
that  spoiled  them. 

24  Make  no  friend- 
ship with  an  angry 
man,  and  with  a  furious 
man  thou  shalt  not  go  ; 

25  Lest  thou  learn 
his  ways,  and  get  a 
snare  to  thy  soul. 

26  Be  not  thou  one 
of  them  that  strike 
hands,  or  of  them  that 
are  sureties  for  debts. 

27  If  thou  hast  noth- 
ing to  pay,  why  should 
he  take  away  thy  bed 
from  under  thee  ? 

28  Remove  not  the 
ancient  land -mark 
which  thy  fathers  have 
set. 

29  Seest  thou  a  man 
diligent  in  his  busi- 
ness ?  he  shall  stand 
before  kings  ;  he  shall 
not  stand  before  mean 


CHAP.    XXHL 

When  thou  sittest  to 
eat  with  a  ruler,  con- 
sider diligently  what  is 
before  thee ; 


2  And  put  a  knife  to 
thy  throat,  if  thou  be  A 
man  given  to  appetite. 


70 


THE  PROVERBS. 


3  Be  not  desirous  of 
his  dainties  ;  for  they 
are  deceitful  meat. 

4  Labour  not  to  b  e 
rich  ;  cease  from  thine 
own  wisdom. 

5  Wilt  thou  set  thine 
eyes  upon  that  which 
is  not  ?  for  riches  cer- 
tainly make  themselves 
wings  ;  they  fly  away, 
as  an  eagle  toward 
heaven. 

6  Eat  thou  not  the 
bread  oi hint  that  hath 
an  evil  eye,  neither  de- 
sire  thou  his  dainty 
meats  ; 

7  For  as  he  thinketh 
in  his  heart,  so  is  he  : 
Eat  and  drink,  saith 
he  to  thee  ;  but  his 
heart  is  not  with  thee. 

8  The  hiorsel  which 
thou  hast  eaten  shalt 
thou  vomit  up,  and  lose 
thy  sweet  words. 

9  Speak  not  in  the 
ears  of  a  fool  ;  for  he 
will  despise  the  wisdom 
of  thy  words. 


ID  Remove  not  the 
old  land-mark  ;  and 
enter  not  into  the 
fields  of  the  fatherless  : 

II  For  their  Redeem- 
er is  mighty  ;  he  shall 
plead  their  cause  with 
thee. 


12  Apply  thine  heart 
unto  instruction,  and 
thine  ears  to  the  words 
of  knowledge. 

13  Withhold  not  cor- 
rection from  the  child : 
for  //" thou  bcatest  him 
with  the  rod,  he  shall 
not  die. 

14  Thou  shalt  beat 
him  with  the  rod,  and 
shalt  deliver  his  soul 
from  hell. 


15  My  son,  if  thine 
heart  be  wise,  my  heart 
shall  rejoice,  even 
mine  ; 

i6  Yea,  my  reins 
shall  rejoice  when  thy 
lips  speak  right  things. 


3  Long  not  after  His  dainty  meats; 
while  He  is  Himself  deceitful  food. 

4  Labor  not  to  create  wealth. 

Cease  from  thine  own  discernment. 

5  Wilt  thou  fly  after  Him  with  thine  eyes, 

and  He  not  there  .-* 
For   He   is  certain  to   make  to    Himself 

wings 
as  an  eagle,  and  fly  away  to  heayen. 

6  Feed  not  on  the  food  of  Him  that  has  an 

evil  eye  ; 
and  long  not  after  His  dainty  meats. 

7  For  as  He  has  made  an  estimate  in  His 

soul,  so  is  He. 
Eat  and  drink,  He  says  to  thee  ; 
but  His  heart  is  not  with  thee. 

8  Thy  morsel,  that  thou  hast  eaten,,  thou  shalt 

vomit  up  ; 
and  lose  thy  sweet  words. 

9  In  the  ears  of  a  fool  thou  shalt  not  speak  ; 
if  there  be  the  reason  that  he  despise  the 

wisdom  of  thy  words. 

10  Draw  not  back  the  ancient  boundary; 
and  into  the  fields  of  the  fatherless  go  not 

thou. 

11  For  their  Redeemer  is  mighty  : 

He  Himself  will  take  their  case  with  thee. 

12  Let  thine  own  heart  enter  into  discipline, 
and  thine  own  ears  to  the  words  of  knowl- 
edge. 

13  Withhold  not  from  a  child  correction. 
That  thou  beatest  him  with  a  rod  shall  be 

the  reason  that  he  shall  not  die. 

14  Thyself  beat  him  with  a  rod, 

and  thou  shalt  snatch  his  soul  from  Sheol. 

15  My  son,  if  thy  heart  be  wise, 

my  heart  shall  rejoice,  yea,  mine. 

16  Yea,  my  very  reins  shall  e.xult 

at  thy  lips'  speaking  right  things. 


NEW   TRANSLATION. 


71 


17  Let  not  thy  heart  be  aglow  in  sins, 
but  in  the  fear  of  Jehovah  all  the  day. 

18  For  if  there  be  indeed  an  hereafter, 

then  thine  expectation  shall  not  be  cut  off. 

19  Hear  for  thyself,  my  son,  and  be  wise  ; 
and  direct  thine  own  heart  into  the  way. 

20  Be  not  among  wine  topers ; 

among  squanderers  of  their  own  flesh. 

21  For  the  toper  and  the  squanderer  shall  be 

made  poor ; 
and  slumber  shall  cover  them  with  rags. 

22  Listen  to  thy  father,  as  the  one  that  begat 

thee ; 
and  for  the  very  reason  that  she  is  old, 
despise  not  thy  mother. 

23  Buy  the  truth,  and  sell  it  not. 

It  is  wisdom,  and  discipline,  and  discern- 
ment. 

24  The  father  of  the  righteous  shall  greatly 

rejoice ; 
and  he  that  begets  a  wise  son  shall  also 
have  joy  in  him. 

25  Let  thy  father  rejoice,  and  thy  mother ; 
and  let  her  that  bare  thee  be  glad. 

26  My  son,  give  over  thy  heart  to  me  ; 

and  let  thine  eyes  conceive  delight  in  my 
ways. 

27  For  the  harlot  is  a  deep  ditch; 

and  the  strange  woman  a  narrow  pit. 

28  Yea,  she  herself,  like  loot,  lies  temptingly ; 
and  increases  the  robbers  among  men. 

29  Who  has  woe  }     Who  has  wretchedness  ? 

Who  has  causes  of  strife } 
Who  has  complaining  1     Who  has  wounds 

without  cause  ? 
Who  has  fierceness  of  eyes .'' 


17  Let  not  thine 
heart  envy  sinners: 
but  be  thou  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord  all  the  day 
long. 

18  For  surely  there 
is  an  end  ;  and  thine 
expectation  shall  not 
be  cut  off. 

19  Hear  thou,  my 
son,  and  be  wise,  and 
guide  thine  heart  in 
the  way. 

20  Be  not  among 
wine-bibbers  ;  among 
riotous  eaters  of  flesh. 

21  For  the  drunkard 
and  the  glutton  shall 
come  to  poverty  ;  and 
drowsiness  shall  clothe 
a  man  with  rags. 

22  Hearken  unto  thy 
father  that  begat  thee, 
and  despise  not  thy 
mother  when  she  is 
old. 


23  Buy  the  truth,  and 
sell  it  not ;  niso  wis- 
dom, and  instruction, 
and  understanding. 

24  The  father  of  the 
righteous  shall  greatly 
rejoice;  and  he  that 
begetteth  a  wise  child 
shall  have  joy  of  him. 

25  Thy  father  and 
thy  mother  shall  be 
glad,  and  she  that  bare 
thee  shall  rejoice. 

26  My  son,  give  me 
thine  heart,  and  let 
thine  eyes  observe  ray 
ways. 

27  For  a  whore  is  a 
deep  ditch  ;  and  a 
strange  woman  is  a 
narrow  pit. 

aS  She  also  lieth  in 
wait  as/or  a  prey,  and 
increaseth  the  trans- 
gressors among  men. 

2g  Who  hath  woe  ? 
who  hath  sorrow  ?  who 
hath  contentions?  who 
hath  babbling?  who 
hath  wounds  without 
cause  ?  who  hath  red 
ness  of  eyes  ? 


72 


THE  PROVERBS. 


30  They  that  tarry 
long  at  the  wine,  they 
that  go  to  seek  mixed 
wine. 

31  Look  not  thou 
upim  the  wine  when  it 
is  red,  when  it  giveth 
his  colour  in  the  cup, 
■when  it  moveth  itself 
aright : 

32  At  the  last  it  bit- 
eth  like  a  serpent,  and 
stingeth  like  an  adder. 

33  Thine  eyes  shall 
behold  strange  women, 
and  thine  heart  shall 
utter  perverse  things  : 

34  Yea,  thou  shalt  be 
as  he  that  lieth  down 
in  the  midst  of  the  sea, 
or  as  he  that  lieth  upon 
the  top  of  a  mast. 

35  They  have  strick- 
en me,  shalt  thou  sny, 
and  I  was  not  sick  ; 
they  have  beaten  me, 
and  I  felt  //  not :  when 
shall  I  awake  ?  I  will 
seek  it  yet  again. 

CHAP.  XXIV. 

Be  not  thou  envious 
against  evil  men, 
neither  desire  to  be 
with  them  : 

2  For  their  heart 
studieth  destruction, 
and  their  lips  talk  of 
mischief. 

3  Through  wisdom 
is  an  house  builded, 
and  by  understanding 
it  is  established. 

4  And  by  knowledge 
shall  the  chambers  be 
filled  with  all  precious 
and  pleasant  riches. 

5  A  wise  man  is 
strong ;  yea,  a  man  of 
knowledge  increaseth 
strength. 

6  For  by  wise  coun- 
sel thou  shalt  make  ihy 
war:  and  in  multitude 
of  counsellors  there  is 
safety. 


7  Wisdom  is  too  high 
for  a  fool  ;  he  openeth 
not  his  mouth  in  the 
gate. 

8  He  that  deviseth 
to  do  evil  shall  be  call- 
ed a  mischievous  per- 
son. 


30  They  who  are  late  over  wine ; 

they  who  go  in  for  being  curious  in  mixed 
drink. 

31  Look  not  upon  wine  because  it  is  red; 
because  it  shows  its  bead  in  the  cup ; 
because  it  goes  right  well. 

32  As  its  after  effect,  it  bites  like  a  serpent, 
and  stings  like  an  adder. 

2,2,  Thine  eyes  see  strange  things ; 

and  thine  heart  speaks  subversive  things. 

34  And  thou  dost  become  like  one  lying  in 

the  open  sea ; 
or  like  one  lying  at  the  mast  head. 

35  They  have  beaten  me,  and  I  felt  no  pain ; 
they  have  struck  me ;  I  knew  nothing. 
When  I  awake,  I  will  seek  it  yet  again. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

1  Do  not  thou  get  excited  about  evil  men ; 
and  desire  not  to  be  with  them. 

2  For   their   heart,   in    its   very    mutterings, 

mutters  out  robbery ; 
and  their  lips  talk  trouble. 

3  By  wisdom  is  a  house  builded ; 

and  by  discernment  does  it  cause  itself  to 
stand. 

4  And  by  knowledge  are  its  chambers  filled 
with  all  precious  and  pleasant  competency. 

5  A  strong  man,  if  wise,  is  as  a  power  indeed  ; 
and  a  man  of  knowledge  makes  strength 

really  strong. 

6  For  by  helmsmanship  thou  shalt  make  thy 

war ; 
and  in  the  greatness  of  a  counsellor  there 
is  safety. 

7  The  wisdoms  attaching  to  a  fool  are  per- 

fect jewels ; 
though  he  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate. 

8  Though  he  thinks  to  do  evil, 

men  might  call  him  a  very  master  of  de- 
vices. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


73 


9  The  design  of  folly  is  the  Sin-Offering; 
and  the  abomination,  in  the  case  of  man,  is 
the  scorner. 

10  If  thou  hast  been  remiss  in  the  day  of  nar- 

row trial, 
still  narrower  has  become  thy  strength. 

1 1  If  thou  forbearest  to  snatch  them  that  are 

laid  hold  of  for  death, 
and  them  that  are  tottering  to  the  slaughter; 

12  because  thou  sayest, — Behold  we  have  not 

the  knowledge  : 
as  to  this,  is  there  not   One  weighing  out 

hearts?     He  has  the  discernment : 
and  One  watching  thy  soul  ?     He  has  the 

knowledge ; 
and  He  has  rendered  to  men  according  to 

His  own  works. 

13  Eat  honey,  my  son,  because  it  is  good, 
and  ■  the   droppings,    as    sweet    upon    thy 

palate. 

14  So  shall  the  knowledge  of  wisdom  be  to 

thy  soul. 

If  thou  hast  found  it,  and  there  be  a  here- 
after, 

then  thine  expectation  shall  not  be  cut  off. 

15  Lie  not  in  wait,  O  wicked  man,  against  the 

dwelling  of  the  righteous. 
Rob  not  his  resting-place. 

16  For    the    righteous   man   shall   fall   seven 

times,  and  rise  again ; 
while  the  wicked  shall  be  overthrown  as  an 
evil. 

17  Rejoice  not  at  the  fall  of  thine  enemy  ; 

•   and   let  not  thy  heart  exult  at  his  over- 
throw ; 

18  lest  Jehovah  see,  and  it  be  evil  in  His  eyes; 
and  He  recall  His  anger  from  him. 

19  Be  not  angry  against  evil  doers ; 
be  not  excited  about  the  wicked ; 

20  for  there  comes  no  future  for  the  evil  man ; 
the  light  of  the  wicked  shall  be  put  out. 


9  The  thought  of 
foolishness  is  sin  ;  and 
the  scorner  is  an  ab- 
omination to  men. 

ID  If  thou  faint  in 
the  day  of  adversity, 
thy  strength  is  small. 

11  If  thou  forbear  to 
deliver  them  that  are 
drawn  unto  death,  and 
those  that  are  ready 
to  be  slain  : 

12  If  thou  sayest, 
Behold,  we  knew  i  t 
not ;  doth  not  he  that 
pondereth  the  heart 
consider  it?  and  he 
that  keepeth  thy  soul, 
doth  not  he  know  it? 
and  shall  tiot  he  render 
to  every  man  accord- 
ing to  his  works  ? 

13  My  son,  eat  thou 
honey,  because  it  is 
good  ;  and  the  honey- 
comb, ivhich  is  sweet 
to  thy  taste : 

14  So  s h  a  11  the 
knowledge  of  wisdom 
i^t-unto  thy  soul:  when 
thou  hast  found  it,  then 
there  shall  be  a  reward, 
and  thy  expectation 
shall  not  be  cut  off. 


15  Lay  not  wait,  O 
wicked  man,  against 
the  dwelling  of  the 
righteous  ;  spoil  not 
his  resting-place  : 

16  For  a  just  man 
falleth  seven  times,  and 
riseth  up  again  :  but 
the  wicked  shall  fall 
into  mischief. 

17  Rejoice  not  when 
thine  enemy  falleth  ; 
and  let  not  thine  heart 
be  glad  when  he  stum- 
bleth  ; 

18  Lest  the  Lord 
see  ity  and  it  displease 
him,  and  he  turn  away 
his  wrath  from  him. 


19  Fret  not  thyself 
because  of  evil  men, 
neither  be  thou  envious 
at  the  wicked  : 

20  For  there  shall  be 
no  reward  to  the  evil 
man;  the  candle  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  put  out. 


74 


THE  PROVERBS. 


21  My  son,  fear  thou 
the  L()i;n  and  the  kinj;  ; 
and  meddle  not  with 
them  that  are  given  to 
change : 

22  F'or  their  calamity 
shall  rise  siiddenlv  ; 
and  who  knnweth  the 
ruin  of  them  both  ? 

23  These  things  also 
belong  to  the  wise.  // 
is  not  good  to  have 
respect   of   persons    in 

judgment. 

24  He  that  saith  unto 
the  wicked,  Thou  art 
righteous;  him  shall 
the  people  curse,  na- 
tions shall  abhor  him  : 

25  But  to  them  that 
rebuke  him  shall  be 
delight,  and  a  good 
blessing  shall  come 
upon  them. 

26  Every  man  shall 
kiss  ///jlips  that  giveth 
a  right  answer. 

27  Prepare  thy  work 
without,  and  make  it 
fit  for  thyself  in  the 
field  ;  and  afterwards 
build  thine  house. 

28  Be  not  a  witness 
against  thy  neighbour 
without  cause  ;  and  de- 
ceive not  with  thy  lips. 

29  Say  not,  I  will  do 
so  to  him  as  he  hath 
done  to  me  ;  1  will  ren- 
der to  the  man  accord- 
ing to  his  work. 

30  I  went  by  the 
field  of  the  slothful, 
and  by  the  vineyard  of 
the  man  void  of  under- 
standing ; 

31  And,  lo,  it  was  all 
grown  over  with  thorns, 
aw</ nettles  had  cover- 
ed the  face  thereof,  and 
the  stone-wall  thereof 
was  broken  down. 

32  Then  I  saw,  and 
considered  it  well  ;  I 
looked  upon  ?V,  and 
received  instruction. 

53  Yet  a  little  sleep, 
a  little  slumber,  a  little 
folding  of  the  hands  to 
sleep. 

34  So  shall  thy  pov- 
erty come  as  one  that 
travelleth  ;  and  thy 
want  as  an  armed  man. 


2  1   Fear  Jehovah,  my  son,  and  the  King. 

With    them    given    to   change    have    thou 
nothing  to  do. 

22  For  Their  heavy  inflictions  shall  come  sud- 

denly ; 
and   the  destruction  by  the  Two,  who  is 
there  that  knows .? 

23  Even  as  to  These,  for  the  wise 

to  be  partial  in  judgment  is  not  good. 

24  Him  that  says  to  the  wicked, — Thou  art 

righteous, 
nations  shall  curse,  peoples  shall  treat  with 
indignation. 

25  And  to  them  that  set  the  thing  right,  it 

shall  be  pleasant; 
and  upon  them  shall  come  the  blessing  of 
the  good  man. 

26  He  kisses  lips, 

who  returns  straight-forward  words. 

27  Do  up  thy  work  without; 

and  adjust  it  for  thyself  in  the  field. 
Then  thou  hast  also  already  built  thy  house. 

28  Be  not  a  witness  to  no  purpose  against  thy 

neighbor, 
and,  mayhap,  deceive  with  thy  lips. 

29  Say  not,  As  he  has  done  to  me,  so-  I  will 

do  to  him ; 
I  will  render  back  to  a  man  according  to 
his  work. 

30  I  came  upon  the  field  of  the  slothful, 

and  upon  the  vineyard  of  the  man  wanting 
heart ; 

31  and  lo!  it  was  all  grown  up  with  nettles ; 
brambles  covered  its  face  ; 

and  the  wall,  as  to  its  stones,  was  pulled  dowh. 

3  2  And  I  looked  for  my  own  sake  ;  I  applied 

my  heart ; 
I  saw ;  I  received  correction. 
12^  A  little  sleep  !     A  little  drowsing  ! 

A  little  folding  of  the  hands  for  rest ! 
34  and  thy  poverty,  sauntering  along,  has  en 
tered  ; 
and  thy  want,  as  a  bucklered  man. 


JV£:iV  TRANSLATION. 


75 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

1  Also  these  are  Proverbs  of  Solomon 
which  the  men  of  Hezekiah,  King  of  Ju- 

dah,  j^reserved. 

2  It  is  the  glory  of  Gods  to  cover  over  a 

thing ; 
but  the  glory  of  Kings  to  search  a  thing 
out. 

3  The  heavens,  as  to  height,  and  the  earth, 

as  to  depth, 
and  the  heart  of  Kings  there  is  no  search- 
ing. 

4  Try  dross  from  silver, 
and  there  comes  forth  a  vessel  for  the  finer. 

5  Try  the  wicked  before  the  King, 
and  His  throne  is  set  firm  in  righteousness. 

6  Trick  not  thyself  out  before  the  King; 
and  in  the  place    of  the  great   stand  not 

thou  up. 

7  For  it  is  better  to  say  to  thee, — Come  up 

hither; 
than  to  put  thee  down  before  the  Prince 
whom  thine  eyes  have  seen. 

8  Go  not  forth  hastily  to  strive ; 
lest  what  thou   doest,  in  its  after  conse- 
quence, 

be  thy  neighbor  putting  thee  to  shame. 
.  9  Debate  thy  cause  with  thy  neighbor; 

and  have  not  the  exposure  of  another  tri- 
bunal ; 
ID  lest  whosoever  hear,  pity  thee  ; 

and  thine -infamy  turn  not  away. 

11  Apples  of  gold  on  a  back  ground  of  silver 
is  a  word  uttered  upon  its  time. 

12  A  ring  of  gold  and  trinket  of  fine  gold 
is  a  wise  reprover  upon  a  listening  ear. 

13  Like  the  sharp  tingling  of  snow  on  a  har- 

vest day 
is  a  trusty  messenger  to  them  that  send 

him; 
yea,  the  soul  of  his  master  he  revives. 


CHAP.    XXV. 

These  are  also  pro- 
verbs  of  Solomon, 
which  the  men  ot  Hcze- 
kiah  king  of  Judah 
copied  out. 

2  Jt  IS  the  glory  of 
God  to  conceal  a  thing  : 
but  the  honour  of  kings 
!s  to  search  out  a  mat- 
ter. 

3  The  heaven  for 
height,  and  the  earth 
for  depth,  and  the  heart 
of  kings  IS  unsearch- 
able. 

4  Take  away  the 
dross  from  the  silver, 
and  there  shall  come 
forth  a  vessel  for  the 
finer. 

5  Take  away  the 
wicked  yrow  before  the 
king,  and  his  throne 
shall  be  established  in 
righteousness. 

6  Put  not  forth  thy- 
self in  the  presence  of 
the  king,  and  stand  not 
in  the  place  of  great 
f/ie»  .• 

7  For  better  zV/f  that 
it  be  said  unto  thee, 
Come  up  hither,  than 
that  thou  shouldest  bs 
put  lower  in  the  prcs- 
ence  of  the  prince 
whom  thine  eyes  have 
seen. 

8  Go  not  forth  hasti- 
ly to  strive,  lest  t/tau 
know  7iot  what  to  do 
in  the  end  thereof, 
when  thy  neighbour 
hath  put  thee  to  shame. 

^  Debate  thy  cause 
with  thy  neighbour 
liimselj'^  and  discover 
not  a  secret  to  another  ; 

10  Lest  he  that  hear- 
eth  it  put  thee  to 
shame,  and  thine  in- 
famy turn  not  away. 

11  A  word  fitly 
spoken  is  like  apples 
of  gold  in  pictures  of 
silver. 

12  As'a.n  e.ir-ringof 
gold,  and  an  ornament 
of  fine  gold,  so  is  a  wise 
reprover  npon  an  obe- 
dient ear. 

13  As  the  cold  of 
snow  in  the  time  of 
harvest,  so  is  a  faithful 
messenger  to  them  that 
send  him  ;  for  he  re- 
fresheth  the  soul  of  his 

]  masters. 


76 


THE  PROVERBS. 


14  ^V^loso  boasteth 
himself  of  a  fals^  gift  is 
lihc  clouds  and  wind 
without  rain. 

15  I)y  long  forbearing 
is  a  prince  persuaded, 
and  a  soft  tongue  break- 
eth  the  bone. 


16  Hast  thou  found 
honey  ?  eat  so  much  as 
is  sufficient  for  thee, 
lest  thou  be  filled  there- 
with, and  vomit  it. 


17  Withdraw  thy  foot 
from  thy  neighbour's 
house  ;  lest  iMbe  weary 
of  thee,  and  so  hate 
thee. 

18  A  man  that  bear- 
eth  false  witness  against 
his  neighbour  is  a  maul, 
and  a  sword,  and  a 
sharp  arrow. 

19  Confidence  in  an 
unfaithful  man  in  time 
of  trouble  is  like  a 
broken  tooth,  and  a 
foot  out  of  joint. 

20  As\\^  that  taketh 
away  a  garment  in  cold 
weather,  and  as  vine- 
gar upon  nitre,  so  is  he 
that  singeth  songs  to 
an  heavy  heart. 

21  If  thine  enemy  be 
hungry,  give  him  bread 
to  eat  ;  and  if  he  be 
thirsty,  give  him  water 
to  drink  : 

22  For  thou  shah 
heap  coals  of  fire  upon 
his  head,  and  the  Lord 
shall  reward  thee. 


23  The  north  wind 
driveth  away  rain  ;  so 
doth  an  angry  counten- 
a  n  c  e  a  backbiting 
tongue. 


24  It  is  better  t  o 
dwell  in  a  corner  of 
the  house-top,  than 
with  a  brawling  woman, 
and  in  a  wide  house. 


25  As  cold  waters  to 
a  thirsty  soul,  so  is 
good  news  from  a  far 
csuntry. 


14  Clouds  and  wind  and  no  rain 

is  a  man  boasting  himself  of  a  false  gift. 

15  By    slowness   of  anger    is    a    prince    per- 

suaded; 
and  a  soft  tongue  breaks  the  bone. 

16  Hast  thou  found  honey,  eat  what  is  suf- 

ficient for  thee ; 
lest  thou  be  filled  with  it,  and  vomit  it  up. 

17  Make  scarce  thy  foot  from  thy  neighbor's 

house ; 
lest  he  be  full  of  thee,  and  hate  thee. 


18 


19 


23 


A  club  and  a  sword  and  a  sharp  arrow 
is  a  man  making  answer  for  his  neighbor 
as  a  deceived  witness. 

A  broken  tooth  and  a  stiffened  foot 
is  the  trustiness  of  the  faithless  in  the  day 
of  trouble. 

One  tricking  out  a  garment  on  a  cold  day; 

vinegar  upon  natron ; 
and  a  singer  of  songs  upon  an  evil  heart. 

If  he  who  hates  thee  hunger,  give  him  food 

to  eat ; 
if  he  thirst,  give  him  Avater  to  drink ; 
for,  shovelling  live  coals  thyself  upon  his 

head, 
Jehovah  shall  punish  thee  also. 

A  north  wind  breeds  rain, 

and  angry  countenances  a  secret  tongue. 


24  Better  is  dwelling  upon  a  pinnacle  of  the 
roof, 
than  a  contentious  woman  and  a  house  in 
common. 


25  Cold  water  upon  a  fainting  soul, 
and  good  news  from  a  Far  Off  Land. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 

26  A  trampled  fountain  and  ruined  spring 

is  a  righteous  man  thought  tottering  by  the 
wicked. 

27  To  eat  much  honey  is  not  good  ; 

but  close  scrutiny  of  men's  own  glory  is 
glory. 

28  A  broken  down  city  without  a  wall 

is  a  man  who  has  no  enclosure  around  his 
spirit. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

1  As  snow  in  summer  and  rain  in  harvest ; 
so  honor  does  not  suit  a  fool. 

2  Like  a  bird,  as  to  roaming,  like  a  swallow, 

as  to  flight, 
so  a  curse  to  no  purpose  does  not  come. 

3  A  whip  for  the  horse,  a  bit  for  the  ass, 
and  a  rod  for  the  fools'  back. 

4  Answer  not  a  fool  according  to  his  folly ; 
lest  thou  be  like  him,  even  thou  thyself. 

5  Answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly  ; 
lest  he  become  wise  in  his  own  eyes. 

6  One  who  cuts  oif  the  feet,  one  who  drinks 

wrong, 
is  he  who  sends  messages  by  the  hand  of  a 
fool. 

7  The  legs  drag  after  the  lame ; 

so  does  a  proverb  in  the  mouth  of  fools. 

8  As  he  that  binds  a  stone  in  a  sling, 
so  is  he  that  gives  honor  to  a  fool. 

9  A  thorn  has  gone  up  into  the  hand  of  the 

drunkard, 

and  a  proverb  into  the  mouth  of  fools. 
10  An  arrow  wounding  everybody 

is  he,  also,  that  rewards  the  fool,  and  re- 
wards transgressors. 


77 

26  A  righteous  man 
falling  down  before  the 
wicked  is  as  a  troubled 
fountain,  and  a  corrupt 
spring. 


27  //  IS  not  good  to 
eat  much  honey ;  so 
,  or  men  to  search  their 
own  glory  is  fiot  glory. 


28  He  that  hath  no 
rule  over  his  own  spirit 
is  like  a  city  that  is 
broken  down,  and 
without  walh. 


CHAP.   XXVI. 

As  snow  in  summer, 
and  as  rain  in  harvest ; 
so  honour  is  not  seem- 
ly for  a  fool. 

2  As  the  bird  b  y 
wandering,  as  the  swal- 
low by  fly  ng  ;  so  the 
curse  causeless  shall 
not  come. 

3  A  whip  for  the 
horse,  a  bridle  for  the 
ass,  and  a  rod  for  the 
fool's  back. 

4  Answer  not  a  fool 
according  to  his  folly, 
lest  thou  also  be  like 
unto  him. 

5  Answer  a  fool  ac- 
cording to  his  folly, 
lest  he  be  wise  in  his 
own  conceit. 

6  He  that  sendeth  a 
mess.ige  by  the  hand 
of  a  fool,cutteth  off  the 
feet,  and  drinketh 
damage. 

7  The  legs  of  the 
lame  are  not  equal  ;  so 
is  a  parable  in  the 
mouth  of  fools. 

8  As  he  that  bindeth 
a  stone  in  a  sling  ;  so 
is  he  that  giveth  hon- 
our to  a  fool. 

9  As  a  thorn  goeth 
up  into  the  hand  of  a 
drunkard  ;  so  is  a  para- 
ble in  the  mouth  of 
fools. 

10  The  great  God, 
that  formed  all  things, 
both  rewardeth  the 
fool,  and  rewardeth 
transgressors. 


78 


THE  PROVERBS. 


11  As  a  dog  retum- 
eth  to  his  vomit  ;  so  a 
fool  retumeth  to  his 
folly. 

12  Seest  thou  a  man 
wise  in  his  own  con- 
ceit? there  is  more 
hope  of  a  fool  than  of 
him. 

13  The  slothful  jnan 
saith,  There  is  a  lion 
in  the  way  ;  a  lion  is  in 
the  streets. 

14  As  the  door  turn- 
eth  upon  his  hinges  : 
s  o  doth  the  slothful 
upon  his  bed. 

15  The  slothful  hid- 
eth  his  hand  in  his 
bosom;  it  grieveth  him 
to  bring  it  again  to  his 
mouth. 

16  The  sluggard  is 
■wiser  in  his  own  con- 
ceit than  seven  men 
that  can  render  a 
reason, 

17  He  that  passeth 
by,  a«(/meddleth  with 
strife  belonging  not  to 
him,  is  like  one  that 
taketh  a  dog  by  the 
ears. 

18  As  a  m.id  vtan, 
who  casteth  firebrands, 
arrows,  and  death, 

19  So  is  the  man 
that  deceiveth  h  is 
neighbour,  and  saith, 
Am  not  I  in  sport  ? 

20  Where  no  wood  is, 
there  the  fire  goeth 
out ;  so  where  there  is 
no  talebearer,  the  strife 
ceaseth. 

21  As  coals  are  to 
burning  coals,  and 
wood  to  fire ;  so  is  a 
contentious  man  to 
kindle  strife. 

22  The  words  of  a 
talebearer  are  as 
wounds,  and  they  go 
down  into  the  inner- 
most parts  of  the  belly. 

23  Burning  lips,  and 
a  wicked  heart,  are 
like  a  potsherd  covered 
with  silver  dross. 


24  He  that  hateth 
disscnibleth  with  his 
lips,  and  layeth  up  de- 
ceit within  him  : 


11  As  the  dog  turns  back  to  his  vomit  again, 
the  fool  turns  back  in  his  folly. 

12  Seest  thou  a  man  wise  in  his  own  eyes.-* 
Hope  for  a  fool  must  be  outside  of  him. 

13  The  sluggard  has  been  saying, — There  is  a 

lion  in  the  way, 
a  lion  amid  the  open  squares. 

14  The  door  turns  round  upon  its  hinge, 
and  a  sluggard  upon  his  bed. 

15  The  sluggard  has  hid  his  hand  in  the  dish. 
He  is  too  tired  to  bring  it  to  his  mouth 

again. 

16  The  sluggard  is  wiser  in  his  own  eyes 
than  seven  men  who  report  back  the  taste. 

17  He  takes  a  dog  by  the  ears, 

who,  going  up,  gets  himself  roused  about  a 
quarrel  not  his  own. 

18  As  a  crazy  man  shooting 
hot  darts,  arrows,  and  death, 

19  so  is  a  man,  who  has  deceived  his  neigh- 

bor, 
and  said, — Am  I  not  in  sport .'' 

20  Where  no  wood  is,  fire  goes  out ; 

and   by  there  being   no  tale-bearer  strife 
settles  down. 

21  Coal  to  live  coals,  and  wood  to  fire, 
and  a  contentious  man  to  kindle  strife. 

22  The   words   of  a   tale-bearer   are    dainty 

morsels ; 
and   they  go  down  the  chambers  of  the 
belly. 

23  Silver  dross  spread  on  some  earthenware 

fragment 
are  burning  lips  and  an  evil  heart. 

24  A  hater  dissembles  with  his  lips, 
and  lays  away  deceit  within  him. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


79 


25  Because  he  makes  his  voice  kind,  do  not 
trust  him  ; 
for  seven  abominations  are  in  his  heart. 


26  Hatred  covers  with  a  deceit 

the  evil  of  which  shall  be  laid  bare 
great  assembly. 


the 


27  The  digger  of  a  pit  falls  into  it ; 

and  upon  him  who  rolls  a  stone  it  returns 
back. 

28  A  lying  tongue  hates  its  victims  ; 
and  a  flattering  mouth  works  ruin. 


CHAPTER  XXVn. 

1  Praise  not  thyself  in  the  morrow  ; 

for  thou  knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring 
forth. 

2  Let  another  praise  thee,  and  not  thine  own 

mouth ; 
a  stranger,  and  not  thine  own  lips. 

3  A  stone  is  heavy,  and  the  sand  is  weighty ; 
and  the  trouble  of  a  fool  is  heavier  than 

•they  both. 

4  Wrath  is  cruelty,  and  anger  is  a  flood : 
and  who  is  able  to  stand  before  jealousy.'' 

5  Better  is  rebuke   made  openly 
than  love  concealed. 

6  Faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a  friend  ; 
and  the  kisses  of  an  enemy  are  many. 

7  A  full  soul  loathes  a  honey-comb ; 

but,  as  to  the  hungry  soul,   every  bitter 
thing  is  sweet. 

8  As  a  bird  is  shaken  from  its  nest ; 
so  a  man  is  shaken  from  his  place. 


25  When  he  speaketh 
fair,  believe  him  not  ; 
for  there  are  seven  ab- 
ominations in  his  heart. 

26  Whose  hatred  is 
covered  by  deceit,  his 
wickedness  shall  be 
shewed  before  the 
whole  congregation. 

27  Whoso  diggeth  a 
pit  shall  fall  therein  ; 
and  he  that  rolleth  a 
stone,  it  will  return 
upon  him. 

28  A  lying  tongue 
hateth  those  that  are 
afflicted  by  it ;  and  a 
flattering  mouth  work- 
eth  ruin. 


CHAP.  XXVII. 

Boast  not  thyself  of 
to-morrow ;  for  thou 
knowest  not  what  a 
day  may  bring  forth. 


2  Let  another  man 
praise  thee,  and  not 
thine  own  mouth  ;  a 
stranger,  and  not  thine 
own  lips. 


3  A  stone  is  heavy, 
and  the  sand  weighty  ; 
but  a  fool's  wrath  is 
heavier  than  them 
both. 


4  Wfath  ?V  cruel,  and 
anger  is  outrageous: 
but  who  is  able  to  stand 
before  envy  ? 


S     Open    rAuke     is 
better  than  secret  love. 


6  FaitWul  are  the 
wounds  of  a  friend : 
but  the  kisses  of  an 
enemy  are  deceitful. 

7  The  full  soul  loath- 
eth  an  honey-comb : 
but  to  the  hungry  soul 
every  bitter  thing  is 
sweet. 

8  As  a  bird  that  wan- 
dereth  from  her  nest; 
so  is  a  man  that  wan- 
dereth  from  his  plac\.. 


8o 


THE  PROVERBS. 


9  Ointment  and  per- 
fume rejoice  the  heart ; 
so  doth  the  sweetness 
of  a  man's  friend  by 
hearty  counsel. 


ID  Thine  own  friend, 
and  thy  father's  friend, 
forsake  not,  neither  go 
into  thy  brother's 
house  in  the  day  of  thy 
calamity  :  for  better  is 
a  neighbour  that  is 
near,  than  a  brother 
far  off. 


11  My  son,  be  wise, 
and  make  my  heart 
glad,  that  I  may  an- 
swer him  that  re- 
proacheth  me. 

12  A  prudent  man 
foreseeth  the  evil,  and 
hideth  himself :  ^a^the 
simple  pass  on,  and  are 
punished. 

13  Take  his  garment 
that  is  surety  for  a 
stranger,  and  take  a 
pledge  of  him  for  a 
strange  woman. 


14  He  that  blesseth 
his  friend  with  a  loud 
voice,  rising  early  in 
the  morning,  it  shall  be 
counted  a  curse  to  him. 


15  A  continual  drop- 
ping in  a  very  rainy 
day  and  a  contentious 
woman  are  alike. 

16  Whosoever  hideth 
her  hideth  the  wind, 
and  the  ointment  of  his 
right  hand,  vikich  be- 
wrayeth  itsel/. 


17  Iron  sharpeneth 
iron  ;  so  a  man  sharp- 
eneth the  countenance 
of  his  friend. 


18  Whoso  keepeth 
the  fig-tree  shall  eat 
the  fruit  thereof;  so  he 
that  waiteth  on  his 
master  shall  be  hon- 
oured. 


19  As  in  water  face 
answereth  to  face  ;  so 
the    heart  of   man    to 


9  Oil  and  incense  delight  the  heart, 

and  sweetness  its  friend,  from  the  dictate 
of  appetite. 

10  Thine  own  friend  and  thy  father's  friend 

forsake  not ; 
neither  go  into  thy  brother's  house  in  the 

day  of  thy  ruin ; 
for  better  is  a  neighbor  that  is  near,  than  a 

brother  far  off. 

1 1  My  son,  be  wise,  and  make  my  heart  glad. 
Then  I  have  somewhat  to  answer  him  that 

reproaches  me. 

12  The  subtle  has  seen  the  evil;  he  is  hid. 
The  simple  have  pushed  on  ;  they  are  pun- 
ished. 

13  Take  a  man's  garment  because  he  has  be- 

come surety  for  a  stranger ; 
and,  on  account  of  a  strange  woman,  make 
him  give  a  pledge. 

14  He  that  blesses  his  neighbor  with  a  loud 

voice,  rising  up  early  in  the  morning, 
it  shall  be  accounted  a  curse  in  him. 

15  A  continual  dropping  in  a  very  rainy  day, 
and  a  contentious  woman,  are  alike. 

16  He  that  hides  her  has  hid  the  wind  ; 

and  must  call  upon  the  very  oil  of  his  right 
hand. 

17  Iron  is  welded  by  iron; 

so,  for  a  man,  the  tie  is  the  face  of  his 
friend. 

18  He  that  guards  the  fig  tree  eats  its  fruit; 
and  he  that  stands  watch  over  his  lord  is 

honored. 

19  As  water,  face  to  face  ; 
so  heart,  man  to  man. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


8i 


20  Sheol  and  Abaddon  are  never  full ; 
and  the  eyes  of  man  are  never  full. 

21  A  fining  pot  for  silver,  and  a  furnace  for 

gold ; 
so  a'man  under  his  acts  of  praise. 

22  Though  thou  bray  a  fool  in  a  mortar  in 

the  midst  of  grits  with  a  pestle, 
his  folly  shall  not  depart  from  him. 

23  Do  thou  carefully  know  the  faces  of  thy, 

flock; 
and  set  thy  heart  upon  thy  herds ; 

24  for  riches  are  not  forever  : 
and  does  the  crown  endure  throughout  all 

generations  } 

25  The  hay  appeared,  and  the  grass  was  seen, 
and  mountain  herbage  gathered. 

26  There  were  lambs  for  thy  clothing, 
and  he  goats  as  a  rent  for  the  field ; 

27  and  abundance  of  goat's  milk  for  thy  food, 

for  the  food  of  thy  house, 
and  for  the  life  of  thy  maidens. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

1  As  to  the  wicked  man,  even  when  he  is  not 

pursuing,  the  righteous  have  taken  flight, 
but  as  to  the  righteous  a  man  may  be  as 
confident  as  a  lion. 

2  In  the  sin  of  a  land  many  are  its  leaders  ; 
but  by  the  plainest  man  who  imparts  dis 

cernment,  getting  knov/ledge,  it  makes 
itself  endure. 

3  A  strong  man,  who  is  poor,  and  oppresses 

the  weak, 
is  a  shower  that  comes  sweeping,  so  that 
there  is  no  food. 

4  Forsaking  direction,  men  praise  the  wicked ; 
but,  observing  direction,  they  make   war 

upon  them.  j 


20  Hell  and  destruc- 
tion are  never  full  ;  so 
the  eyes  of  man  are 
never  satisfied. 

21  As  the  fining-pot 
for  silver,  and  the  fur- 
nace for  gold  ;  so  is  a 
man  to  his  praise. 

22  Though  thou 
shouldest  bray  a  fool  in 
a  mortar  among  wheat 
with  a  pestle,  yet  will 
not  his  foolishness  de- 
part from  him. 

23  Be  thou  diligent 
to  know  the  state  of 
thy  flocks,  and  look 
well  to  thy  herds  : 

24  For  riches  «r(?  not 
forever:  and  doth  the 
crown  endure  to  every 
generation  ? 

25  The  hay  appear- 
eth,  and  the  tender 
grass  sheweth  itself, 
and  herbs  of  the  mount- 
ains are  gathered : 

26  The  lambs  are  for 
thy  clothing,  and  t  li  e 
goats  are  the  price  of 
the  field. 

27  And  thou  shali 
have  goats'  milk 
enough  for  thy  food, 
for  the  food  of  thy 
household,  and  /or  the 
maintenance  for  thy 
maidens. 


CHAP,  xxvni. 

The    wicked     flee 
'hen   no   man    pursu- 
eth  :  but  the  righteous 
are  bold  as  a  lion. 


2  For  the  transgres- 
sion of  a  land  many  are 
the  princes  thereof: 
but  by  a  man  of  under- 
standing and  know- 
ledge the  state  thereof 
shall  be  prolonged. 


3  A  poor  man  that 
oppresseth  the  poor  is 
like  a  sweeping  rain, 
which  leaveth  no  food. 


4  They  that  forsake 
the  law  praise  the  wick- 
ed :  but  such  as  keep 
the  law  contend  with 
them. 


82 


THE  PROVERBS. 


S  Evil  men  under- 
stand not  judgment: 
but  they  that  seek  the 
Lord  understand  all 
things. 


6  Better  is  the  poor 
that  walketh  in  his  up- 
rightness, than  he  that 
is  perverse  in  his  ways, 
though  he  be  rich. 


7  Whoso  keepeth  the 
law  is  a  wise  son  :  but 
he  that  is  a  companion 
of  riotous  men  shameth 
his  father. 


8  He  that  by  usury 
and  unjust  gain  in- 
creaseth  his  substance, 
he  shall  gather  it  for 
him  that  will  pity  the 
poor. 


9  He  that  tumeth 
away  his  ear  from  hear- 
ing the  law,  even  his 
prayer  shall  be  abom- 
ination. 


lo  Whoso  causeth 
the  righteous  to  go 
astray  in  an  evil  way, 
he  shall  fall  himself 
into  his  own  pit  :  but 
the  upright  shall  have 
good  things  in  posses- 
sion. 


II  The  rich  man  is. 
wi^e  in  his  own  con- 
ceit :  but  the  poor  that 
hath  understanding 
searcheth  him  out. 


12  When  righteous 
men  do  rejoice,  there 
is  great  glory :  but 
when  the  wicked  rise,  a 
man  is  hidden. 


13  He  that  covereth 
his  sins  shall  not  pros- 
per :■  but  whoso  con- 
fesseth  and  forsaketh 
Mf;»  shall  have  mercy. 


14  Happy  is  the  man 
thatfcareth  alway  :  but 
he  that  hardeneth_  his 
heart  shall  fall  into 
mischief. 


5  Evil  men  put  no  meaning  upon  judgment ; 
but  they  that  seek  Jehovah  put  a  mean- 
ing upon  everything. 

6  Better  off"  is  a  poor  man,  walking  in  his  in- 

tegrity, 
than  he  that  is  led  into  double  ways,  and, 
as  such,  is  rich. 

7  He  that  observes  direction  is  a  son  that 

gives  instruction ; 
but  he  that  keeps  company  with  the  base 
does  even  his  father  harm. 

8  He  that  increases  his  competence  by  exac- 

tion and  usury 
is  gathering  it  for  some  one  who  will  favor 
the  weak. 

9  He  that  averts  his  ear  from  hearing  direc- 

tion, • 
even  his  prayer  shall  be  abomination. 

10  Whoso   leads  the   righteous  astray  in  an 

evil  path 
shall  himself  fall  into  his  own  pit, 
while  the  upright  get  good. 

1 1  He  that  is  wise  in  his  own  eyes,  is  a  rj^ h 

man; 
but   a   poor   man,  who   can   discriminate, 
searches  him  out. 

12  In  the  exulting  of  the  righteous  there  is 

great  beauty : 
but,  when  the  wicked  rise,  a  man  must  dig 
deep  to  understand  it. 

13  He  that  covers  his  sins  shall  not  prosper; 
but  he    that   confesses  and  forsakes  shall 

find  mercy. 

14  Blessed  is  the  man  who  fears  continually; 
but  he  that  hardens  his  heart,  shall  fall  as 

being  an  evil. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 

15  A  roaring  lion  and  a  ranging  bear 

is  a  wicked  ruler  over  a  weak  people. 

16  A   prince,   wanting   discernment,   and   of 

great  exactions, 
shall  prolong  the  days  of  them  that  hate 
robbery. 

17  A  man  weighed  down  with  the  blood  of  a 

soul; 
let  him  flee  to  the  pit ;  let  none  stay  him. 

18  He  that  walks  as  a  whole   man  shall  be 

saved ; 
but  he  that  is  turned  two  ways  shall  fall  in 
one. 

19  He  that  works  his  land  shall  be  filled  with 

food; 
but   he   that   follows   after   the   worthless 
shall  be  filled  with  poverty. 

20  A  trustful  man  shall  be  rich  with  blessings  ; 
but  he  that  is  in  a  hurry  to  make  wealth 

shall  not  go  unpunished. 

21  To  show  partiality  is  not  good  ; 
though  about  a  morsel  of  food  a  strong 

man  may  be  offended  away. 

22  He  that  is   nervously  trembling   about  a 

competency  is  a  man  of  an  evil  eye, 
and  knows  it  not,  because  want  is  coming 
upon  him. 

23  He  that  reproves  a  man,  afterwards  will 

find  favor, 
more  than  he  that  flatters  with  his  tongue. 

24  He  that  robs  his  father  and  his  mother,, 

and  says, — It  is  no  transgression, 
is  a  companion,  in  this  very  act,  of  the  maa 
who  is  a  destroyer. 

25  A  large  appetite  stirs  up  quarrel ; 

but  he  that  trusts  in  Jehovah  is  made  fat. 


•       83 

15  As  a  roaring  lion, 
and  a  ranging  bear  ;  so 
is  a  wicked  ruler  over 
the  poor  people. 

16  The  prince  that 
wanteth  understanding 
is  also  a  great  oppress- 
or: but  he  that  hateth 
covetousness  shall  pro- 
long his  days. 

17  A  man  that  doeth 
violence  to  the  blood 
oi  any  person  shall  flee 
to  the  pit  ;  let  no  man 
stay  him. 

18  Whoso  walketh 
uprightly  shall  be 
saved :  but  he  that  is 
perverse  in  his  ways 
shall  fall  at  once. 

ig  He  that  tilleth  his 
land  shall  have  plenty 
of  bread  :  but  he  that 
foUoweth  after  vain 
persons  shall  have  pov- 
erty enough. 

20  A  faithful  man 
shall  abound  with 
blessings  :  but  he  that 
maketh  haste  to  b  e 
rich  shall  not  be  inno- 
cent. 

21  To  have  respect 
of  persons  is  not  good  : 
for,  for  a  piece  of  bread 
that  man  will  trans- 
gress. 


22  He  that  hasteth 
to  be  rich  hath  an  evil' 
eye,  and  cpnsidereth 
not  that  po\erty  shall 
come  upon  him. 

23.  He  that  rebuketh 
a  mait,  afterwards  shall 
find  more  favour  than 
he  that  fiattereth  with 
the  tongue. 

24  Whoso  robbeth 
his  father  or  his  moth- 
er, and  saith,  It  is 
no  transgression  ;  the 
same  is  the  companion 
of  a  destroyer. 


23  He  that  is  of  a 
proud  heart  stirreth  up 
strife  :  but  he  that  put- 
teth  his  trust  in  the 
Lord  shall  be  made 
fet.. 


84 


THE  PROVERBS. 


36  He  that  trusteth 
in  his  own  heart  is  a 
fool  :  but  whoso  walk- 
eth  wisely,  he  shall  be 
delivered. 


27  He  that  giveth  unto 
the  poor  shall  not  lack  : 
but  he  that  hidcth  his 
eyes  shall  hav«  many  a 
curse. 


28  When  the  wicked 
rise,  men  hide  them- 
selves :  but  when  they 
perish,  the  righteous 
increase. 


CHAP.  XXIX. 

He  that,  being  often 
reproved,  hardeneth 
his  neck,  shall  sudden- 
ly be  destroyed,  and 
that  without  remedy. 


2  When  the  right- 
eous are  in  authority, 
the  people  rejoice  :  but 
when  the  wicked  bear- 
eth  rule,  the  people 
mourn. 


3  Whoso  loveth  wis- 
dom rejoiceth  his  fath- 
er: but  he  that  keep- 
eth  company  with  har- 
lots spendeth  his  sub- 
stance. 


4  The  king  byjudg. 
ment  establisheth  the 
land  :  but  he  that  re- 
ceiveth  gifts  overthrow 
eth  it. 


S  A  man  that  flatter 
eth  his  neighbour 
spreadeth  a  net  for  his 
feet. 


6  In  the  transgres- 
sion of  an  evil  man 
there  is  a  snare;  but 
the  righteous  doth  sing 
and  rejoice. 


26  He  that  trusts  in  his  own  heart,  as  so  doing 

is  a  fool ; 
though  he  that  walks  in  wisdom,  as  so  doing 
is  delivered. 

27  Giving  to  the  poor,  there  shall  be  no  want ; 
but  hiding  one's  eyes,  one  shall  have  many 

a  curse. 

28  By  the  wicked  rising  a  man  is  puzzled; 
but,  by  their  perishing,  the  righteous  are 

made  great. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

1  A  MAN  given  to  reproving,  who  hardens 

the  neck, 
shall  suddenly  be  broken,  and  that  without 
remedy. 

2  By  the  righteous  being  made   great,  the 

people  are  made  glad ; 
but  by  the   wicked  man   bearing   rule,  a 
people  are  made  to  mourn. 

3  A   man,   loving   wisdom,    shall    make   his 

father  glad ; 
but  a  companion  of  harlots  shall  destroy 
a  competency. 

4  A  king  by  judgment  gives  stability  to  a 

land; 
but  a  man,  free  in  his  bestowals,  pulls  it 
down. 

5  A  man  of  influence,  speaking  flatteringly 

about  his  neighbor, 
spreads  a  net  for  his  feet. 

6  In  the  sin  of  an  evil  man  is  a  snare ; 

but  the  righteous  overcomes  and  rejoices. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


85 


7  The  righteous  man,  taking  knowledge  of 

the  cause  of  the  weak, 
the  wicked  man  makes  no  attempt  to  know 
it. 

8  Scornful  men  set  a  city  on  fire ; 
but  the  wise  repress  passion.       ♦ 

9  A  wise  man  has  been  in  conflict  with  the 

foolish  man ; 
and  there  has  been   commotion   and  de- 
rision, but  no  rest. 

10  Men  of  blood  hate  integrity; 

but  the  righteous  seek  after  its  very  self. 

11  A  fool  acts  forth  all  his  spirit; 
but  a  wise  man  subdues  it  back. 

12  A  ruler,   paying  close   attention  to  some 

false  thing, 
will    have    altogether,    as    his    ministers, 
wicked  men. 

13  The  poor  man  and  the  oppressor  fit  to- 

gether ; 
Jehovah  enlightens  the  eyes  of  both. 

14  The  king,  judging  the  weak  with  truth, 
his  throne  is  set  firm  forever. 

15  The  rod  and  reproof  give  wisdom ; 

but  a  child,  left  to  his  own  way,  makes  his 
mother  ashamed. 

16  By  the  wicked  being  made   great  sin   is 

made  great ; 
but  the  righteous  see  clearer  by  their  fall. 

17  Discipline  thy  son  and  he  shall  bring  thee 

rest ; 
yea,  he  shall  give  pleasures  to  thyself. 


7  The  righteous  con- 
sidereth  the  cause  of 
the  poor  :  but  the  wick- 
ed regardeth  not  to 
know  a. 


8  Scornful  men  bring 
a  city  into  a  snare  :  but 
wise  men  turn  away 
wrath. 


9  7/^  wise  man  con- 
tendeth  with  a  foolish 
man,  whether  he  rage 
or  laugh,  there  is  no 
rest. 


10  The  blood-thirsty 
hate  the  upright :  but 
the  just  seek  his  soul. 


II  A  fooluttereth  all 
his  mind :  but  a  wise 
man  keepeth  it  in  till 
afterwards. 


12  If  a  ruler  hearken 
to  lies,  all  his  servants 
a  r^  wicked. 


13  The  poor  and  the 
deceitful  man  meet  to- 
gether ;  the  Lord  light- 
eneth  both  their  eyes. 


14  The  king  that 
faithfidly  judgeth  the 
poor,  his  throne  shall 
be  established  for  ever. 


15  The  rod  and  re- 
proof give  wisdom :  but 
a  child  left  to  himseiy 
bringeth  his  mother  to 
shame. 

16  When  the  wicked 
are  multiplied,  trans- 
gression increaseth  : 
but  the  righteous  shall 
see  their  fall. 


17  Correct  thy  son, 
and  he  shall  give  thee 
rest ;  yea,  he  shall  give 
delight  unto  thy  soul. 


86 


THE  PROVERBS. 


18  Where  there  is  no 
vision,  the  people  per- 
ish :  but  he  that  keep- 
eth  the  law,  happy  is 
he. 


19  A  servant  will  not 
be  corrected  by  words  ; 
for  though  he  under- 
stand he  will  not  an- 
swer. 


20  Seest  thou  a  man 
that  is  hasty  in  his 
words  ?  there  is  more 
hope  of  a  fool  than  of 
him. 

21  He  that  delicately 
bringeth  up  his  servant 
from  a  child,  shall  have 
him  become  his  son  at 
the  length. 

22  An  anf^ry  man 
stirreth  up  strife,  and  a 
furious  man  aboundeth 
in  transgression. 

21  A  man's  pride 
shall  bring  him  low: 
but  honour  shall  up- 
hold the  humble  in 
spirit. 

24  Whoso  is  partner 
with  a  thief  hateth  his 
own  soul  :  he  heareth 
cursing,  and  bewrayeth 
it  not. 

25  The  fear  of  man 
bringeth  a  snare :  but 
whoso  putteth  his  trust 
in  the  Lord  shall  be 
safe. 


26  Many  seek  the 
ruler's  favour:  but 
every  man's  judgment 
Cometh  from  the  Lord. 

27  An  unjust  man  is 
an  abomination  to  the 
just,  and  he  that  is  up- 
right in  the  way  is  ao- 
omination  to  the  wick- 
ed. 


CHAP.    XXX. 

The  words  of  Agur 
the  son  of  Jakeh,  ei'en 
the  prophecy:  the  man 
spake  unto  Ithiel,  even 
unto  Ithiel  and  Ucal, 


18  Through  there  being  no  vision  a  people  are 

let  free ; 
but  blessed  is  he  who  observes  a  direction. 

19  By  words  a  servant  is  not  disciplined; 

for  he  may  attend,  and  there  be  no  real 
response. 

20  Seest  thou  a  man  hasty  in  his  words .'' 
hope  for  a  fool  is  outside  of  him. 

21  He  that  delicately  brings  up  his  servant 

from  a  child, 
shall  have  him  become  a  son  at  the  length. 

22  An  angry  man  stirs  the  cause  of  strife  ; 
and  a  wrathful  one,  great  sin. 

23  A  man's  pride  shall  bring  him  low ; 

but  one  low  in  spirit   shall   get  hold   of 
honor. 

24  He  that  walks  with  a  thief,  hates  his  own 

self. 
He  hears  the  oath,  but  does  not  inform. 

25  A  man's  fear  brings  a  snare  ; 

but  he  that  trusts  in  Jehovah  shall  be  set 
on  high. 

26  Many  seek  the  ruler's  favor  ; 

but  a  man's  judgment  is  from  Jehovah. 

27  An  abomination  to  the  righteous  is  a  wicked 

man  ; 
and  an  abomination  to  the  wicked  man  is 
he  that  is  righteous  in  his  way. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

I  Words  of  I-Fear,  Son  of  the  Godly ;  The 
Prophecy : — 
The  Strong  Man  speaks  to  God-with-me, 
to  God-with-me  and  to  1-am-able. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


87 


2  Forasmuch  as  I  am  more  brutish  as  to  my- 

self, than  a  man  of  the  better  sort, 
and  have  not  the  intelligence  of  a  common 
man, 

3  and  have  not  been  taught  wisdom, 
and  yet  know  the  knowledge  of  holy  things; 

4  who  has   gone   up   to   heaven   and   come 

down  ? 
who  has  gathered  the  wind  in  his  fists  ? 
who  has  bound  the  waters  in  a  garment  ? 
who  has  set  firm  all  the  extremities  of  the 

earth  ? 
what  is  his  name,  and  what  is  his    son's 

name  ?     Because,  Thou  knowest. 

5  Every  speech  of  God  is  tried. 
He  is  a  buckler  to  them  that  take  refuge  in 

Him. 

6  Add  thou  not  unto  His  words ; 
lest  He  use  thee  for  purposes  of  reproof, 

and  thou  be  shown  up  as  false. 

7  Two  things  have  I  asked  from  Thee. 
Refuse  me  not  before  I  die. 

8  Remove  far  from  me  naughtiness  and  fraud. 
Give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches. 
Let  me  break  off  the  food  appointed  for 

me. 

9  Lest  I  be  full,  and  deny, 
and  say, — Who  is  Jehovah? 
or,  lest  I  be  poor,  and  steal, 
and  wrest  the  name  of  my  God. 

10  Give  not  tongue  service,  as  a  servant  to  his 
master, 

lest  He  curse  thee,  and  thou  be  held  guilty. 
n  A  generation  after  will  curse  its  father, 

and  not  bless  its  mother.  _     _ 

12  A  generation  after  that  will  be  clean  m  its 

own  eyes, 
and  yet  not  washed  from  its  filthiness. 

13  A  generation  still  after,  O  how  lofty  have 

become  its  eyes, 
and  its  eyelids  lifted  up. 

14  A  generation  further  yet  will  have  swords 

for  its  teeth,  and  knives  for  its  fangs, 


2  Surely  I  ant  more 
brutish  than  any  man, 
and  have  not  the  un- 
derstanding of  a  man. 

3  I    neither    learned 

wisdom,  nor  have  the 
knowledge  of  the  holy. 

4  Who  hath  ascend- 
ed up  into  heaven,  or 
descended?  who  hath 
gathered  the  wind  in 
his  fists?  who  hath 
bound  the  waters  in  a 
garment?  who  hath 
established  all  the  ends 
of  the  earth  ?  what  is 
his  name,  and  what  is 
his  son's  name,  if  thou 
canst  tell  ? 

5  Every  word  of  God 
is  pure  :  he  is  a  shield 
unto  them  that  put 
their  trust  in  him. 

6  Add  thou  not  unto 
his  words,  lest  he  re- 
prove thee,  and  thou  be 
found  a  liar. 

7  Two  things  have  I 
required  of  thee  ;  deny 
me  them  not  before  I 
die : 

8  Remove  far  from 
me  vanity  and  lies ; 
give  me  neither  pover- 
ty nor  riches:  feed  rae 
with  food  convenient 
for  me : 

9  Lest  I  be  full,  and 
deny  thee^  and  say. 
Who  is  the  Lord  ?  or 
lest  I  be  poor,  and 
steal,  and  take  the 
name  of  my  God  in 
vain. 

10  Accuse  not  a  ser- 
vant unto  his  master, 
lest  he  curse  thee,  and 
thou  be  found  guilty. 

11  TYrfr^/j  a  genera- 
tion that  curseth  their 
father,  and  doth  not 
bless  their  mother. 

12  T/i^r^/i- a  genera- 
tion that  are  pure  in 
their  own  eyes,  and  yet 
is  not  washed  from 
their  filthiness. 

13  77ji?rf/i' a  genera- 
tion, O  how  lofty  are 
their  eyes!  and  their 
eyelids  are  lifted  up. 

14  7"/j^r<?/j a  genera- 
tion whose  teeth  are  as 
swords,  and  their  jaw- 
teeth  as  knives,  to  de- 
vour the  poor  from  off 
the  earth,  and  the 
needy  from  among 
men. 


88 


THE  PROVERBS. 


15  The  horse-leech 
hath  two  daughters, 
crying.  Give,  give. 
There  are  three  things 
that  are  never  satis- 
fied, yea,  four  things 
say  not,  //  is  enough  : 

16  The    grave  ;    and 

the  barren  womb;  the 
earth  that  is  not  filled 
with  water;  and  the 
fire  that  saith  not,  It 
is  enough. 

17  The  eye  thai 
mocketh  at  his  father, 
and  despiseth  to  obey 
/;?>  mother,  the  ravens 
of  the  valley  shall  pick 
it  out,  and  the  young 
ea^es  shall  eat  it. 

18  There  be  three 
things  '.vhich  are  too 
wonderful  for  me,  yea, 
four  which  I  know  not : 

19  The  way  of  an 
eagle  in  the  air,  the 
way  of  a  serpent  upon 
a  rock,  the  way  of  a 
ship  in  the  midst  of  the 
sea,  and  the  way  of  a 
man  with  a  maid. 

20  Such  is  the  way 
of  an  adulterous  wo- 
man ;  she  eateth,  and 
wipeth  her  mouth,  and 
saith,  I  have  done  no 
wickedness. 

21  For  three  things 
the  earth  is  disquieted, 
and  for  four  which  it 
cannot  bear: 

22  For  a  servant 
when  he  reigneth,  and 
a  fool  when  he  is  filled 
with  meat ; 

23  For  an  odious 
•woman  when  she  is 
married,  and  an  hand- 
maid that  is  heir  to  her 
mistress. 

24  There  be  four 
things  7vhich  are  little 
upon  the  earth,  but 
they  are  e.Kceeding 
wise  : 

25  The  ants  are  a 
people  not  strong,  yet 
they  prepare  their  meat 
in  the  summer  ; 

26  The  conies  are 
but  a  feeble  folk,  yet 
make  they  their  houses 
in  the  rocks  ; 

27  The  locusts  have 
no  king,  yet  go  they 
forth  all  of  them  by 
bands : 


to  devour  the  troubled  from  the  earth,  and 
the  needy  from  among  men. 

15  The  horse  leech  has  two  daughters,  Give, 

Give. 
These  three  things  are  never  satisfied ; 
four  have  never  said, — Enough  : — 

16  Sheol;  and  the  enclosure  of  the  womb; 
the  earth,  which  has  never  filled  with  water; 
and  fire,  which  has  never  said, — Enough. 

17  The  eye  that  mocks  a  father, 

and  has  a  contempt  for  obeying  a  mother, 
the   ravens    of    the   brook    shall    bore    it 

through, 
and  the  children  of  the  eagle  shall  eat  it. 

18  These  three  things  are  quite  beyond  me; 
yea,  four  I  cannot  mark  : — 

19  the  way  of  the  eagle  in  the  heavens; 
the  way  of  a  serpent  over  a  rock  ; 
the  way  of  a  ship  in  the  open  sea ; 
and  the  way  of  a  man  in  a  girl. 

20  In  such  a  way  has  the  adulterous  woman 

eaten,  and  wiped  her  mouth, 
and  said, — I  have  committed  no  naughti- 
ness. 

21  Under  three  things  the  world  has  been  dis- 

quieted ; 
and  under  four  she  will  never  be  able  to 
bear  up : — 

22  under    a    servant,    because    he    becomes 

king; 
and  -a  vile  fellow,  because  he  is  sated  with 
food; 

23  under   a  hateful   woman,    because   she   is 

married ; 
and  a  handmaid,  because  she  dispossesses 
her  mistress. 

24  These  four  are  little  things  of  earth ; 

and  it  is  such,  that  are  wise,  being  made 
wise. 

25  The  ants  are  a  people  of  no  strength, 

yet  they  make  sure  their  food  in  the  sum- 
mer. 

26  Conies  are  a  people  not  strong, 

yet  they  fix  their  dwelling  in  a  rock. 

27  There  is  no  king  for  the  locust, 

yet  he  goes  forth  making  fair  division  of  all. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


89 


30 


31 


32 


Zl 


28  The   spotted   lizard   takes  hold   with   his 

hands, 
and  such  as  he  is  in  kings'  palaces. 

29  These  three  make  each  step  good, 
yea,  four  make  good  their  going  : — 
a  lion,  mighty  among  beasts, 
and  that  turns  not  back  for  any ; 
a  grey-hound,  or  a  he-goat, 
and  a  King !     Do  not  thou  stand  against 

Him. 
If  thou  hast  been  withered  down,  by  lifting 

thyself  up, 
and  if  thou  hast  been  meditating  with  a 

hand  upon  the  mouth, 
forasmuch    as   pressing  milk   presses  out 

whey, 
and  pressing  the  nose  presses  out  blood, 
so    pressing   down   passion   presses   away 

strife. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

Words  in  respect  to  the  Seed-of-God,  a 

King; 
a  prophecy  in  agreement  with  which  His 

mother  disciplined  Him. 
What  is  my  son.?     And  what  is  the  son  of 

my  womb  ? 
and  what  the  son  of  my  vows  ? 
Give  not  thy  strength  to  women ; 
or  thy  ways  so  as  to  destroy  kings. 
Let  it  not  be  for  kings,  for  the  seed  of 

God; 
let  it  not  be  for  kings  to  drink  wine ; 
nor  for  princes ;  or  strong  drink  : 
lest  one  drink,  and  forget  what  is  com- 
manded, 
and  set  wrong  the  cause  of  any  of  the  sons 

of  misery. 
Give  ye  strong  drink  to  him  that  is  being 

lost ; 
and  wine  to  the  embittered  in  soul. 
Let  him  drink,  and  forget  his  wretched- 

•  ness, 
and  remember  his  trouble  no  more. 


28  The  spider  taketh 
hold  with  her  hands, 
and  is  in  kings'  pal- 
aces. 

29  There  be  three 
things  which  go  well, 
yea,  four  are  comely  in 
going: 

30  A  Hon,  which  is 
strongest  among  beasts, 
and  turneth  not  away 
for  any  ; 

31  A  grey-hound  ;  an 
he-goat,  also ;  and  a 
king,  against  whom 
there  is  no  rising  up. 

32  If  thou  hast  done 
foolishly  in  lifting  up 
thyself,  or  if  thou  hast 
thought  evil,  lay  thine 
hand  upon  thy  mouth. 

33  Surely  the  churn- 
ing of  milk  bringeth 
forth  butter,  and  the 
wringing  of  the  nose 
bringeth  forth  blood  ; 
«o  the  forcing  of  wrath 
bringeth  forth  strife. 


CHAP.  XXXI. 

The  words  of  king 
Lemuel,  the  prophecy 
that  his  mother  taught 
him. 

2  What,  my  son  ? 
and  what,  the  son  of 
my  womb  ?  and  what, 
the  son  of  my  vows  ? 

3  Give  not  thy 
strength  unto  women, 
nor  thy  ways  to  that 
which  destroyeth 
kings. 

4  //  is  not  for  kings 
O  Lemuel,  //  is  not  for 
kings  to  drink  wine, 
nor  for  princes  strong 
drink  ; 


5  Lest  they  annK. 
and  forget  the  law,  and 
pervert  the  judgment 
of  any  of  the  afflicted. 

6  Give  strong  drink 
unto  him  that  is  ready 
to  perish,  and  wine  un- 
to those  that  be  of 
heavy  hearts. 

7  Let  him  drink,  and 
forget  his  poverty,  and 
remember  his  misery 
no  more. 


9° 


THE  PROVERBS. 


8  Open  thy  mouth 
for  the  dumb  in  the 
cause  of  all  such  as  are 
appointed  to  destruc- 
tion. 

9  Open  thy  mouth, 
judge  righteously,  and 
plead  the  cause  of  the 
poor  and  needy. 

ID  Who  can  find  a 
virtuous  woman  ?  for 
her  price  is  far  above 
rubies. 

n  The  heart  of  her 
husband  doth  safely 
trust  in  her,  so  that  he 
shall  have  no  need  of 
spoil. 

12  She  will  do  him 
good,  and  not  evil,  all 
the  days  of  her  life. 

13  She  seeketh  wool 
and  flax,  and  worketh 
willingly  with  her 
hands. 

14  She  is  like  the 
merchants'  ships;  she 
bringeth  her  food  from 
afar. 

Z5  She  riseth  also 
while  it  is  yet  night, 
and  giveth  meat  to  her 
household,  and  a  por- 
tion to  her  maidens. 

16  She  considereth  a 
field,  and  buyeth  it  ; 
with  the  fruit  of  her 
hands  she  planteth  a 
vineyard. 

17  She  girdeth  her 
loins  with  strength, 
and  strengtheneth  her 
arms. 

18  She  perceiveth 
that  her  merchandise 
is  good :  her  candle 
goeth  not  out  by  night. 

ig  She  layeth  her 
hands  to  the  spindle, 
and  her  hands  hold  the 
distaff. 

20  Sliestretcheth  out 
her  hand  to  the  poor  ; 
yea,  she  reacheth  forth 
her  hands  to  the  needy. 

21  She  is  not  afraid 
of  the  snow  for  her 
household  :  for  all  her 
household  are  clothed 
with  scarlet. 

22  She  maketh  her- 
self coverings  of  tapes- 
try ;  her  clothing  is 
silk  and  purple. 

23  Her  husband  is 
known  in  the  gates, 
when  he  sittcth  among 
the  elders  of  the  land. 

24  She  maketh  fine 
linen,  and  scllcth  it : 
and  deliVercth  girdles 
unto  the  mcrchanL 


8  Open  thy  mouth  for  the  dumb  man, 

to  plead  the  cause  of  all  the  children  of  a 
change. 

9  Open  thy  mouth;  judge  righteousness; 
and  plead  the  cause  of  the  afllicted  and 

needy. 

10  Who  can  find  a  capable  woman  ? 

So  that  her  price  is  far  above  pearls. 

1 1  The  heart  of  her  husband  has  safely  trusted 

her; 
so  that  he  has  no  lack  of  gain. 

12  She  has  been  doing  him  good,  and  not  evil, 
all  the  days  of  her  life. 

13  She  has  hunted  up  wool  and  flax, 
and  worked  cheerfully  with  her  hands. 

14  She  has  become  like  the  ships  of  a  mer- 

chant ; 
she  brings  her  food  from  afar. 

15  She  rises,  also,  while  it  is  yet  night; 
and  gives  a  portion  to  her  house, 
and  an  allowance  to  her  maidens. 

16  She  has  considered  a  field,  and  takes  it. 
Of  the  gain  of  her  hands  she  has  planted  a 

vineyard. 

17  She  has  girded  her  loins  with  strength, 
and  strengthens  her  arms. 

18  She-  has  tasted  whether  her  merchandize 

be  good. 
Her  candle  goes  not  out  by  night. 

19  She  has  thrown  out  her  hands  in  spinning; 
and  her  hands  have  held  the  spindle. 

20  She  has  opened  her  palm  to  the  afflicted, 
and  held  out  her  hands  to  the  needy. 

21  She  is  not  afraid  of  snow  for  her  house- 

hold ; 
for  all  her  household  have  been  clothed  in 
crimsons. 

22  She  has  made  for  herself  coverlets  : 
cotton  and  purple  are  her  clothing. 

23  Her  husband  has  become  known   in   the 

gates, 
in  sitting  with  the  elders  of  the  land. 

24  She  has  made  under-linen,  and  sold  it; 
and  delivered  girdles  to  the  Canaanite. 


NEW  TRANSLATION. 


91 


25 


26 


27 


Strength  and  beauty  are  her  clothing; 
and  she  laughs  at  the  day  that  is  yet  to 

come. 
She  has  opened  her  mouth  with  wisdom  ; 
and  kind  direction  is  upon  her  tongue. 
She  has  looked  well  to  the  ways  of  her 

house ; 
and  eats  not  the  bread  of  idleness. 

28  Her  children  have  risen  up  to  bless  her. 
Her  husband ;  he  also  praises  her. 

29  Many  daughters  have  done  ably  ; 
but  thou  hast  gone  up  above  them  all. 

30  Grace  is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain ; 

a  woman  that  fears  Jehovah,  in  that  shall 
praise  herself. 

31  Give  her  of  the  gain  of  her  hands ; 

and  let  her  works  praise  her  in  the  gates. 


25  Strength  and  hon- 
our are  her  clothing; 
and  she  shall  rejoice  in 
time  to  come. 

26  She  openeth  her 
mouth  with  wisdom  ; 
and  in  her  tongue  is 
the  law  of  kindness. 

27  She  looketh  well 
to  the  ways  of  h  e  r 
household,  and  eateth 
not  the  bread  of  idle- 
ness. 

28  Her  children  arise 
up,  and  call  her  bless- 
ed ;  her  husband  also^ 
and  he  praiseth  her. 

29  Many  daughters 
have  done  virtuously, 
but  thou  excellest  them 
all. 

30  Favour  is  deceit- 
ful, and  beauty  is  vain; 
bxit  a  woman  that  fear- 
eth  the  Lord,  she  shall 
be  praised. 

31  Give  her  of  the 
fruit  of  her  hands; 
and  let  her  own  works 
praise  her  in  the  gates. 


II. 

COMMENTARY. 


Commentary  on  Proverbs. 


CHAPTER  I. 


I  Proverbs  of   Solomon,  son  of    David, 
King  of  Israel. 


The  Proverbs  of 
Solomon,  the  son  of 
David,  king  of  Israel 


We  see  no  sufficient  reason  for  this  not  being  thought  the 
heading  of  all  the  book.  Agur  and  Lemuel  (30:1,  31:1, 
E.*  V.*),  as  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel,  are  not  writers  who  take 
the  word  out  of  the  mouth  of  Solomon.  A  difference  of  dia- 
lect, even  if  thoroughly  established,  would  not  prove  different 
authors,  except  in  the  way  of  original  material.  We  are  not 
bound  to  suppose  that  Solomon  composed  all  the  Proverbs,  but 
only  that  he  compiled  all,  and  fixed  upon  all  the  sanction  of  an 
approving  inspiration.  Solomon,  therefore,  was  probably  re- 
sponsible for  all  the  work;  and  two  other  headings,  (10 :  i,  25  :  i), 
(for  after  proper  sifting  there  are  but  two),  (see  24:  23,  30:  i, 
31  :  i),  both  mention  the  name  of  Solomon,  and  both  stand  as 
under-titles  to  this  one  first  heading,  which  may  be  properly 
thought  comprehensive  of  the  book.  "Proverbs."  The  He- 
brew word  is  derived  from  a  root  that  means  either  to  rule  or  to 
resemble.  No  one  can  tell,  therefore,  whether  the  primary  idea 
of  a  Proverb  is  that  of  being  a  master  sentence  or  tnaxim,  or  a 
parable  or  figurative  speech.  ^^  Proverb,"  in  our  usage,  fails  to 
be  a  perfect  version  of  the  Hebrew,  because  it  means  something 
bandied  about  and  in  everbody's  mouth ;  while  these  may  have 
been  freshly  composed  and  mean  solely  apothegms  or  deep  speech- 
es. Ineppective  however  of  usage,  '^'^ Proverb"  {proverbium  of 
the  Latin),  is  a  very  good  translation,  because,  as  so  terse  and 

*  English  Version  ;  or,  Version  of  King  James. 


4  PROVERBS.  LChap.  I. 

graphic  as  to  ht  proverbium  {for,  or  instead  of,  much  verbiage), 
the  form  of  speech  being  pregnant,  and  by  some  turn  or  trope 
crowding  multu?n  in  parvo,  the  idea  pro  verbo  or  pro  verbis  an- 
swers very  perfectly. 

The  beginning  of  the  Proverbs  has  always  seemed  the  most 
ragged  part  of  them.  Just  where,  starting  fresh,  the  inspired 
writer  might  be  expected  to  be  most  poised  and  perfect,  he 
pours  out  according  to  all  previous  translations  a  perfect  di- 
arrhoea of  prefaces  or  preliminary  purposes.  They  have  not 
the  logic  of  a  good  order;  they  have  not  the  linking  of  good 
grammar ;  in  fact,  they  have  not  a  substance  of  important  sense. 
This  incoherency  reaches  to  the  seventh  verse,  inclusive ;  and, 
if  any  one  doubts  what  we  aver,  let  him  try  to  read  that  collec- 
tion of  texts,  and  give  the  syntax,  and  the  logic,  and  the  mo- 
tive for  such  a  loose-jointed  catalogue.  The  meaning  comes 
when  we  take  the  infinitives  of  the  second,  fourth,  and  si.^h 
verses,  and  see  how  they  are  answered  to  by  the  assertions  of 
the  third,  fifth,  and  seventh.  There  are  three  assertions  or 
proverbs,  therefore.     Let  us  take  the  first : — 

2  To  know  wisdom  and  admonition  ; 
to  put  a  distinct  meaning  into  discrimin- 
ated speeches ; 

3  to  accept  clear-sighted  admonition, 
is  righteousness   and  judgment  and  right 

behaviour. 


2  To  know  wisdom 
and  instruction  ;  to 
perceive  the  words  ot 
understanding ; 

3  To  receive  the  in- 
struction of  wisdom, 
justice,  and  judgment, 
and  equity  ; 

We  might  expect  a  proverb  like  this.  It  would  be  noble  to 
find  it  just  where  we  do.  It  is  characteristic  of  Solomon  to  use 
a  certain  epithet.  He  calls  the  impenitent  man  a  fool.  All 
through  Ecclesiastes  and  throughout  the  present  book,  the  more 
mental  aspects  of  sin  are  made  always  prominent.  Piety  is 
called  wisdom.  The  saints  are  called  the  wise.  AVe  hear  of 
the  wise  woman  (14 :  i),  and  the  foolish  woman  (9  :  13),  of  the 
capable  woman  (12  :  4,  31  :  10),  and  then  of  all  the  terms  of 
knowledge  (8:10,  12),  and  subtlety  (8:12),  and  discernment 
(2  :  2,  3),  of  the  prudent  man  (14:8,  15),  and  the  empty  man 
(12  :  15),  and  the  stupid  man  (17  :  21,  24),  respectively,  as  the 
saved  and  the  lost ;  and  nothing  could  be  more  natural  than 
that  just  here  there  should  be  tlie  broad  assertion  that  kr.ozu- 


Chap  I.J  COMMENTARY.  5 

ledge  is  piety.  Nothing  could  be  more  seminal.  In  the  apos- 
tle's armour  (Eph.  6  :  14)  ^^  truth  "  was  the  " gird/e  "  that  sup- 
ported everything,  and  that,  not  spoken  truth,  which  answered 
to  the  "  sword  of  the  Spirit,"  but  inward  truth.  A  new  heart 
comes  from  a  new  light.  The  whole  of  piety  is  a  light.  If  a 
man  sees,  he  believes,  he  loves,  he  hopes,  he  serves,  he  repents, 
he  rejoices  ;  and  this  as  but  new  forms  of  the  one  blessed  illum- 
ination. "  This  is  life  eternal  that  they  might  know  thee  "  (Jno. 
17:3);  and  those  are  "  chains  of  darkness  "  (2  Peter,  2  :  4)  that 
bind  the  sinner  through  infinite  ages.  "Wisdom;"  the  com- 
monest word  for  piety  all  through  the  book.  "Admonition;" 
wisdom  pressed  practically  on  us  in  discipline.  Next  comes 
spoken  wisdom  ; — "  to  put  a  distinct  meaning  tato  discriminated 
speeches."  The  Hebrew  is  much  shorter : — 'Vi?  make  discern 
speeches  of  discernment."  The  Hiphil,  which  this  is,  is  usually 
translated  as  Kal,  but  not  always  (see  Dan.  8  :  16.  E.  V.) ;  and 
the  fact  that  it  cannot  always  be  so  translated,  should  make  us 
look  very  narrowly  whether  it  ever  can.  These  causatives  are 
usually  chosen  for  a  purpose  (see  also  Prov.  28:  7,  11.),  and 
we  ought  always  to  look  for  this  intenser  meaning.  A  sense  of 
discrimination  belongs  to  the  verb  itself.  It  is  not  to  knmv 
simply,  but  to  distinguish,  as  though  from  something  else.  The 
primary  sense  is  to  separate.  To  make  discernible,  therefore,  as 
by  this  inward  light,  i.  e.,  \.o put  a  distinct  meaning  into,  (which 
the  lost  man  cannot  do),  is  a  good  force  of  the  Hiphil.  "Dis- 
criminated;" literally,  (words)  "  of  discrimination."  It  is  a  sub- 
stantive from  the  same  root.  Instead  *of  saying,  therefore,  "  to 
perceive  the  words  of  understanding  "  (E.  V,),  we  think  it  closer 
to  the  Hiphil,  and  deeper  toward  the  root  to  translate  : — "  to 
put  a  distinct  meaning  into  discriminated  speeches."  "Clear- 
sighted ;  "  from  a  root  meaning  to  look  at.  "  To  accept  (or  take) 
r/^atrxz^A/^^  admonition ;"  a  step  forward  in  the  thought:  first 
to  have  this  itiivard  light;  (^''  to  know  wisdom")  ;  second,  to  see  it 
in  the  guise  of  discipline,  (to  know  admonitioii) ;  third,  to  put  a 
meaning  into  it  when  uttered  in  speech,  (2nd  clause  v.  2);  and 
fourth,  to  practice  it  7vhen  pressed  in  discipline,  {''to  accept  clear- 
sighted admonition").  All  this  "is  righteousness  and  judgment 
and  right  behavior."      ''Righteousness ;"  i.   e.  standing  right 


6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  I. 

before  the  law.  "  /udgmc?it ;"  i.  e.  being  pronounced  right  in 
a  competent  court.  And  third,  ''''right  behavior ;"  the  fruits 
of  all  this  in  sanctification  of  life.  One  spark  of  spiritual  light, 
(what  Solomon  chooses  to  call  knowing  wisdom)^  issues  at  once 
in  these  three  states, — justification,  adoption  and  sanctification; 
the  two  first  complete ;  the  last  struggling,  but  more  immediately 
marked  as  the  actual  wisdom.  ''''  Judgmcjit ;"  a  word  singu- 
larly awkward,  and  rarely  fitting  well  as  an  expression  in  the 
English  (Eccles.  8:6;  Is.  42  :  i,  3,  4),  but  meaning  most  strictly 
an  adjudging,  and  rarely  to  be  interpreted  by  any  different  ex- 
pression. ''''Right  behavior ;"  from  a  verb  to  be  level ;  liter- 
ally, level  things  (plural) ;  sometimes  translated  uprightnesses  ; 
but,  in  default  of  some  English  trope,  levelnesses,  to  denote  prop- 
er minded  behavior,  the  word  we  give  may  be  as  good  as  any. 
The  first  proverb,  therefore,  is  the  important  announcement, 
that  wisdom  is  the  same  as  piety. 

So  much  for  ourselves ;  now,  for  others.  The  second  pro- 
verb announces,  that  the  true  way  to  impart  this  wisdom  to 
others,  is  to  get  overflowing  with  it  ourselves  : — 

4  In  order  to  give  subtlety  to  the  simple ; 
to    the    child    knowledge    and    thorough 

thought ; 

5  the  wise  man  will  hear,  and  increasingly 

acquire ; 
and  a  man  already  become  discerning,  will 
gain  in  capability  to  guide  . 


4  To  give  siibtilty 
to  the  simple,  to  the 
young  man  knowledge 
and  discretion. 

5  A  wise  man  will 
hear,  and  will  increase 
learning;  and  a  man 
of  understanding  shall 
attain  unto  wise  coun- 
sels : 


"  In  order  to ; "  simply  the  preposition  {to)  as  belv^i^  another 
infinitive.  "To  give  subtlety  to;"  the  infinitive  Hiphil  of  a 
verb  to  be  cuntiiiig.  Cunning,  therefore,  is  another  word  for 
piety.  Piety  would  not  be  a  translation  of  the  word ;  because 
there  is  intended  to  be  implied  the  idea  of  cunning  ;  but  each 
of  these  words  imply  some  characteristic  oi  piety  ;  and  in  this 
particular  case  it  means  to  assert  its  innocent  but  supereminent 
cunjiing  ox  subtlety.  " Simple; "  literally,  <7/^«.  The  word  will 
occur  often.  It  means  the  impenitent;  but  it  means  the  im- 
penitent in  the  opposite  aspect  to  cunning,  viz.  :  of  openness, 
ox  exposure  to  being  fnislcd.  "Child  ;"  or  jw////.  It  is  a  wider 
term  than  the  English.    "  Thorough  thought ; "  deep  calculation  ; 


Chap.  I.]  COMMENTARY.  ^ 

rather  (?3  prefix,  see  4:  23,  26;  6  :  19),  the  result  of  deep  calcu- 
lation in  well-formed  purpose.  "Increasingly  acquire  ;  "  literal- 
ly, "  mcrease  taking,"  (i.  e.,  lessons).  "  Already  become  discern- 
ing;»  Niphal  participle  of  the  verb  to  separate,  already  no- 
ticed (i  :  2).  «  CapabiHty  to  guide ;"  literally  '' helmsmansJiips  /' 
derived  from  a  root  meaning  a  cord;  i.  e.  the  rope  of  a  rudder. 
The  word  is  plural,  and  occurs  often  (11  :  14;  20  :  18 ;  24  :  6)^ 
being  usually  translated  counsel  (E.  V.).  The  two  verses' 
therefore,  mean,  that  a  man  must  become  more  pious  to  be 
more  useful  as  a  teacher  of  piety. 

The  third  proverb  has  reference  to  Proverbs  themselves.  As 
(i)  wisdom  is  itself  piety,  and,  as  (2)  wisdom  is  the  best  equip- 
ment for  teaching  piety,  so  (3)  piety  or  wisdom  is  the  only 
equipment  for  understanding  these  proverbs. 

6  For  putting  a  distinct  meaning  into  a  pro- 

verb or  an  enigma ; 
into  the  words  of  the  wise  and  their  intri- 
cate things ; 

7  the  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  main  knowledge ; 
a  wisdom  and  a  discipline  that  fools  despise. 

This,  in  one  aspect,  is  truth  just  turned  in  the  obverse  di- 
rection. As  a  man  must  have  light  to  have  piety  (vs.  3,  4),  so 
a  man  must  have  piety  to  get  more  light.  As  "  to  know  wisdom 
(v.  2)  is  right  behavior,"  so  ''right  behavior,"  or,  as  it  is  here 
called,  "the  fear  of  Jehovah,"  is  ''the  beginning  of  wisdom  "  (E. 
v.),  and,  more  than  that,  the  "main"  thing  in  that  "knowledge" 
by  which  "intricate  things,"  dark  proverbs,  are  to  be  seen  in 
their  hidden  meaning.  This  is  a  grand  beginning  for  the  book. 
He  must  be  a  good  man  who  undertakes  to  understand  it. 
This  will  confirm  our  theory,  that  these  proverbs  are  selected 
for  what,is  spiritual.  If  they  are  mere  secularnesses,  (or  so  even 
in  a  single  instance),  we  do  not  need  faith  to  understand  them. 
Counted  as  all  spiritual,  Solomon  agrees  with  Christ  (Mark 
4:  11),  not  only  that  parables  and  such  like  puzzling  things, 
which  are,  perhaps,  intentionally  obscure,  are  best  unravelled 
by  the  pious ;  but  that  even  simple  things  are  enigmas  to  the 
wicked.  "  To  them  that  are  without,  all  things  are  done,  (bet- 
ter, come  to  be),  in  parables."    As  the  Apostle  says, — (i  Cor. 


6  To  understand  a 
proverb,  and  the  inter- 
pretation :  the  words 
of  the  wise,  and  their 
dark  sayings. 

7  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  knowledge ;  but 
fools_  despise  wisdom 
and  instruction. 


8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  I. 

2  :  14)  "  The  natural  man  discerneth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God."  "A  proverb  or  an  enigma;  "  not  "  a  proferb 
and  the  interpretation"  (E.  V,).  This  would  be  tautology. 
How  can  a  man  understand  a  proverb  except  as  understanding 
its  interpretation  }  The  word  "  interpretation"  (so  rendered  in 
the  English,)  comes  from  a  root  that  means  to  stutter.  It  occurs 
but  in  one  other  place  (Hab.  2  :  6),  where  it  means  ^^  mockery  " 
as  men  often  stutter  where  they  would  taunt  or  deride.  In  our 
text  it  means  '"''  enigma"  as  men  speak  darkly  when  they  stam- 
mer out  what  they  say.  Divine  teachers  sometimes  spoke 
mystically  out  of  purpose  (Ps.  49  :  4) ;  more  often  the  whole 
gospel  is  pronounced  a  ^''mystery j"  not  that  it  is  not  a  simple 
system,  but  that  it  is  spiritual,  and  so  becomes  a  puzzle.  As 
these  Proverbs  are  laden  with  the  gospel  (21:4;  24:9;  28:13), 
the  main  key  is  "  the  fear  of  Jehovah  ;"  and  very  naturally, 
therefore,  they  have  "  a  wisdom  and  a  discipline  that  fools  des- 
pise." "  For  putting  a  distinct  meaning  into,"  (see  v.  2) ; 
Hiphil  of  the  verb  to  separate.  "Intricate  thiags ; "  literally 
"  tangled ;"  chiefly,  however,  "-tangled"  by  the  sinner.  "Des- 
pise;" so  ignorance  becomes  fixed.  The /(9^/,  or  impenitent 
man,  does  not  possess  ^^  wisdom"  or  ^^  discipline  j"  and  is  vastly 
hindered  by  a  contempt  for  both  of  them. 


8  Hear,  my  son,  the  admonition  of  thy  father ; 
and  repel  not  the  direction   of  thy   mo- 
ther ; 

9  for  a  garland  of  grace  shall  these  things  be 

for  thy  head, 
and  chains  about  thy  neck. 


8  My  son,  hear  the 
instruction  of  thy  fa- 
ther, and  forsake  not 
the  law  of  thy  mother  : 

g  For  they  shall  be 
an  ornament  of  grace 
unto  thy  head,  and 
chains  about  thy  neck. 


In  Scripture  and  that  Oriental  speech  framed  to  be  its 
Vehicle,  narrow  examples  stand  often  for  a  universal  class. 
"  Honor  thy  Father  and  Mother,"  means, — obey  all  superiors. 
"Thou  shalt  not  steal,"  means, — keep  clear  of  every  fraud. 
"Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery,"  means, — destroy  in  nothing 
thy  neighbor's  honor.  In  those  patriarchal  countries,  obedi- 
ence to  a  father  was  the  finest  model  of  subordination.  When, 
therefore,  the  Two  Tables  are  supposed  to  be  summed  up  by 
the  fifth  and  the  tenth  commandments;  our  duty  to  Him  above 


Chap.  I.]  COMMENTARY.  9 

us  by  the  command, — Obey  thy  parent;  and  our  duty  to  those 
about  us  by  the  command, — "  Thou  shalt  not  covet,"  the  idea  is 
by  no  means  fanciful,  and  may  aptly  reflect  the  meaning  of  our 
text.  Let  the  child  take  the  firs^  and  obvious  meaning, — that  he 
is  to  obey  his  father  ;  but  let  the  man  look  deeper.  The  earlier 
principles  having  been  settled,  the  Proverbs  have  begun  with  a 
grand  practical  direction,  that  we  are  to  listen  to  our  teachers ; 
that  we  are  to  begin  at  our  fire-side,  and  obey  all  the  way  up 
to  God.  And  the  Wise  Man  garnishes  it  with  a  very  noble 
truth, — that  ''  a  garland  of  grace  "  is  the  first  thing  in  the  scale 
of  recompenses.  He  mentions  other  things, — life  and  eternal 
peace  and  an  escape  from  wretchedness;  but  he  puts  this  first. 
As  Christ  prays,  "  Hallowed  be  thy  name,"  (Matt.  6  :  9),  as  his 
first  petition,  so  Solomon  puts  first  in  his  promises  mere  beauty, 
the  mere  prize  of  l^eing  right;  "«:  garland  of  gj-ace,"  i.  e.,  a 
mere  ornament.  The  best  thing  in  being  pious  is  the  mere 
comeliness  of  piety.  So  that  we  must  not  consider  it  as  a 
chance  that  the  first  reward  that  the  Proverbs  offer  to  the  saint 
is  the  mere  excellence  of  being  excellent  itself.  "Direction;" 
universally  translated  ''''law"  (E.  V.);  nevertheless  the  divine 
law  is  much  better  answered  to  by  several  other  expressions. 
This  word  comes  from  a  root  meaning  to  f/irozc,  and  refers  to 
the  throwing  out  of  the  hand  in  giving  direction.  In  some 
texts  this  sense  is  distinctly  in  view.  We  translate  it  always 
^''direction."  In  some  texts  we  greatly  gain  by  it.  And  in  all 
there  is  more  or  less  reference  to  a  way,  and  a  great  naturalness 
in  retaining  the  original  interpretation.  "Grace;"  not ^;'«a'<?«J- 
ness^  but  gracefulness  ;  nevertheless,  as  in  English,  it  is  the 
same  word  that,  standing  in  different  texts,  expresses  these  dif- 
ferent ideas. 


10  My  son,  if  sinners  would  make  a  door  of 
thy  simplicity, 
afford  thou  no  entrance.    . 


10  My  son,  if  sin- 
ners entice  thee,  con- 
sent thou  not. 


"Make  a  door  of  thy  simplicity;"  literally,  ^^  open  iliee  j" 
hence  (E.  V.),  "  entice  thee  j  "  meaning,  lay  thee  open.  The  word 
'■'■simple"  as  we  have  already  seen  (v.  4),  means  <?/^«,  and  comes 
from  this  same  root.     We  would  translate  "  entice  "  (E.  V.), 


lo  PRO  VERBS.  [Chap  I. 

were  it  not  for  one  fact : — the  meaning  to  open  has  an  echo  to 
itself  in  the  after  clause.  The  word  translated  ^^  co/iscnt"  (E. 
V.)  is  the  familiar  verb  to  enter,  and  is  found  in  the  Hiphil.  It 
means  to  cause  or  suffer  to  enter.  It  refers,  of  course,  to  the 
idea  of  being  laid  open.  It  is  better,  therefore,  to  throw  all 
into  the  primary  shape. — "J/y  son,  if  sinners  would  (open 
thee,  i.  e.,)  7nake  a  door  of  thy  simplicity,  afford  thou  no  entrance." 
One  word  more  as  to  both  these  verbs.  We  have  looked  at 
all  the  twenty-eight  places  in  which  the  fi-rst  occurs  in  the  He- 
brew Bible,  and  it  is  true  in  every  one  that  it  is  faithful  to  its 
meaning,  which  is  to  be  open.  In  the  Pihel  it  means  to  open,  or 
to  lay  open,  as  in  our  text.  In  the  Niphal  it  means  to  be  laid 
open.  (Job  31:9.)  "  If  my  heart  was  thrown  open  to  a  woman," 
or,  more  literally,  "for  the  sake  of  a  woman."  The  word 
meaning  "  sitnple"  (v.  4),  is,  of  .course,  no  departure  from  this 
general  sense  of  open.  The  Hiphil  means  to  j?iake  an  opening  ; 
and  occurs  but  once  (Gen.  9:27).  "Jehovah  shall  make  an 
opening  for  Japheth,  and  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem, 
and  Canaan  shall  be  his  servant."*  Our  te.xt,  therefore,  means, 
"if  sinners  would  lay  thee  open"  (to  their  influences),  ^^ afford 
thou  no  entrance."  Now  as  to  the  second  verb. — It  is  supposed 
by  the  generality  of  scholars  to  be  from  a  word  meaning  to  as- 
sent or  incline  to  :  hence  the  English, — ^'' If  sinners  entice  thee  con- 
sent thou  not."  But  it  requires  an  alteration  of  the  consonants 
to  allow  that  word  to  come  in.  The  word  meaning  to  enter  has 
the  consonants  already ;  and  by  taking  the  Hiphil,  which 
means  to  give  entrance  to,  or  to  cause  to  enter,  which  is  the  trans- 
lation I  have  given,  the  word,  almost  without  a  change,  is  all  en 
regie.  "  My  son,  if  sinners  would  make  a  door  of  thee."  The 
passage  begins  with  the  mildest  possible  expressions.     If  it  be 


*  This  is  itself  a  new  rendering.  We  have  no  authority  for  such  a  sense.  And  the  Hiphil 
Ls  otherwise  defined  in  the  Lexicons.  But  we  seem  to  be  returning  to  the  primary  thought ; 
and  so  apt  a  meaning  would  hold,  one  would  think,  upon  the  first  suggestion.  What  more 
apt  than  this, — that  Japheth,  the  enterprising  brother  of  the  three,  and  the  father  of  the 
Caucasian  race,  should  be  described  as  pushing,  or  as  making  an  opening  for  himself, 
into  other  people's  dwelling-places  or  tents  ;  or,  to  speak  more  depcndcntly,  having  Jeho- 
vah to  make  it  for  him  ;  pushing,  as  he  has  done,  into  the  homes  of  Shcm,  and  having  Ca- 
naan for  his  servant?  Japheth  itself,  moreover,  is  a  Hiphil  dcrivatc,  from  the  same 
verb,  to  be  open.     "  Jehovah  shall  make  an  opening  ior  The  Opener. " 


Chap.  I.]  PROVERBS.  ii 

only  by  example  or  only  by  suggestion  that  the  danger  comes  : 
if  the  sinner's  sin,  as  he  thinks,  is  only  simplicity,  or  too  much 
openness  of  spirit,  then,  <7(5^/a /r/Vz^z/^m.  His  duty  is  to  resist. 
However  insidious  the  approach,  "  afford  thoit  no  entranced 

Ti  If  they   say,  Come  with   us;    let   us   lay  I    "  if  they  say,  Come 

/  -'  '  '  •'    with  us,  let  us  lay  wait 

wait  for  blood  ;  for  Wood,   let   us   lurk 

let  us  lurk  privily  for  those  who  are  inno-  fJiffi^ca^,^: ;""°""' 
cent  to  no  purpose ;  j 

It  is  very  often  the  case  in  Scripture,  that  very  violent  pic- 
tures are  drawn,  which  seem  to  denounce  only  the  grosser  form 
of  criminality,  when  the  intention  is  to  sweep  all  in  under  the 
same  general  portraiture.  When  Christ  says  of  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees,  that  "  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and  excess,"  he 
does  not  mean  to  forget  how  these  Pharisees  might  be  courteous 
and  law-abiding  citizens,  but  to  show  the  enormity  of  just  such 
men  in  a  due  consideration  of  their  wickedness.  In  Isaiah  (Is.  i : 
2 1)  the  whole  church  seems  to  be  arraigned  as  "murderers." 
In  the  Psalms,  as  Paul  collects  the  testimony  (Rom.  3  :  13-15), 
all  men  answer  to  this  horrid  picture  : — "  Their  throat  an  open 
sepulchre ;  with  their  tongues  having  used  deceit ;  the  poison 
of  asps  under  their  lips ;  their  mouth  full  of  cursing  and  bit- 
terness;  their  feet  swift  to  shed  blood."  When,  therefore,  the 
inspired  Solomon  draws  another  portrait  of  the  enticement  of 
the  young  man  by  the  sinner,  we  are  not  to  let  it  slide  away  as 
being  an  uncommon  case ;  but  are  to  understand  that  all  the 
impenitent  "  lay  wait  for  blood ;"  that  all  swallow  men  up  alive 
as  the  grave,  and  that  all  are  seeking  for  precious  substance, 
not  at  the  literal  expense  of  murdering  its  possessor,  but  at  the 
far  more  frightful  cost  of  eternal  damnation.  "  Innocent  to  no 
purpose."  That  is,  whose  innocence  will  do  nothing  for  them. 
Zockler  prefers  the  old  rendering,  "  without  cause,"  as  applied 
to  the  wrong  itself.  But  the  position,  as  it  often  happens  in  a 
sentence,  gives  its  connection  to  the  word.  The  expression, 
"  innocent  to  no  purpose"  is  a  very  significant  one  in  the  text ; 
and  this  meaning,  in  vain  or  to  no  purpose,  is  much  the  more 
frequent  one  in  Scripture,  and,  on  that  account,  the  more  likely 
in  any  sentence. 


12  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  I. 


12  let  us  swallow  them  alive  as  Sheol, 

and  whole  as  those  that  go  down  into  the 
pit ; 

13  we  shall  find  all  precious  substance; 
we  shall  fill  our  houses  with  spoil ; 

14  thou  shalt  cast  in  thy  lot  among  us; 
we  will  all  have  one  purse ; 


12  Let  us  swallow 
them  up  alive  as  the 
grave ;  and  wholCj  as 
those  that  go  down  into 
the  pit : 

13  We  shall  find  all 
precious  substance,  we 
shall  fill  our  houses 
with  spoil : 

14  Cast  in  thy  lot 
among  us ;  let  us  all 
have  one  purse : 

Some  translators  give  :  "  I<et  us  swallow  them  up  as  Sheol 
does  the  living  j  yea  {meti  of  whole  character)  the  upright  aa 
those  that  go  down  into  the  pit."  Mere  euphony,  however,  is 
often  a  fair  test  of  the  sense.  It  is  better  for  the  adjectives  to 
lie  in  the  same  line  as  objects.  Moreover,  "  whole  "  includes  all 
qualities, — whole  in  health,  whole  in  property,  whole  in  stand- 
ing. It  is  proper  to  give  a  preference  to  the  more  comprehen- 
sive sense ;  when  it  stands  as  well  in  other  respects  as  a  trans- 
lation. "  We  shall  find,  etc. "  Greed  and  fraud  can  be  found 
at  heart  even  among  the  more  amiable  impenitent.  "  Thou 
shalt  cast  in  thy  lot,  etc."  Our  English  version  has  it,  "  Cast  in 
thy  lot ;"  as  an  imperative.  Men  don't  enter  among  bandits  in 
that  way.  It  is  the  reward  of  what  is  done  afterward.  "  Thou 
shalt  cast  in  thy  lot;"  that  is,  when  the  prey  comes  to  have  lots 
cast  for  it.  Hence  an  idiom,  built  upon  this  wrong  translation, 
is  a  somewhat  distorted  one.  We  hear  of  casting  our  lot  j 
of  where  Providence  has  cast  our  lot ;  a  very  inapt  similitude, 
in  this : — that  the  "  lot "  in  Oriental  speech  grew  to  mean  a 
possession  that  a  man  had  taken  by  lot.  To  speak,  therefore 
of  casting  our  lot  anywhere,  is  a  distorted  figure,  and  evidently 
comes  from  this  wrong  translation. 


15  My  son,  walk  not 
thou  in  the  way  with 
them  ;  refrain  thy  foot 
from  their  path  : 


15  my  son,  walk   not  thou    in  the  way  with 

them ; 
refrain  thy  foot  from  their  path ; 

16  for  their  feet  are  running  toward  evil; 
and  they   are  making  haste  to  pour  out 

blood; 

"Evil;"  evil  of  all  sorts,  but  most  prominently  evil  to  them- 
selves. "  Running ;"  don't  go  "  in  the  way  with  them,"  because 
the  eager  enterprise  they  plan  is  really  a  "  running  toward  evil." 
'<Pour  out,"  usually  ''shed"  (E.  V.);  but  here  there  is  a  strik- 


16  For  their  feet  run 
to  evil,  and  make  haste 
to  shed  blood : 


Chap.  I.]  COMMENTARY.  13 

ing  equivoque.  They  shall  indeed  shed  blood  as  they  proposed 
(v.  n);  but  verse  i8th  is  to  declare  that  it  is  to  be  ''''their 
oiun  blood."  The  innocent  (v.  ii)  can't  be  injured  (12:21), 
The  saint  is  to  grow  by  trial.  Therefore  the  harm  is  to  be 
their  own.  We  translate  '^ pour  out,"  therefore;  as  ^^ shed" 
(E.  V.)  from  its  more  technical  use  is  more  restricted  than  the 
Hebrew. 

This  bold  ruin  their  seeing  it  will  never  keep  off: — 

17  because  it  avails  not  that  the  net  is  spread!  ///Su«iy  in  vain  the 
in  the  very  eyes  of  all  the  birds;  |  sight  of  any  bird:) 

A  meaning  quite  different  from  this  has  often  been  insisted 
upon.  It  has  referred  to  the  victims,  viz.:  the  "i?mocent" 
(v.  11).  It  has  been  supposed  to  mean  that  birds,  seeing  a 
trap,  would  not  go  into  it ;  and  so  the  innocent  would  be  vainly 
hunted  after.  As  this  is  not  according  to  nature,  we  thought 
at  first  that  the  last  expression  might  be  translated  differently. 
^'Master  of  a  wing"  is  the  Hebrew  for  ''bird"  (E.  V.);  but  as 
the  common  word  for  bird  means  a  7viug,  why  might  not  this 
common  word  for  wing,  poetice,  mean  a  bird.  The  meaning  then 
would  be  singularly  beautiful, — '''Let  us  lurk  privily  for  those  who 
are  innocent  to  no  purpose  !"  Ah  !  But  what  about  their  Owner  ? 
Such  answer  would  be  complete.  As  a  game-keeper  would  brush 
the  snare  that  he  found  set  for  his  birds :  so  the  Great  Lord  in 
Heaven  sees  when  our  traps  are  set  for  us.  The  other  case 
(Eccles.  10  :  20)  where  master  of  a  wing  or  master  of  wings 
{dual)  occurs,  might  half  encourage  the  fancy.  "  A  bird  of  the 
air  (some  carrier  or  parrot  bird)  shall  carry  the  voice,  and  the 
owner  of  the  bird  ('  that  which  hath  wings '  E.  V.  literally 
*the  master  of  the  tivo  wings')  shall  tell  the  matter.  On 
the  whole,  however,  we  reject  this  our  first  reading.  Further 
search  might  confirm  it :  and  specially  a  case  in  the  Targum,  or 
anything  Rabbinical,  where  wing  is  used  for  fowl.  The  meaning 
would  be  an  exquisite  one;  a  cool  taunt  to  the  plotters  of  evil 
in  view  of  the  care  of  the  Almighty.  How  foolish  to  set  traps 
under  the  very  eye  of  the  Master  of  the  birds  !  But,  abandoning 
this  sense,  we  must  turn  to  quite  a  different  one ;  not  the  idea 


for  their  o-:vn  blood ; 
they  lurk  privily  for 
their  own  lives. 


19  So  a r^  the  ways  of 
every  one  that  is  greed  j 


14  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  I. 

that  a  net  is  vainly  set  when  the  bird  sees  it  (E.  V.),  but  just 
the  opposite,  that  in  vain  the  bird  sees  it  when  it  is  set.  These 
men  are  plotting  with  their  eyes  wide  open.  It  teaches  the 
great  doctrine  of  the  deliberateness  of  ruin.  Men  go  to  hell  when 
they  expect  it ;  at  least  they  go  when  it  is  a  trap  to  them  of 
which  they  know  the  setting.  They  go  open-eyed  on  into  the  gin. 
As  it  avails  not  that  the  net  is  spread  in  the  very  sight  of  any 
bird,  so  it  recks  not  with  these  hardened  men  that  they  see  the 
trap  and  talk  of  the  pit  into  which  their  own  madness  may  be 
hastening.  This  is  most  probably  the  meaning. 
And  it  agrees  very  well  with  what  follows : — 

iS  and  these    are   laying  wait  for  their  own  , '^  r^'^'^ ''^^y 'iv'^'^j' 

Jo  tor    thpir     niun     hinnn  • 

blood ; 
they  are  lurking  privily  for  their  own  lives. 

19  So  are  the  paths  of  every  one   that  seizes 

upon  prey. 
It  takes  away  the  life  of  him  that  gets  it  injor^in"^w//c/r^Lktt? 

possession.  lo^^^L'tLre^f."'    '"' 

"  Of  him  that  gets  it  in  possession  ;"  (literally,  "  of  the  -master 
of  it.")  This  is  the  same  word  as  in  verse  J7.  The  old 
translation  reads, — "  Which  taketh  away  the  life  of  the  ozuner 
thereof  J'  But  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  this  would  be  a  feeble 
ending  to  so  strong  a  paragraph,  it  is  really  not  so  grammatical  as 
ours.  "  The  master  of  it  "  really  means  the  master  of  spoil ;  and 
the  master  of  spoil  is  the  spoiler.  The  whole  is  a  sovereign  les- 
son;— that  he  that  is  trapping  others,  is  trapping  himself;  that 
he  that  lurks  privily  for  the  saints,  is  lurking  privily  for  God's 
children ;  that  it  is  impossible  to  hurt  a  righteous  man ;  that  it 
is  so  easy  to  hurt  a  wicked  one,  that  the  very  business  of  his 
wickedness  destroys  him,  (there  is  an  emphatic  pronoun  (v.  18) 
they  themselves  or  they  as  icickcd  lurk,  etc.),  so  that,  as  wicked,  he 
lays  wait  for  himself;  "  so  are  the  paths  of  every  one  that  seizes 
upon  prey.    It  takes  away  the  life  of  him  thai  gets  it  in  possession." 

20  Out  of  doors,  wisdom  cries ;  [wifho^utf  Te  uV.lrVtS 
on   the  open  squares   she  gives  forth  her  1  her  voice  m  the  streets; 

voice.  I 

The  fourteen  verses  (20-33)  are  a  twin  passage  to  the  ten 


Chap.  I.]  COMMENTARY. 


IS 


verses  (10-19)  which  precede.  They  recall  the  fabled  choice 
of  Hercules.  The  ten  verses  describe  the  solicitations  of  Sin ; 
the  fourteen,  the  invitations  of  Wisdom.  These  pictures  are 
admirably  in  place  at  the  opening  of  a  book  on  piety. 
"  Wisdom ;  "  literally  wisdoms.  The  Orientals  used  the  plural 
as  an  expression  of  higher  excellence.  So  God,  throughout 
the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  is  generally  in  the  plural.  As  God, 
however,  is  usually  supposed  to  have  the  plural  form  in  some 
connection  with  the  Trinity,  so  "  wisdoms "  may  be  plural, 
not  simply  to  denote  wisdom  in  the  highest  form,  but  wisdom 
in  all  forms,  or  all  *' wisdoms"  in  one;  specially  two  forms 
of  wisdom, — wisdom  in  a  worldly  sense,  and  wisdom  in  that 
spiritual  sense  which  the  natural  man  does  not  discern.  Wisdom 
in  both  these  senses  unite  in  piety.  That  is,  the  pious  man 
has  spiritual  wisdom,  of  which  the  sinner  knows  nothing; 
and  the  pious  man  has  natural  or  fleshly  wisdom,  to  avoid-  hell 
and  to  secure  heaven,  to  provide  for  death  and  to  get  ready  for 
the  eternal  world,  to  a  degree  altogether  superior  to  a  fleshly 
nature.  "  Wisdoms,"  therefore,  connected,  as  it  is,  Avith  the 
singular  verb,  and  appearing,  as  it  does,  repeatedly  in  this  book  of 
Proverbs  (9:1;  14:1;  Ps.  49  :  3),  (and  sometimes  with  a  plural 
verb,  Prov.  24  :  7),  is  a  very  suitable  name  for  piety.  "  Out  of 
doors  wisdom  cries."  "  Out  of  doors"  and  "  on  the  open  squares" 
are  very  emphatic  ideas  in  this  opening.  Sin  (v.  10)  was  re- 
presented as  trying  to  get  in.  Wisdom  is  represented  as  tr}'ing 
to  reach  out.  Sin  is  perfectly  harmless,  unless  it  can  get  into 
the  conscience.  Wisdom  is  utterly  helpless  unless  it  begins 
with  the  flesh.  One  strives  to  get  in ;  the  other  yearns  to 
reach  out.  The  causes  of  this  are  obvious.  So  long  as 
the  enticements  of  sin  do  not  reach  in  to  the  heart,  the  man 
is  utterly  unscathed.  Therefore  the  Proverb  reads,  My  son 
if  sinners  would  throia  thee  open,  yield  thou  no  entrance.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  piety  cannot  reach  out,  she  is  utterly  unheard. 
"  The  natural  man  discerneth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit." 
She  must  begin,  therefore,  without.  The  impenitent  can  only 
hear  "  natural"  reasonings.  "  The  law  is  a  school-master."  The 
terrors  of  death  are  applied  by  the  Almighty  to  draw  us  nearer 
within,  and  finally  into  the  region  that  is  spiritual.    It  is  "  out  of 


i6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  I. 

doors,''  therefore,  that  wisdom  must  lift  up  her  voice.  "  On  the 
open  squares."  She  must  go  out  to  the  resorts  of  men.  This  word, 
which  is  found  all  over  the  Bible,  is  usually  translated  "■streets." 
It  meant,  in  fact,  those  open  spaces  that  were  usually  about  the 
gates  (Deut.  13  :  16),  which  were  sometimes  in  the  heart  of  the 
city,  and  which  were  the  squares  where  altars  were  set  up  (Ez. 
16  :  31) ;  where  Mordecai  was  carried  in  triumph  (Esther  6  :  9, 
11) ;  where  temples  erected  their  fronts  (2  Chron.  29  :  4  ;  Ezra 
10  :  9) ;  where  travellers  camped  all  night  (Gen.  19:2;  Judg. 
19:15,  20);  where  justice  was  administered  (Job  29:7;  Is. 
59  :  14) ;  and  where  catde  and  flocks  were  sometimes  herded 
or  confined  (Ps.  144:14).  It  is  translated  '■''streets"  nearly 
always  in  our  English  ;  sometimes  '"'■  broad  ways  ;  "  quite  literal- 
ly it  means  broad  places,  and  will  invariably  bear  the  translation 
of  "  open  squares  ;  "  for  we  have  tried  that  translation  in  all  the 
instances.  Wisdom  goes  where  all  public  matters  go,  to  the 
great  squares  and  places  of  business. 

21  Where  confusion  is  at  its  height  she  calls,!  ,?!  She  cneth  m  the 

,,  ...  "  '  chief     place     of    con- 

m  the  openmg  of  the  gates;  ■ 


in  the  citadel  she  utters  her  words  :- 


course,  in  the  openings 
of  the  gates :  in  the 
city  she  uttereth  her 
words,  saying^ 


God  leaves  sinners  unwarned  nowhere.  In  the  great  cen- 
tral marts,  some  of  the  loudest  warnings  have  to  be  listened  to. 
«  Where  confusion,  etc. ;  "  derived  from  a  word  that  sounds  like 
our  English  hum  ;  the  Wall  streets  and  hot  centres  of  activity. 
There  is  an  impression  that  conscience  is  deadened  in  such 
places;  but  when  eternity  is  revealed,  we  believe  that  there 
will  appear  to  have  been  a  Providence,  like  that  which  works 
together  for  the  good  of  the  Christian,  working  together  to 
rouse  the  impenitent ;  ("  What  could  have  been  done  more 
to  my  vineyard .?  "  Is.  5:4);  that  when  the  impenitent  pleads 
his  distractions  at  the  last,  it  will  be  shown  him  how  his  hot- 
test tasks  were  fitted  to  lead  him  to  the  Saviour ;  how  he  was 
passed  through  all  sorts  of  the  most  favorable  warnings ;  how 
he  illustrated  every  form  of  folly;  and  how  the  Most  High  pur- 
sued him  with  every  appliance  for  his  escape,  warning  him 
more  loudly  in  the  distractions  of  his  work,  than  he  would  have 


Chap.  I.]  COMMENTARY.  17 

been  warned  just  then  in  the  most  quiet  corner.  "  In  tlie 
openings  of  the  gates,"  where  in  Eastern  cities  there  was  a 
stretch  of  pavement  (see  v.  20),  and  where  courts  and  business 
assemblages  were  usually  to  be  met.  **  In  the  citadel,"  literally, 
"  in  the  city  ;  "  but  as  the  city  has  been  all  along  talked  of,  "  the 
city"  as  can  be  shown  by  usage  (2  Sam.  5  :  7,  9),  means  "  the 
citadel."    "Utters  her  words;"  namely,  the  words  that  follow  : — 


22  How  long,  ye  simple  ones,  will  ye  love  sim- 
plicity, 

and  scorners  in  their  own  case  delight  in 
scorning, 

and  fools  hate  knowledge } 


22  Howlong,  ye  sim- 
ple ones,  will  ye  love 
simplicity?  and  the 
scorners  delight  in  their 
scorning,  and  fools  hate 
knowledge? 


This  brings  out  the  second  feature  of  impiety  already  hinted 
at  (v.  7).  The  first  feature  of  impiety  was  ignorance  (v.  2,  3). 
Righteousness  consisted  in  knowing  wisdom.  But  along  with 
this  ignorance  is  a  love  of  it,  which  makes  it  perpetual.  The 
simple  do  not  love  simplicity  on  its  own  account ;  but  for  its 
indulgencies.  They  hate  piety  for  what  it  forbids.  This  Christ 
teaches  (John  3:19,  20).  They  love  darkness  rather  than 
light  because  their  deeds  are  evil.  They  hate  light,  neither  come 
to  the  light  lest  their  deeds  should  be  reproved.  St.  Paul  also 
(Rom.  8  :  7)  gives  the  same  reason.  "  The  carnal  mind  is  en- 
mity against  God."  Why .?  Not  because  a  perfect  Being  is 
hated  in  Himself,  but  because  He  restrains  men;  ^^  because  it  is  not 
subject  to  the  law  of  God ;  neither  ijideed  can  be."  "  The  simple^* 
therefore,  are  not  only  simple  but  averse.  They  are  not  so 
simple  as  not  to  get  wisdom  if  they  would.  And,  therefore,,  the 
appeal  "How  long  ?  "  Men  are  always  going  to  be  wise.  And, 
therefore,  in  medias  res,  Wisdom  plunges  upon  this  very  diffi- 
culty. You  are  going  to  repent ;  but  when .?  And,  as  a  still 
more  imperative  question,  "How  long  first.?"  You  are,,  per- 
haps, a  grey  old  man ;  and  your  resolutions  have  been  for  fifty 
years.  "  How  long  ye  simple  ones  will  ye  love  simplicity,  and 
scorners  deUght  in  their  scorning,  and  fools  hate  knowledge  ?" 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  person  changes.  The  "  scorners  "  and 
more  determined  haters  are  talked  of,  not  to.  There  may  be 
meaning  in   this.     "  How  long,  ye  simple  ?  "      That  is,  in  its 


i8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  I. 

milder  form,  impenitence  may  listen  to  wisdom;  but  the 
*^  scorner"  is  merely  talked  of.  In  this  bolder  attitude  he  may 
point  a  moral,  but  can  never  possibly  be  in  the  audience  of 
Wisdom  (see  Matt.  7:6;  i  Jo.  2:11-14).  "In  their  own 
case."  A  preposition  with  a  pronoun.  Men  often  are  scorners 
themselves,  when  they  are  perfectly  horrified  at  the  scorning 
of  others. 

23  Turn  you  at  my 
reproof  :  behold,  I  will 
pour  out  my  spirit  unto 
you,  I  will  make  known 
my  words  unto  you. 


23  Would  ye  turn  at  my  reproof.'* 

behold,  I  would  pour  out  my  spirit  upon 

you; 
I  would  make  you  know  my  words. 


"  Turn,  etc.  ;  "  not  the  imperative  but  the  future  interroga- 
tive. It  would  not  answer  as  an  imperative.  The  promise  "/ 
will  pour  out  my  Spirit  "  (E.  V.)  is  a  promise  of  absolute  salva- 
tion. She  does  not  promise  the  pouring  out  of  her  Spirit,  that 
is,  of  God's  Spirit,  indiscriminately,  but  precisely  on  the  con- 
dition that  the  future  would  give  us ;  not  "  Turn  ye  !  I  will 
pour ;  "  making  the  promise  to  pour  commensurate  with  the 
command  to  turn  ;  alas,  that  it  might  be  so  !  but  making  the 
actual  turning  the  condition,  as  well  as  the  attendant  of  the 
promise,  precisely  in  the  way  tliat  is  grammatical  in  our  text. 
"  Return  unto  me,  and  I  will  return  unto  you  "  (Mai.  3:7). 
The  more  we  begin  to  listen,  (though  that  needs  the  Spirit),  the 
more  the  Spirit  is  poured  out ;  and  the  bending  of  the  ear  in- 
stantly begins  to  unravel  the  words  of  Wisdom. 

But  not  only  the  Spirit  increases  as  our  giving  heed  increases, 
but  the  Spirit  recedes  as  our  giving  heed  moves  farther  off. 
At  last  a  boundary  is  passed  from  which  there  is  no  returning : — 

24  Because  I  have  called  and  ye  refused  ;         I  cautd" anTye  rlfu^sed^ 
I  have  stretched  out  my  hand  and  no  man  i  h^ve  stretched  out 

»««.«»J„J  .  rny  hand,  and  no  man 

regarded;  Ireg.irded; 

It  is  astonishing  how  far  this  is  carried  !  what  myriads  of  re- 
jections in  a  life  of  ordinary  duration  !  how  fair  and  reasonable 
the  chance  that  has  been  given  for  our  escape  ! 

25  but  ye  have  let  go  all  my  counsel :  =5  B"t  ye  ^ave  set  at 

^  j-^  ,j  °    -  ■'  .'  nought  all  my  counsel, 

and  would  none  of  my  reproof ;  and  would  none  of  my 

reproof : 


Chap  I.J  COMMENTAR  Y. 


19 


How  natural,  therefore,  the  doctrine  that  there  comes  a  time 
when  we  have  sinned  away  the  day  of  grace !  This  is  told  in 
the  saddest  language  in  the  texts  that  follow : — 


26  even  I,  in  the  midst  of  your  destruction, 

will  laugh ; 
I  will  mock  when  your  fear  enters. 

27  When  your  fear  enters  like  a  tempest, 
and  your  destruction  comes  like  a  whirl- 
wind ; 

when  distress  and  anguish  come  in  upon 
you; 

28  then  shall  they  call  upon  me,  and  I  will  not 

answer ; 
they  shall  seek  me  diligently,  and  shall  not 
find  me. 


26  I   also  will  laugh 

at  your  calamity  ;  I  will 
mock  when  your  foar 
Cometh  ; 


27  When  your  lear 
Cometh  as  desolation, 
and  your  destruction 
Cometh  as  a  whirlwind  ; 
when  distress  and  an- 
guish Cometh  upon 
you: 


28  Then  shall  they 
call  upon  me,  but  I  will 
not  answer;  they  shall 
seek  me  early,  but  they 
shall  not  find  me; 


.  In  differences  of  translation  from  our  common  version,  the 
new  words  put  in  will  usually  explain  themselves.  "  Let  go  all 
my  counsel  "  (v.  25),  while  it  is  truer  to  the  root  than  ''''set  at 
naught"  (E.  V.),  is  also  truer  to  the  facts.  The  verb  meansto 
unbridle,  to  let  go  loose  ;  and  the  sinner  in  his  earlier  wanderings, 
rather  lets  go  the  counsels  of  wisdom,  than  actually  sets  them  at 
naught.  Our  translations  are  made  with  care,  however ;  and 
we  will  usually  leave  them  to  explain  themselves.  Now,  as  to 
the  whole  doctrine,  it  is  a  little  strange.  Does  the  sinner  ever 
cry,  and  not  get  answered  }  Does  he  ever  seek  diligently,  and 
God  laugh  at  him  }  The  passage  is  the  profoundest  gospel. 
A  man  has  two  ways  of  seeking, — before  he  becomes  a  Christian, 
and  after  he  becomes  a  Christian.  Before  he  becomes  a  Chris- 
tian he  seeks  from  natural  motives ;  otherwise  he  would  be 
already  spiritual.  We  cannot  say  that  natural  seeking  has  no 
promise.  We  think  it  has.  A  man  can  only  start  outside  of 
the  camp  to  get  in.  The  man  who  out  of  a  deep  sense  of  ter- 
ror flies  toward  the  wicket-gate  under  that  schoolmaster  the 
law,  will  reach  it  if  he  keep  on ;  and  that  by  promise.  If  he 
begs  God  to  make  him  spiritual,  and  to  give  him  the  true  mo- 
tives of  the  kingdom  with  even  a  proper  common  spirit,  though 
it  be  under  the  terrors  of  escape,  he  draws  nearer  all  the  time 
to  being  spiritual.     The  light  will  at  last  break.     If  he  keeps 


20  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  I. 

on  in  that  way,  he  will  emerge  some  day  into  the  light  of  the 
blessed.  The  action  of  common  grace  will  merge  into  that 
which  is  saving.  But  if  his  motives  are  too  carnal ;  if  his  state 
is  mere  terror  ;  if  his  moral  part  has  been  so  abused  that  it  has 
passed  the  boundary  which  our  texts  suggest ;  if  there  be  the 
mere  terror  of  the  lost,  and  the  mere  selfishness,  such  as  wakes 
up  at  the  judgment  day,  we  could  easily  understand  that  oceans 
of  such  tears  would  drift  a  man  only  farther  off.  They  are  only 
a  more  insidious  carnality.  The  sum  of  the  doctrine  is,  that 
natural  motives  may  become  instruments  of  conversion,  if  we 
seek  God  early ;  but  if  we  sin  away  the  day  of  grace,  no  terror, 
however  selfishly  and,  therefore,  passionately  expressed,  can 
become  a  saving  prayer  to  bring  us  any  nearer  to  the  Redeem- 
er. "Even  I."  This  emphasis  must  not  be  lost.  It  seems 
strange  for  Wisdom  to  laugh  when  the  object  is  the  perdition 
of  a  sinner  :  but  here  lies  a  deep  reality.  Saints  will  be  able 
to  rejoice  even  in  sight  of  Tophet !  "  Even  I ;  "  even  Wisdom. 
And  let  it  be  understood  it  is  Wisdom  that  does  the  laughing. 
It  will  be  the  piety  of  men  that  will  enable  them  to  rejoice,  even 
at  eternal  burnings.  V.  28.  "Then  shall  they  call."  This 
change  of  person  is  not  a  mere  graceful  negligence,  but  a 
change  of  manner  (see  v.  22)  as  though  Wisdom  were  increas- 
ingly alienated.  "  They  shall  seek  m©  diligently ;  "  usually 
"  early  ".  (E.  V.)  These  men,  however,  had  not  sought  "  early." 
The  word  has  to  do  with  the  morning  ;  but  the  earlier  sense  is 
diligence  (see  Gesenius),  and  by  far  the  best  sense  in  the  present 
instance.  "  They  shall  seek  me  diligently  and  shall  not  find 
me." 


zq  For  tfi.it  they  ha- 
ted knowledge,  and  did 
not  chocse  the  fear  of 
the  Lord  : 

30  They  would  none 


29  Forasmuch  as  they  hated  knowledge ; 
and  did  not  choose  the  fear  of  Jehovah 

30  they  did  not  want  my  counsel ; 
they  despised  all  my  reproof  ;      _  fed"a"r'mV ''r? 

31  therefore  do  they  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their ^proof^ 

way, 
and  are  filled  with  their  own  counsellings 


31  Therefore  shall 
they  eat  of  the  fruit  o' 
their  own  way,  and  b' 
filled  with  tlicir  owi 
devices. 


"Forasmuch   as."     Our  English  version  connects  this  with 
what  goes  before.     The  usage  of  the  word  hardly  warrants 


Chap.  L]  COMMENTAR  Y.  2X: 

this;  and  the  sense  makes  it  much  better  as  the  beginning 
of  what  follows.  "  Forasmuch  as  they  hated  knowledge,  etc." 
This  not  only  marks  the  justness  of  refusing  life  to  them  who 
so  long  rejected  it,  but  also  the  naturalness  of  the  thing  as 
a  legitimate  consequence.  "Their  own  way"  (v.  31)  is  the 
route  that  sinners  take.  "  The  fruit  of  their  own  way  "  is  a  very 
mixed  metaphor,  but  means  what  the  sinner  wins  to  himself  by 
the  advance  he  makes  upon  his  path.  And  eating  of  that  fruit, 
and  htmg  filled  tvith  it  are  just  the  expressions  to  carry  us  back 
intelligently  to  the  beginning  of  the  passage.  "  Forasmuch  as 
they  hated  knowledge:'  This  being  the  very  way  the  sinner 
travels,  they  eat  this,  when  they  grow  and  are  nourished  in  this 
hatred.  The  rejecting  of  "  fear  "  and  the  declining  of  "  coun- 
sel "  and  the  despising  of  "  reproof  "  are  all  "ways  "  the  "  fruit" 
of  which  a  sinner  "  eats "  when  he  is  nourished  and  grows 
"filled"'  with  these  advancing  and  destroying  impulses  of 
spirit. 


32  For  the  turning  away  of  the  simple  slays 
them, 

and  the  tranquility  of  fools  destroys  them  ; 
^T,  but  whoso  hearkens  to  me  dwells  safely, 

and  has  been  quieted  from  fear  of  evil. 


32  For  the  turning 
away  of  the  simple 
shall  slay  them,  and 
the  prosperity  of  fools 
shall  destroy  them. 

33  But  whoso  heark- 
eneth  unto  me  shall 
dwell  safely,  and  shall 
be   quiet  from   fear  of 

I  evil. 

"The  turning  away."  When  Wisdom  calls,  the  ''turning 
atuay''  of  sinners  "slays  them."  That  is,  not  only  as  a  just 
penalty,  but,  what  is  far  more  interesting,  as  a  natural  result. 
When  sinners  are  moved  a  little  by  wisdom,  and  turn  away,  it 
is  deadly.  It  is  worse  than  if  they  had  never  listened.  "  For  " 
connects  this  passage  with  the  last;  and  it  means  that  turning 
aiuay,  after  being  impressed  by  Wisdom,  is  one  of  the  ways  the 
''fruit"  of  which  the  sinner  eats,  and  one  which  is  utterly 
deadly.  Nay;  the  inspired  teacher  makes  it  still  stronger,  for 
he  says,— "the  tranquility,"  that  is,  the  mere  standing  at  rest  of 
"fools,"  the  mere  doing  nothing  of  impenitent  men,  is  carry- 
ing them  downward ;  they  have  to  make  advance  on  their  way, 
and  that  advance  they  "  eat  the  fruit  of"  "  Whoso  hearkens  to 
me  dwells  safely,  and  has  been  quieted  from  fear  of  evil.  But 
the  still  dwelling  and  the  quiet  standing  of  the  sinner  is  but  a 


22  PROVERBS.  [Chap  II. 

progress  downward.  This  is  the  warning  to  the  impenitent. 
They  must  travel  their  way,  and  they  7nust  eat  the  fruit  of  it ; 
and  not  only  the  turning  away  of  the  sinner  slays  him,  but  even 
his  quiet  destroys  him. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Next  follows  a  wonderful  passage.  It  has  been  strangely 
misinterpreted.  It  is  a  direction  of  a  specific  sort  as  to  how  a 
man  may  be  converted.  It  is  sad  that  it  has  not  been  always 
tmderstood,  that  it  might  be  availed  of  in  public  preaching.  It 
contains  two  stages  : — first  the  way  to  common  grace ;  second, 
the  way  to  complete  salvation.  What  astonishes  us  in  it  is, 
that  it  is  so  specific.  It  treats  being  saved  as  though  it  were, 
like  getting  well  or  getting  money,  a  matter  of  certain  calcula- 
tion. If  we  do  certain  things,  the  heart  will  move  toward  re- 
ligion. If  we  do  certain  other  things,  the  heart  will  go  on  in 
the  quest,  and  Avill  be  certain  to  secure  a  change.  Let  us  takS 
the  first  stage  first : — 


1  My  son,  if  thou  wilt  take  my  words, 
and  hide  my  commandments  with  thee, 

2  so  as  to  point  thine  ear  toward  wisdom, 
thou  shalt  incline  thine  heart  toward  dis- 
cernment. 


Mv  son,  if  thou  wilt 
receive  my  words,  and 
hide  my  command- 
ments with  thee  ; 

2  So  that  thou  in- 
cline thine  ear  unto 
wisdom,  and  apply 
thine  heart  to  under- 
standing ; 


The  failure  of  other  comments  has  been,  that  they  have 
thrown  the  five  verses  into  one  ;  and  the  failure  in  that  has  been, 
that  they  have  not  noticed  certain  concluding  clauses.  The 
last  clause  of  the  second  verse,  Kke  the  last  clauses  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter  (vs.  3,  5  and  7),  has  managed  to  conceal  its 
character.  The  solution  is,  such  a  division  into  two  stages.  The 
sinner  is  taken  at  his  lowest  point,  without  waiting  in  the  least 
for  seriousness.  In  fact,  he  is  told  how  he  can  become  serious. 
"My  son,  if  thou  wilt  take  my  words,"  In  any  conceivable 
path,  if  thou  wilt  do  that  lowest  conceivable  thing, — just  listen  : 
and,  that  thy  listening  may  not  be  a  mere  passing  flash,  if  thou 
wilt  pause  upon  it,  and   attend ;  if  thou  wilt  "  liide  my  com- 


Chap.  II.]  COMMENTARY.  23 

mandments  with  thee;"  the  attention,  however,  being  nothing 
more  than  listening ;  "  so  as  to  point  thine  ear  (primarily  sharpen 
ox  prick  thine  ear,  like  an  animal)  toward  •wisdom;"  the  heart  is 
so  constituted  that  it  will  at  once  begin  to  move.  This  is  not 
insisted  upon  enough  in  preaching.  Like  a  thermometer,  the 
heart  warms  and  rises  at  once  at  the  touch  of  truth.  This  is  a 
seminal  principle.  "  Turn  ye  unto  me  and  I  will  turn  unto  you  " 
(Zech.  I  :  3).  If  a  man  takes  a  chair  and  thinks  for  a  moment 
of  death  and  judgment  and  eternity,  his  heart  begins  to  feel, 
and  it  will  go  on  feeling  at  any  length.  It  requires  the  Spirit, 
no  doubt;  but  what  is  the  Spirit  but  the  Spirit  of  the  God  of 
Nature }  He  will  come  in  the  track  of  thought  just  as  surely  as 
a  star  is  dragged  after  Him  in  the  track  of  gravitation.  This  is 
only  common  grace ;  but  the  Wise  Man  offers  it  as  the  founda- 
tion of  the  higher.  Stop  anywhere  in  thy  track.  Prick  thine 
ear  toward  wisdom^  and  "  thou  shalt  itichne  thine  heart  to  dis- 
cernment," ^^  Incline  j"  simply  bend.  Wait  for  nothing  on 
earth.  In  the  whirl  of  business,  stop  anywhere  and  think. 
The  heart  moves  heavenward,  like  the  mercury  when  your  finger 
is  on  the  bulb.  Men  send  their  hearts  upwards  this  way 
myriads  of  times.  If  they  cool  again,  they  lose  susceptibility. 
They  do  cool  again  often  and  often.  The  Wise  Man  does  not 
pretend  to  deny  it.  He  is  stating  simply  a  fact.  Listen,  and 
thou  shalt  begin  to  feel.  Prick  the  ear,  and  thou  shalt  bend  the 
heart.  "But  if"  (^v^  -,;2  v.  3).  It  is  astonishing  that  this  fresh 
departure  has  not  been  noticed  : — 


But  if  thou  wilt  cry  after  discernment, 
and  lift  up  thy  voice  for  understanding ; 
if  thou  wilt  seek  it  like  money, 
and  dig  for  it  as  for  hid  places  of  store ; 
then  shalt  thou  discern  the  fear  of  Jehovah, 
and  find  the  knowledge  of  God. 


3  Yea,  if  tliou  criest 
after  knowledge,  and 
liftest  up  thy  voice  for 
understanding ; 

4  If  thou  seekest  her 
as  silver,  and  sf  archest 
for  her  as/or  hid  trea- 
sures ; 

5  Then  shall  thou 
understand  the  fear  of 
the  Lord,  and  find  the 
knowledge  of  God. 


Prelimhiarily  (vs.  i,  2),  if  thou  wilt  listen,  thou  shalt  begin  to 
feel.  "  But  if"  thou  wilt  build  upon  this  a  still  higher  thing,  it 
will  bring  actual  salvation.  Solomon  aims  to  be  methodic,  as  in 
trade  or  farming.  The  heart,  being  fitted  by  its  sensitiveness  when 


24 


PROVERBS.  [Chap.  II. 


we  merely  listen,  is  told  how  it  may  go  on  into  a  state  of  grace. 
"  If  thou  wilt  cry  after  discernment."  ^  The  heart,  beginning  by 
feeling,  need  but  keep  on  with  the  earnestness  of  an  eager  cry. 
"Understanding;"  for,  as  in  the  first  chapter  (2,  3),  "knowl- 
edge "  is  "  righteousness."  The  sinner  is  held  to  his  one  want, 
and  that  is  light.  V.  4.  "■  If  thou  wilt  seek  it  as  money."  So 
stands  the  whole  doctrine.  Men  never  prayed  that  way,  and 
were  not  answered.  Men  seek  money:  first,  always;  second, 
as  a  matter  of  course ;  third,  against  all  discomfitures ;  fourth, 
under  all  uncertainties.  It  is  the  rare  exception  where  men  are 
not  busy  seeking  it  from  Monday  to  Saturday,  in  spite  of  ever)-  loss, 
and  as  a  thing  they  must  get,  from  actual  necessities  of  nature. 
Now,  religion,  so  chased  after,  may  be  won,  clear  of  uncertainty. 
If  any  object  that  they  are  at  a  loss  to  begin,  how  can  that  be, 
if  they  are  but  to  "  cry  after  "  it  ?  Though,  if  they  still  speak 
of  uncertainty,  the  Wise  Man  varies  the  figure  : — "  If  thou  wilt 
dig  for  it  as  for  hid  places  of  store."  With  such  enemies  as 
those  of  Midian  (Judg.  6:2,  11)  the  Israelites  had  to  bury  their 
crops  to  hide  them  from  being  robbed.  To  unbury  them  re- 
quired plenty  of  waste  digging.  The  robber  must  dig  and  dig, 
and  unearth  many  a  place  with  the  futile  labor  of  finding  noth- 
ing. So  the  lost  must  do.  What  is  hunting,  but  searching 
many  a  spot  before  the  true  one.?  V.  5.  "Then;"  the  word  is 
very  emphatic.  "Shalt  thou  discern;"  the  idea  o(  tight,  we  are 
to  observe,  is  still  kept  in  the  fore-ground.  The  "  fear  of  Jeho- 
vah," i.  e.,  piety.  "And  find  the  knowledge  of  God;  "  that  is,  like 
"  hid  places  of  store  " — the  whole  a  grand  offer  to  everybody ; 
and  a  grand  counsel  as  to  the  way  to  be  converted. 

6  For  Jehovah  gives  wisdom,  I  ,,^  ^^^^  ^^ToK^ 

out  of  His  mouth  knowledge  and  discern-  mouth  cometh  knowi- 

.  cdce   and   understand- 

ment;  lin|. 

Hardly  has  the  Proverb  let  go  the  thought  that  a  man  may 
be  certain  of  conversion,  before  he  brings  in  the  twin  thought, 
"Jehovah  gives  wisdom."  It  is  so  universally.  A  superb  pas- 
sage those  five  verses  are  (2  :  1-5),  and  teaching  plainly  the  fact 
that  a  man  may  get  "  light,"  and  that  there  are  steps  to  it  like 
money-getting;  and  yet,  hardly  have  the  words  left  his  lips,  be- 


Chap.  II.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  25 

fore  Solomon  guards  them,  ''Jehovah  will  give  wisdom  "  and 
guards  them  in  a  strikmgway;  for  he  says,  "For:"  that  is, 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  gift  of  God  is  the  reason  that  it  can  be 
proceeded  after  hopefully  by  man.  His  great  direction  was,— 
"  If  thou  cry  after  "  it.  And  as  this  implies  some  one  to  answer 
the  request,  it  is  thus  also  apposite  to  say,  ''For  Jehovah  will 
give."  "Out  of  his  mouth,"  ("will  give,"  being  understood); 
their  being  nothing  further  to  remark  on  this  verse  than  that  it 
still  harps  upon  "  knowledge  and  understanding,"  in  the  tone 
of  the  first  Proverb,  that  "  righteousness  "  is  "knowledge;"  but 
further  that  it  adds,  "out  of  his  mouth."  God  does  give  wis- 
dom, but  He  gives  it  by  intelligent  means.  He  does  convert 
the  sinner,  but  He  does  it  by  the  enginery  of  truth.  He  is  the 
prophet  of  the  Church,  and  He  is  so  not  simply  by  the  inward 
grace,  but  by  that  with  the  outward  word  upon  the  reason  and 
intelligence  of  the  believer. 

7  and  He  stores  up  something  stable  for  the     ">  ^«  .  '^v^th    up 

,,,,_•    1,.  °  sound   wisdom  for  the 

Upngnt,  righteous:     he     is     a 

a  buckler  to  them  of  sound  behavior,  wafk'"ri°hti''^'"  '''^' 

"  He  hides  away  ;  "  "  He  stores  up  ;  "  literally,  tTie  same  verb 
of  which  "  hid  places  of  store  "  is  a  derivative.  Not  only  does 
He  "give  Wisdom,"  (see  the  last  verse),  but  He  hides  away  what 
will  be  stably  certain  and  complete.  "  Hide  ;  "  first,  that  the 
wicked  will  not  find  it ;  second,  that  the  righteous  may  have  to 
dig  to  get  it ;  nevertheless,  third,  that  it  may  be  safe  from  the 
Evil  One,  and  may  be  found  by  the  righteous,  as  he  advances 
to  his  final  kingdom.  "  Something  stable."  We  have  turned 
to  the  twelve  places  where  this  word  occurs.  It  is  a  very  pecu- 
liar word.  It  is  translated  "  sound  wisdof^i  "  (E.  V).  Such  is  a 
translation  that  is  very  distant.  "  Sound  Wisdom  "  leads  to 
what  is  stable,  but  so  do  other  things.  The  verb  which  is  evi- 
dently its  original,  is  an  unused  verb,  and  means  "  to  stand." 
A  word  of  multiplied  use  that  means  "there  is"  or  "//  is." 
'Jlj^  is  the  commonest  derivative.  The  word  in  our  text,  there- 
fore, having  a  somewhat  causative  form,  is  something  that 
stands  or  causes  itself  to  stand,  and  this  fits  all  the  cases  in  which 
it  is  used  in  Scripture.  For  example  (Job  5:  11),  "Their 
2 


26  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  II. 

hands  cannot  perform  anything  stable."*  (Job  30  :  22),  "  And 
thou  hast  melted  me  away  as  to  anything  stable."\  (Prov. 
8  :  14).  "  Counsel  is  mine  and  something  stable.^X  So  here,  "  he 
storts  \XY>  so?nethi}ig  stable  for  the  righteous;"  meaning  that  in 
the  last  outcome  of  his  believing  people  what  he  has  hidden 
away  for  them  will  stand,  so  as  to  be  permanently  complete;  "a 
buckler,"  therefore,  in  all  the  gloomy  horrors  that  beset -the  fu- 
ture. § 

There  follows  now  a  theological  account  of  why  He  must 
look  after  the  righteous : — 


To  keep  watch  Over  the  paths  of^  judgment  p,^th"of  judgment, a'nd 

preseiveth  the   .vay  of 
his  saints. 


He  must  also  guard  the  way  of  His  saints. 


"Judgment."  By  looking  at  all  the  passages  we  are  con- 
vinced that  there  should  rarely  be  any  other  rendering.  When 
a  court  has  been  sitting,  it  reaches  a  '''' judgment."  When  a 
''^judgment "  has  been  rendered,  it  must  be  strictly  executed. 
"  The  paths  of  judgment  "  are  the  roads  that  God  must  walk  in 
executing  the  decrees  of  court.  "  The.  paths  of  judgment"  in 
respect  to  Satan,  lead  God  in  all  those  hair-breadth  measurings 
in  which  he  metes  out  justice  to  him  forever.  "  The  paths  of 
judgment "  in  the  respect  of  Gabriel,  correspond  in  the  way  of 
recompense;  but  as  the  difference  Gabriel  must  be  steadily 
raised  up,  and  Satan  steadily  sunk  lower.  These  are  simpler 
verdicts.  But  in  the  instance  of  the  "saints,"  "///<?  paths  of 
judgment "  are  much  more  complex.  "  In  the  way  of  His 
judgmejits  we  have  to  wait  for  Him,"  as  Isaiah  expresses  it  (Is. 
26  :  8) ;  and  the  verdict  gotten  for  the  righteousness  of  Christ 
tracks  out  a  ^''  path  of  judgment  "  that  is  much  more  intricate  for 
the  Almighty.  We  are  to  be  all  right  in  the  end.  "  Something 
stable  "  is  to  be  hidden  for  us;  but  in  the  meanwhile  He  has  to 
*' guard  the  way  of  His  saints."  We  have  certain  vicarious 
rights.  One  is,  to  come  out  all  well  at  the  last.  Another  is,  that 
all  things  shall  work  together  for  our  good.     Another  is,  that 

*  (E.  v.)     "  Their  enterprise^    t  (E.  V.)  "  Thou  dissolvest  my  subsia?tee." 
X  (E.  V.)  "  Sound  wisdom."  §  "  A  buckler  to  them  of  sound  behavior;"  literally, 

^''  walkers  of  uprightness^  ox  "wholeness. ^^ 


9  Then  shall  thou 
understand  righteous- 
ness, and  judgment, 
and  equity  ;  yea  every 
good  path. 


Chap.  II.]  COMMENTARY.  27 

we  shall  groiv  up  in  Christ,  increasing  day  by  day.  To  realize 
each  and  all  is  required  of  God.  The  track  this  takes  Him 
into  for  all  is,  as  to  each  nnan,  His  path  of  judgment.  Each 
such  path  He  must  walk  in  strictly.  To  do  so,  He  must  watch 
the  saints.  And,  therefore,  the  linking  of  this  great  gospel 
text : — "  To  keep  luatch  over  the  paths  of  judgment^  he  must  also 
iruard  the  way  of  his  saints." 

9  Then  shalt  thou  put   a   distinct   meaning 

upon  righteousness  and  judgment 

and  uprightness, — the  whole  good  track. 

This  is  a  plain  inference  from  the  last.  The  word  is  "then;" 
and  it  seems  not  amiss  to  retain  it.  The  meaning  is,  that  while 
God,  to  keep  the  paths  of  judgment,  is  led  necessarily  to  keep 
the  way  of  His  saints,  "///<?«,"  the  saints,  ("thou."  thyself,  if 
thou  wilt  become  a  saint  by  crying  after  knowledge,  see  v.  3), 
shall  receive  these  important  benefits.  "  Bighteousness  and 
judgment  and  uprightness  ;  "  just  the  catalogue  chap,  i  :  3. 
"■Righteousness"  viz.,  the  righteousness  of  Christ ;  ''judgtnent" 
viz.,  the  judgment  founded  upon  it ;  and  "  uprightness"  viz., 
the  sanctified  beginnings  that  the  soul  has  made  in  personal  be- 
havior. To  know  these  is  called  (very  expressively)  "the 
whole  good  track."  "  Track"  that  is  to  say,  track  for  a  wheel. 
The  original  means  to  roll.  The  Christian's  path  is  a  rut  or 
definite  tracking.  And  the  word  is  brought  back  afterward, 
and  employed  as  to  the  sinner.  He  has  a  track  just  as  definite, 
but  we  are  told  (v.  15  and  v.  18)  that  it  is  both  crooked  and 
desperate. 

ID  Because  wisdom  enters  thy  heart, 

and  knowledge  is  pleasant  to  thy  soul, 
1 1  reflection  shall  watch  over  thee, 

discernment  shall  guard  thee. 


10  When  wisdom  en- 
tereth  into  thine  heart, 
and  knowledfje  is  plea- 
sant unto  thy  soul. 

11  Discretion  shall 
preserve  thee,  under- 
standing shall  keep 
thee  ; 


"  Because,"  not  "  when"  as  in  the  English  Version.  "  Enters 
thy  heart :  "  again  a  grand  theology  !  We  often  wonder  at  the 
holiness  of  heaven.  It  must  be  like  a  clock,  right  forever.  A 
single  tick  aberrant !  nay,  the  thought  of  it !  makes  us  nervous 


28  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  II. 

for  the  consequence.  The  "  secret  "  why  there  shall  be  no  such 
thing,  is  that  wisdom  has  entered  into  the  heart.  They  may 
make  mistakes  in  heaven  ;  but  so  long  as  wisdom  is  in  the 
heart ;  so  long  as  "knowledge  is  pleasant  to  thy  soul,"  thou 
canst  not  sin,  because  sin  must  be  of  the  heart.  So  long  as 
love  of  holiness,  (and  that  is  the  same  as  love  of  light  or  spirit- 
ual "  knowledge"  i  :  3),  so  long  as  wisdom  has  possession  of 
"  the  heart,"  it  is  impossible  to  sin,  and  "  perfect  love  "  will 
cast  out  even  the  "  fear  "  of  it  (i  Jo.  4  :  18).  Therefore,  "  re- 
flection shall  watch  over  thee ;  discernment  shall  guard  thee,"  if 
thou  hast  reached  a  point  where  holiness  has  even  so  much  as 
entered.  The  man  who  has  let  knowledge  come  into  his  heart, 
does  but  watch  afterward  as  he  does  in  common  walking ;  and 
"  reflection  "  will  keep  him  straight;  thoughtfulness  will  reason 
out  the  proper  attitudes.  And  the  chapter  goes  on  now  to  two 
striking  cases  where  "  discernment "  watches  over  a  man.  They 
are  cases  sadly  blundered.  They  are  instances  bereaved,  by 
usual  criticism,  of  all  their  value.  But  they  are  cases  where  the 
mere  grammar  of  the  text  need  but  be  rigidly  observed.  By 
preserving  this  we  get  the  same  inference  from  both,  viz. :  that 
the  very  madness  of  sin,  like  the  jolts  and  knots  upon  a  pave- 
ment, may  be  so  seen  by  the  saint,  that,  if  "  wisdom  "  is  "  in  his 
heart,"  he  will  by  "  reflection  "  escape  from  wickedness  : — 


12  To  deliver  thee  from  the  way  of  evil,_        | f,om  The  t^'of '1"!!! 
from  the  man  that  utters  upturning  things, 

13  those  that  forsake  level  paths 
to  go  in  the  ways  of  darkness, 

14  who  rejoice  to  do  evil, 
exult  in  theupturnings  of  evil; 

15  who  are  crooked  in  their  own  paths, 
and  turned  off  of  their  own  tracks. 


evil  Man,  from  the 
man  th.it  speakcth  fro- 
ward  things  ; 

13  Who  le;»vc  the 
paths  of  uprightness, 
to  walk  in  the  ways  of 
darkness ; 

14  Who  rejoice  to  do 
evil,a«(/ dehght  in  the 
frowardness  of  the 
wicked  ; 

15  Whose  ways  are 
crooked,  and  fAev  fro- 
ward  in  their  paths: 


"  To  deUver;" — to  snatch,  as  we  would  a  brand.  "  The  way  of 
evil."  The  terms  begin  gently.  It  is  only  the  gentle  aspects 
that  are  dangerous  at  first.  These  are  so  fascinating  that  it 
requires  us  to  be  snatched  to  keep  us  out  of  the  ways  of  dark- 
ness.    But  the  wise  man  declares  that  this  is  accomplished  by 


Chap.  II.]  COMMENTARY.  29 

the  very  madness  of  the  end  of  the  wicked.  To  snatch  thee 
from  the  way  of  evil ;  those  that  forsake  level  paths  are  soon  ob- 
served exulting  in  the  uptiirnings  of  evil.  It  is  these  extreme 
results  that  deter  the  saint  (see  Prov.  14:7).  The  man  who 
has  wisdom  at  all  in  his  heart  will  see  when  it  comes  to  joy  at 
serious  "  upturnings^"  how  loathsome  the  sinner  is.  Nay,  when 
he  sees  the  sinner  admitting  this,  admitting  that  a  course  is 
utterly  upturning,  and  yet  rejoicing  in  it ;  when  he,  therefore, 
is  crooked  in  his  own  paths  ;  that  is,  don't  walk  where  he  him- 
self approves,  and  is  tvimed  off  of  his  own  track,  these  are  the 
great  hieroglyphic  notes  by  which  the  righteous  keep  away  from 
him.  Sin  demonstrates  itself  by  not  keeping  to  its  own  in- 
tended track.  And  this  is  the  warning  for  the  righteous  man. 
"  Level  paths  ;  "  usually  translated  ^^ paths  of  jiprightness."  (E. 
V.)  But  it  is  well  to  adhere  to  what  is  primary  when  it  will 
answer,  and  that  is  ''paths  of  levelness."  It  will  be  seen  that  this 
connection  is  had  by  simply  observing  the  grammar.  "  To  de- 
liver thee,  etc."  is  made  by  our  English  version  to  connect  with 
what  goes  before,  but  in  that  case  "  that  forsake,  etc.,'"  (v.  13) 
must  agree  with  "  man  "  (v.  12),  i.  e.,  a  plural  with  a  singular. 
"Who  rejoice,  etc."  (v.  14)  must  stand  in  apposition  with  "  de- 
light in,"  i.  e.,  a  participle  with  a  future  ;  with  an  "  and,"  to 
connect  them,  which  is  not  found  in  the  text. 

The  next  passage,  also,  by  moving  smoothly  with  the  gram- 
mar, admits  a  twin  interpretation  : — 

t6  To  deliver  thee 
from  the  strange  wo- 
man, even  from  the 
stranger  luhich  flatter- 
eth  with  her  words  ; 

17  Which  forsaketh 
the  guide  of  her  youth, 
and  forgetteth  the 
I  covenant  of  her  God. 


16  To  deliver  thee  from  the  strange  woman, 
from   the   stranger   that  flatters  with  her 

speeches, 

17  she  who  forsakes  the  guide  of  her  youth, 
has  also  forgotten  the  covenant  of  her  God. 


To  read  it,  as  is  usually  done,  ''which  forsaketh  "  (v.  17)  is 
made  to  agree  with  "  and  forgetteth,"  i.  e.,  a  participle  with  a 
Kal  Perfect,  binding  us  also  to  prolong,  in  a  very  unusual  way, 
the  conclusions  from  the  earlier  part  of  the  chapter,  and  to 
have  really  no  grammatical  connection  at  all  for  the  twentieth, 
and  little  that  is  logical  for  either  the  twenty-first  or  twenty- 
second  verses.     "  To  deliver  thee  from  the  strange  woman,"  she 


30  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  II. 

herself  affords  the  means  by  showing  her  perfect  abandon- 
ment : — 


1 8  Because  she  has  sunk  down  to  death  as  to 

her  house, 
and  to  the  shades  as  to  her  paths, 

19  none  that  go  in  to  her  return  again, 
or  overtake  the  paths  of  life ; 

20  for  the  very  purpose  that  thou  mayestwalk 

in  the  way  of  the  good, 
and  keep  the  paths  of  the  righteous. 


18  For  her  house  in- 
clineth  unto  de.ith,and 
her  paths  unto  the 
dead. 

19  None  that  go  unto 
her  return  again,  nei- 
ther take  they  hold  of 
the  paths  of  life. 

20  That  thou  mayest 
walk  in  tlie  way  of 
good  vten,  and  keep 
the  paths  of  the  righte- 


"  The  guide  of  her  youth ;  " — her  husband  ;  see  Jer.  3  :  4, 
where  God  is  represented  as  the  husband  of  Israel.  "  Thou 
art  the  guide  of  my  youth,"  V.  18,  "Sunk  down  as  to  her 
house."  We  infer  this  because  '''' house"  is  masculine,  and 
this  verb  feminine.  "  House  "  in  the  East  meant  interests ;  a 
man's  whole  blended  well-being.  "  I  will  build  him  a  sure 
house"  (i  Ki.  11  :  38).  "The  house  of  the  wicked  shall  be 
overthrown  "  (Prov.  14  :  11).  "It  came  to  pass  because  the  mid- 
wives  feared  God,  that  He  made  them  houses"  (Ex.  i  :  21). 
"  Sioik  as  to  her  house  to  death,"  means  lost  to  every  interest. 
"The  shades,"  i.  e.,  the  dead.  "Shall  return  again."  Dead 
souls  are  hopeless  like  dead  bodies.  This  much  good  is  or- 
dered out  of  it,  viz.,  that  it  shall  be  a  warning  to  the  righteous. 
"Or  overtake;"  not,  "'take  hold  of"  (E.  V.).  "■Overtake"  is 
the  meaning  of  the  original.  It  means  ground  lost  that 
cannot  be  recovered.  And  there  follows  the  whole  object 
of  the  exhibition: — "That  thou  mayest  walk,"  etc.  This  is 
a  grand,  pregnant  doctrine.  The  wicked  are  lost  partly  to 
save  the  righteous.  Races  have  apostatized  for  final  lessons  to 
the  universe.  This  bad  life  was  abandoned  to  its  worst  partly 
as  a  lesson.  Resuming  the  whole  : — "  Because  wisdom  enters 
into  thine  heart,"  after  that,  "reflection  shall  preserve  thee." 
Once  "  knowledge  "  become  "  pleasant  unto  thy  soul,"  the  ways 
of  evil  will  be  only  warnings.  To  snatch  thee  from  the  bad 
man's  influence,  there  shall  be  the  warning  of  his  very  wicked- 
ness; and  to  snatch  thee  from  the  strange  woman,  the  mere  pic- 
ture is  enough,— ^'that  "  None  that  go  into  her  return  again,"  and 
that  she  has  sunk  in  all  her  interests  to  the  very  dead.     The  doc- 


Chap.  II.]  COMMENTARY. 


31 


trine  of  this  Commentary  is  to  be,  that  the  Strange  Woman  is 
an  emblem  of  Impenitence.  This  passage  means  the  seductive- 
ness and  yet  the  self-betraying  wretchedness  of  Impenitence. 
The  woman  who  has  left  her  husband  has  also  left  her 
God ;  and  the  nulla  vestigia  retrorsum  witnessed  in  her  dupes, 
is  the  warning  for  the  saint  by  which  he  keeps  clear  of  her  un- 
doing. No  man  would  err  who  would  treat  of  adultery  as  hav- 
ing its  lessons  here.  But  no  man  would  understand  the  passage 
who  did  not  understand  it  further  as  a  great  picture  of  Impeni- 
tence. The  warnings  to  the  saint  are  two : — first,  the  un-stop- 
ing-short  character  of  sin  :  she  who  wrongs  her  husband  will  be 
seen  universally  wronging  God ;  and  second,  the  unrecuperative 
history  of  the  lost.  "  None  that  go  into  her  return  again,  or 
overtake  the  paths  of  life."  We  will  have  a  better  opportunity 
to  show  that  the  Strange  Woman  is  Impenitence,  just  as  the 
Wise  Woman  (14:  i)  is  Piety,  and  as  the  Termagant  Woman 
(21  :  9,  19)  is  Impenitence  in  its  bitter  guise,  as  we  advance 
more  deeply  in  the  Proverbs. 

"  For,"  the  Wise  Man  goes  on  to  say, — the  very  earth  casts  out 
the  wicked.  The  wicked  were  cast  out  of  Canaan.  The  Is- 
raelites became  wicked  and  were  cast  out  in  turn.  Remaining 
in  the  land  became  a  type  of  prosperity.  The  word  "  land  "  in 
Hebrew  is  the  same  word  that  is  translated  "earth."  The 
whole  has  a  typical  meaning.  This  earth,  as  many  now-a-days 
conjecture,  is  to  be  restored  as  heaven.  In  that  event,  the  old 
Canaan  types  will  be  very  perfect : — 

21  For  the  upright  are  to  inhabit  the  earth, 
and  the  men  of  integrity  to  be  left  in  it; 

22  but  the  wicked  are  to  be  cut  off  from  the 

earth, 
and  the  faithless  to  be  swept  away  out  of 
it. 

**  Swept  away."  Zockler  says,  "  inasmuch  as  the  parallelism 
requires  a  passive  verb,  and  no  verb  HHO  exists  as  the  basis  for 

T      T 

the  assumed  passive,we  must  probably  read  with  Hitzig,  etc.,"  that 
is,  change  the  Hebrew.  Let  me  rather  ask, — why  not  take  nHD  ? 
Such  a  verb  does  exist.  It  means  to  "  sweep  away."  It  occurs 
Ez.  26  :  4.     Its  passive  would  be  much  the  form,  and  its  mean- 


21  For  the  upright 
shall  dwell  in  the  land, 
and  the  perfect  shall 
remain  in  it. 

22  But  the  wicked 
shall  be  cut  off  from 
the  earth,  and  the 
trangressors  shall  be 
rooted  out  of  it. 


32  .       PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

ing  would  be  much  the  best  for  all  that  other  commentators  have 
aimed  to  get  from  other  derivations. 


CHAPTER   III. 


My  son,  forget  not 
my  law  ;  but  let  thine 
heart  keep  my  com- 
mandments : 

2  For  length  of  days, 
and     long      life,     and 


1  My  son,  forget  not  what  I  direct, 
and   let   thy   heart   watch   my  command- 
ments; 

2  for  length  of  days  and  years  of  life 
and  prosperity  shall  make  thee  greater.         fheT'  '^'"  '^"''^^^  " 

"Forget  not."  In  this  first  verse  lingers  the  idea,  which 
we  have  already  encountered  in  chapter  second  (vs.  i,  2), 
that  if  we  will, watch  the  divine  direction,  and  keep  it  in  our 
memory,  it  will  bend  our  heart  to  it.  We  cannot  change  our 
heart,  except  by  bringing  the  truth  to  it,  and  keeping  it  there 
under  the  blessing  of  the  Spirit.  We  are  so  constituted  that 
we  will  turn  to  the  truth  by  the  Spirit,  if  we  remember  it,  and 
keep  it  on  our  conscience.  The  passage,  therefore,  proposes 
only  what  is,  instrumentally,  our  part : — "  Forget  not  what  I  di- 
rect, and  let  thy  heart  watch  my  commandments."  "  What  I di- 
7'ect  j'  my  diredioti  or  "  latv  "  (E.  V.) ;  primarily,  throzving  ;  then, 
throwing  out,  alluding  to  the  thro^uitig  out  of  the  hand,  i.  e.,  to 
show  the  way.  We  translate,  my  direction,  or  "what  /  direct,'' 
because  it  keeps  up  the  root;  because  it  fits  best  the  sense; 
and  because  it  does  uniformly  well  in  other  instances  (see  4:2; 
7:2).  "Watch."  The  English  Version  has  it  "/(r^-/."  But 
the  word  primarily  means  to  look  hard  at,  and  generally  to  kap 
watch  over,  as  over  a  vineyard.  The  fault  of  men  is,  they  can't 
mind  "what  is  directed,"  or  remember  it;  and,  therefore,  the 
order  is  very  pregnant,  to  watch  it,  as  the  occasions  occur  in 
which  it  can  be  applied.  Nor  ought  we  to  dismiss  this  with  a 
single  mention.  It  seems  very  radical.  The  difficulty  even  of 
a  single  prayer  is  to  "  watch  "  well,  and  to  keep  remembering 
what  we  are  to  do.  The  difficulty  of  all  our  lives  is  to  watch 
well  our  whole  behaviour.  "  Guard"'  and  ''watch,"  therefore, 
two  Hebrew  words,  are  sprinkled  all  over  the  book.  It  is  a 
mannerism ;  and,  in  this  inspired  authorship,  the  mannerisms  of 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY.  33 

Solomon  are  nearly  all  significant.  One  Proverb  (4  :  26)  tells 
us  that  if  we  will  watch  tha  planting  of  our  foot,  the  whole  of 
our  way  will  be  set  in  order.  And  this  thought,  endlessly  re- 
peated, fills  the  Proverbs.  V.  2.  "For  length  of  days,  etc." 
It  may  seem  Quixotic ;  but  such  texts  in  our  usual  versions 
ought  all  to  be  altered.  There  are  so  many  of  them,  that  this 
ruling  might  seem  to  fall  by  its  own  weight.  But  where  is  the 
consistency  of  promising  long  life  to  wisdom .?  Where  is  the 
truth  of  such  an  assurance  "i  And,  with  the  great  riches  and  great 
honors  with  which  this  promise  seems  often  associated,  v»here 
is  the  point  of  agreement  with  that,  which,  however,  v/e  think  an 
equally  mistaken  idea,  viz.,  that  the  poor  are  the  great  subjects 
for  the  gospel .''  To  say  that  allusion  is  had  only  to  the  tenden- 
cies of  things,  is  an  undesirable  solution,  unless  we  feel  com- 
pelled to  accept  the  usual  translation.  The  case  of  Paul  and 
of  many  poor  saints  is  a  very  awkward  one,  seeing  that  they 
may  have  been  neither  rich  nor  long-lived.  We  claim  clean- 
cut  texts  \  and  that  a  Proverb  is  no  vehicle  for  mere  "  tetidencies  ;" 
and,  therefore,  if  we  had  no  other  reason,  we  should  look  keenly 
for  another  sense.  But  the  grammar  punctually  steps  in  to 
deliver  us  from  all  the  instances.  To  our  surprise  and  de- 
light the  Hebrew  changes  every  one  of  them.  We  have  not 
the  warrant  of  authority ;  but  we  will,  for  the  moment,  freshly 
translate  all  such  texts ;  and  then,  when  we  come  to  each,  if 
they  occur  in  the  Proverbs,  give  the  evidence  in  point  (as  we 
do  now  with  this  one)  in  the  usual  criticism.  The  passage  reads 
in  our  Bible : — "  Length  of  days  and  long  life  and  peace  shall 
they  add  to  thee."  But  now,  in  addition  to  this  being  so  poor 
a  promise  to  be  put  the  first  in  so  grave  a  passage ;  and  in  ad- 
dition to  the  truth  that  it  is  only  the  tendency  to  long  life  that 
can,  at  all,  be  pleaded,  comes  the  fact,  that  certain  endings  give 
us  immediate  signs  of  another  interpretation.  The  verb  ^^ add" 
is  masculine ;  the  words  "  lata  "  and  "  commandments  "  are  femi- 
nine. On  the  contrary,  all  are  masculines  among  the  nouns  of 
the  next  clause.  Unless  there  should  be  reason  to  do  violence, 
by  an  ungrammatical  exception,  these  nouns  should  be  the  sub- 
jects, rather  than  the  objects,  of  the  verb.  We  translate,  there- 
fore, "  For  length  of  days  and  years  of  life  and  prosperity  shall 
2^ 


34  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  ITI. 

add^''  etc.  But  now,  still  more  to  the  point,  the  verb  ^^  add"  in 
this  particular  part  (the  Hiphil)  doe*  not  mean  usually  to  annex, 
or  give  to,  as  the  English  Version  would  imply,  but  it  means  to 
7nakc  increase  for.  That  is  why  the  preposition  (^)  is  used. 
The  old  version,  therefore,  is  not  correct.  The  idea  is  not  of 
giving  length  of  days,  or  adding  years  of  life,  but  of  some- 
thing that  makes  increase  for  thee  or  makes  thee  gainer. 
The  idea  of  the  whole  passage  is,  that  if  a  man  will  remem- 
ber the  law,  and  let  his  heart  watch  the  commandments, 
then  length  of  days  and  years  of  life  and  prosperity,  (which  cor- 
rupt the  v/icked,)  will  give  him  increase  or  make  him  greater. 
Tihe  wildness  in  all  this  might  seem  to  be  in  the  weight  of  pas- 
sages to  be  overcome.  But  now  for  the  list.  The  finding  of  but 
one  wkere  Wisdom  does  promise  long  life  to  the  sinner ;  that  is 
where,  ,2.-£  the  investigated  fact,  grammar  does  not  interpose,  and 
there  isa»©thing  to  side  with  our  view,  and  to  open  a  new  inter- 
pretation, ought,  of  course,  greatly  to  shake  us,  and  to  throw  a 
strong  suspicion  on  all  our  renderings.  The  passages  are  these 
(chap.  3  :  i6)  ~'  Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand,  and  in  her 
left  riches  and  laonor."  (4  :  10),  "  Hear,  O  my  son,  and  receive 
my  sayings,  and  the  years  of  thy  life  shall  be  many."  (9  :  ii)> 
"  For  by  me  thy  days  shall  be  multiplied,  and  the  years  of  thy 
life  shall  be  in.creased."  (10  :  27),  "  The  fear  of  the  Lord  pro- 
longeth  day5,  but  the  years  of  the  wicked  shall  be  shortened." 
(Ps.  21  :  4),  "He  asked  life  of  thee,  and  thou  gavest  it  him, 
even  length  of  days  forever  and  ever."  It  would  seem  prima 
facie  to  the  last  degree  incredible,  that  none  of  these  passages 
give  a  promise  of  long  life ;  and  the  more  so,  when  every  com- 
mentator supposes  it  to  be  done  by  all  of  them  ;  but  certainly 
the  aspect  changes  when  there  is  found  lurking  in  every  one  a 
different,  but  immediate,  proof,  that  something  fails  to  be  smooth 
under  the  old  interpretation,  and  that  grammar,  rigorously  ap- 
plied, traces  out  a  new  sense,  and  that  of  a  corresponding  sort, 
in  all  of  them  together.  Let  us  retranslate  the  list,  and  then,  as 
they  come  up  in  situ,  we  can  afford  the  separate  explanations. 
The  first  is  (3  :  16),  "  Length  of  days,  etc."  That  is  so  soon  to 
occur  (v.  16)  that  we  will  postpone  it  till  it  comes  in  place.  The 
others  we  translate  as  follows  :  (4  :  10),  "  Hear,  O  my  son,  and 


Chap,  in.]  COMAIENTARY.  35 

take  my  words,  and  they  shall  grow  greater  to  thee  through  years 
of  life."  (9  :  11),  "  For  by  me  thy  days  shall  become  great,  and 
they  shall  make  thee  greater  through  years  of  life."  (10  :  27), 
"  The  fear  of  Jehovah  makes  great  days ;  but  the  years  of 
the  wicked  shall  be  made  little."  (Ps.  21:4),  "Life  he  asked 
of  thee  !  Thou  gavest  him  !  Through  length  of  days  forever 
and  forever."  This  last  might  seem  to  cause  no  interference, 
for  it  is  Messianic,  and  might  really  mean  long  life ;  but  the 
inspection  of  the  grammar  of  all  has  really  surprised  us ;  for, 
irrespective  of  any  theory  of  sense,  there  is  always  at  hand 
some  strongly  modifying  peculiarity.  To  return  to  our  text ; 
if  we  forget  not  the  law,  but  watch  the  commandment,  length 
of  days  and  years  of  life  and  prosperity  shall  but  make 
us  greater.  "Prosperity."  The  word  is  usually  translated 
''^ peace."  The  idea  has  been,  that  it  sometimes  means  ''^pros- 
perity j"  but  that  it  means  so  because  ^^ peace  "  necessarily  leads 
to  that.  Probably  it  is  just  the  opposite.  It  means,  originally, 
wJiolcness^  soundness.  It  raQ^ws  prosperity  before  it  mt^\-\%  peace. 
It  should  be  translated  ''prosperity"  in  this  passage,  and  in 
many  others  of  a  like  kind  in  the  Word  of  God. 


3  Let  not  mercy  and  truth  forsake  thee. 
Bind  them  upon  thy  neck ; 

write  them  upon  the  tablet  of  thy  heart. 

4  And  thus  find  favor  and  good  intelligence 
in  the  eyes  of  God  and  man. 


3  Let  not  mercy  and 
truth  forsake  thee : 
bind  them  about  thy 
neck  ;  write  them  upon 
the  table  of  thine  heart: 

4  So  shall  thou  find 
favor  and  good  under- 
standing in  the  sight 
of  God  and  man. 


"Mercy  and  truth."  These  words  are  thus  linked  so 
often  in  Scripture,  that  we  might  suspect  a  logical  connection. 
They  correspond  to  the  two  tables  of  the  law.  There  are  two 
virtues  possible  to  men, — benevolence  and  a  love  for  what  is 
right.  Benevolence  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  command,  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor ;  and  what  is  right  is  that  great  glory 
which  we  are  to  love  in  God.  "  Mercy  and  truth"  therefore ; 
mercy  as  the  great  Benevolence,  and  truth  as  the  moral  light 
that  we  are  to  love  in  the  Almighty,  are  the  great  objects  that 
are  to  be -near  us  everlastingly.  It  is  fit  that  Solomon  should 
call  holiness,  truth,  inasmuch  as  he  calls  righteousness,  knowl- 
edge, (i :  2,  3).     "  Let  not  mercy  and  truth  forsake  thee.."     The 


36  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

idea  implied  is,  that  they  come  to  the  sinner,  and  place  them- 
selves continually  within  his  reach,  but  that  they  can  be  grieved 
away.  The  Quaker  doctrine  of  an  inward  light  has  a  great 
truth  aback  of  it.  Solomon  has  already  said, — If  thou  wilt  point 
thine  ear  to  wisdom,  thou  shalt  incline  thine  heart  to  under- 
standing; as  though  wisdom  were  always  speaking.  This  is 
the  true  light,  says  John,  that  lighteth  every  man  that  com- 
eth  into  the  world  (Jo.  i  :  9).  Wisdom,  in  these  two  shapes 
of  "  Mercy  and  Truth,"  is  always  pressed  upon  men ;  and  so, 
therefore,  is  all  of  piety ;  for  they  answer  to  all,  because  they 
embrace  all,  the  commandments  of  the  moral  law.  "  Bind  them 
upon  tliy  neck ;"  i.  e.,  as  thy  great  ornament  and  glory  (see  i  :  9). 
We  have  already  said  that  Solomon  puts  first  the  fact  that  wis- 
dom is  itself  a  good ;  so  Christ,  as  his  first  petition,  prays, — "  Hal- 
lowed be  Thy  name."  "  It  shall  be  an  ornament  of  gold,  etc." 
"  Mercy  and  truth  "  are  to  be  sought  on  their  own  account. 
"  Bind  them  upon  thy  neck"  i.  e.,  as  thy  great  glory.  "  Write 
them,  etc."  This  is  something  quite  different.  ^^  Bind  them," 
as  glorious  in  themselves.  "  Write  them"  as  efficacious  upon  thy 
spirit.  The  tablet  of  [t/ie)  heart  and  the  Two  Tables  are  type 
and  anti-type.  Those  Moses  first  received  are  man  fresh  from 
his  Creator,  rock  and  writing  all  in  place,  and  so  made  and  so 
sent  down  together.  The  last  were  common  rocks  brought  up 
to  the  mountain  which  God  wrote  on  after  the  first  were  broken, 
lost  humanity  writ  on  by  the  finger  of  God  (Heb.  8  :  10).  "  I 
will  put  my  laws  into  their  mind,  and  write  them  in  their 
hearts."  Surmounted  by  the  mercy  seat  these  rocks  remained 
as  a  type  of  sanctification.  They  were  kept  perpetually  in 
ebony  as  a  type  of  their  being  stored  forever.  "  The  golden 
pot,"  as  a  type  of  Justification ;  Aaron's  rod,  as  a  type  of  Adop- 
tion, and  the  Two  Tables,  as  a  type  of  Sanctification.  The  first 
had  the  bread  of  Christ  (Jo.  6  :  48);  the  second  was  our  kingly 
sign ;  the  third  was  our  flinty  nature ;  this  last  written  on  by 
the  word.  The  way  in  which  a  sinner  is  converted  is  to  have 
"  Mercy  and  Truth  "  inscribed  upon  his  heart,  that  he  may  dis- 
cern their  glorious  excellence.  V.  4.  "  And  thus  find,  etc.  ;  " 
literally,  "  and  find"  (imperative)  "  Favor  and  good  inteUigence. " 
The  things  found  seem  to  agree  with  the  means  to  find  them. 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY.  37 

'■'•  Favor"  seems  to  agree  with  "mercy;"  "■  good  intelligence" 
with  ^^  truth."  Philosophic  order  seems  never  to  desert  the 
Proverbs.  "  Mercy  and  truth,"  being  grafted  inwardly,  are 
made  to  beget ^r^^^  and  ''good  intelligence."  That  is,  the  man 
who  admires  "  mercy,"  gets  mercy,  and  the  man  that  aspires  to 
"  truth,"  gets  ''  good  intelligence  ;  "  "  in  the  eyes,"  that  is,  in  the 
opinion,  both  of  "  God  and  man."  The  "/d-zw,"  therefore,  is 
the  favor  that  God  counts  favor ;  and  the  "  intelligence "  is 
''good"  and  good  in  the  sight  of  God.  That  is,  the  intelligence 
is  itself  of  val-ue;  and  this  agrees  with  all  our  doctrine  of  Heaven, 
which  is,  that  Heaven  is  a  condition  of  light ;  that  God  is  the 
portion  of  the  Christian ;  and  that  light  to  see  Him  is  not  only 
the  efficient  means,  but  the  sufficient  end  of  all  one's  felicity  in 
seeing  the  Almighty.  He  that  seeks  "  vicrcy  and  truth"  there- 
fore, gains  "favor  and  good  intelligence"  the  meaning  being 
that  it  is  itself  a  good,  and  itself  a  good  both  before  God  and 


man. 


5  Trust  in  Jehovah  with  all  thy  heart 

and  lean  not  to  thine  own  understanding. 

6  In  all  thy  ways  do  thou  recognize  Him 
and  He  shall  Himself  level  thy  paths. 

7  Be  not  wise  in  thine  own  eyes. 
Fear  Jehovah  and  depart  from  evil. 

8  Let  there  be  healing  to  thy  muscles, 
and  moisture  to  thy  bones. 


5  Trust  ill  the  Lord 
with  all  thine  heart; 
and  lean  not  unto  thine 
own  understanding. 

6  In  all  thy  ways  ac- 
knowledge him,  and  he 
shall  direct  thy  paths. 

7  Be  not  wise  in 
thine  own  eyes :  fear 
the  Lord  and  depart 
from  evil. 

8  It  shall  be  health 
to  thy  navel,  and  mar- 
row to  thy  bones. 


There  is  so  much  in  this  chapter  to  show  that  length  of  days 
advances  us  (if  we  are  Christians),  and  that  by  laws  that  are  con- 
stitutional and  divine,  that  it  seems  obvious  that  we  should  trust 
the  Divinity  and  not  anxiously  and,  therefore,  painfully,  and,  m 
the  end,  wastefully,  and  with  no  result,  put  our  trust  in  our- 
selves. V.  6.  "  In  all  thy  ways  do  thou  recognize  Him ;"  (lite- 
rally,'" /Cv/^zf'  him;")  "recognize"  rather  than  "acknowledge" 
(E.  v.),  because  acknowledge  means  to  co?ifess.  We  are  to 
"  know  "  and  actively  "  recognize  "  and  regard  God  in  all  our 
action.  "  He  shall  Himself,"  i.  e.,  by  his  own  Spirit.  There  is 
an  emphatic  pronoun.  When  we  walk,  it  is  not  we  that  walk, 
but  God.  "He  shall  Himself  l^^^l  thy  paths."  Not  simply 
"direct"   (E.  Y;)  not   even  make  straight;  but  make  smooth. 


38  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

This  is  the  primary  meaning.  "  The  ways  of  wisdom  are  ways 
Vf  pleasantness."  He  who  seizes  upon  God,  and  makes  Him 
Ae  recognized  One  in  all  his  history,  walks  a  Divine  walk,  and 
feels  a  Divine  foot  walking  for  him  and  levelling  all  his  goings. 
V.  7.  "  Be  not  wise  in  thine  own  eyes."  Be  as  wise  as  thou 
art  able.  Men  use  such  texts  as  an  excuse  for  drivelling.  Get 
all  the  wisdom  thou  canst.  That  is  the  very  burden  of  these 
Proverbs.  But  as  thou  gettest  it,  if  thou  seemest  wise,  be  sure 
that  thou  ait  weighed  down  with  folly.  Gabriel  who  has  never 
sinned,  is  foolish  because  he  knows  not  the  end  from  the  be- 
ginning, and  we  are  foolish  for  a  further  cause,  that  our  wisdom 
has  remains  with  it  that  are  corrupt.  We  are  poor  sinners. 
There  is  but  one  rule  for  us. — "  Fear  Jehovah,  and  depart  from 
evil."  In  the  darkest  night,  that  will  answer  ;  "  Trust  in  Jehovah 
with  all  thy  heart,  and  lean  not  to  thine  own  understanding." 
There  are  two  sadnesses  that  flow  from  the  opposite  behavior — 
worn  muscles  and  dried  bones.  The  two  are  perfectly  distinct. 
One  means  aching  labor  ;  the  other  horrible  despondency.  The 
lost  are  encouraged  to  ^'' fear  JehovaJi"  that  they  may  be  deliv- 
ered from  both.  Our  work  is  to  be  brought  more  to  the  pat- 
tern of  Heaven,  where  it  is  perfect  rest.  "  Depart  from  evil." 
"  Let  there  be  healing  to  thy  muscles  and  moisture  to  thy  bones." 
The  beautiful  feature  of  all  this  is  its  completeness.  Heal  a 
man's  muscles  and  moisten  his  bones,  and  you  touch  his  two 
great  sorrows.  You  give  him  the  rest  and  the  trust  that  come 
from  the  Almighty. 


9  Honor  Jehovah  from  thy  substance 

and  from  the  first  of  all  thine  increase; 
ID  and  thy  storehouses  shall  fill  with  plenty, 
and  thy  presses  burst  with  new  wine. 


Q  Honor  the  Lord 
with  thy  substance, 
and  with  the  first-fruits 
of  all  thine  increase: 

10  So  shall  thy  barns 
be  filled  with  plenty, 
and  thy  presses  shall 
burst  out  with  new 
wine. 


"Honor,"  employed  often  in  connections  like  this,  grew  to 
include  the  idea  of  giving.  Perhaps  this  very  Proverb  helped 
to  bring  this  about.  We  see  it  in  the  Greek  (i  Tim.  5  :  3). 
"  Honor  widows  that  are  widows  indeed;"  i.  e.,  pay  them.  (1 
Tim.  5:17)  "  Let  the  elders  that  rule  well  be  accounted  worthy 
of  double  honor."     (Acts  5:2)"  Kept  back  part  of  the  price,' 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY.  39 

(literally  ''honor.")  So  (Acts  19:19)  "They  counted  the 
price,"  VIZ.,  the  honor.  "  The  first  "  has  the  blended  meanino- 
of  the  first  and  the  best.  The  "beginning  of  wisdom  "  (Prov. 
9  :  10)  includes  both  ideas,  and  appears  to  alternate  between 
them  in  our  English  version  (Prov.  4  :  7).  V.  10.  "And  thy 
storehouses,  etc."  Being  watered  if  we  water  others  (11  :  25) 
seems  more  than  a  mere  '  tendency.'  It  is  almost  an  invariable 
sequence.  Of  course,  heavenly  rewards  will  follow,  but  earthly 
rewards  are  strangely  assured  to  us.  "Burst."  Some  would 
say,  ''flow  over."  But  the  hissing  and  bursting  of  the  new 
grapes  seem  to  have  given  the  picture  of  the  bursting  out  of  the 
wine,  without  supposing  the  bursting  of  the  wine-press. 

Having  stated  the  blessings  of  wisdom,  it  is  logical  to  con- 
sider the  apparent  exceptions.    The  world  is  full  of  calamity : — 


11  My  son,  shrink  not  from  the  discipline  of 

Jehovah, 
and  be  not  revolted  at  His  correction. 

12  For  whom  Jehovah  loves  He  corrects, 
and,  as  a  father,  does  the  son  a  favor. 


11  My  son,  despise 
not  the  chastening  of 
the  Lord,  neither  be 
weary  of  his  correc- 
tion : 

12  For  whom  the 
Lord  loveth  he  cor- 
recteth,  even  as  a  fa- 
ther the  son  in  tukom 
he  delighteth. 

"Shrink  not."  The  word  describes  remarkably  the  exact 
temptation.  It  means  to  melt.  The  idea  is,  that  the  Christian 
shrinks  under  trouble,  and  has  not  thought  enough  to  inquire 
its  object.  "  The  stone  which  the  builders  shrank  from  " 
(Ps.  iiS:  22);  that  is,  as  too  troublesome  to  serve  their  end. 
"  Because  this  people  shrink  from  the  waters  of  Siloah,"  i.  e.,  His 
gentler  punishments.  (Is.  8  :  6)  "  Because  thou  hast  shrunk 
from  the  word  of  Jehovah  "  (i  Sam.  15  :  23.)  We  are  so  ab- 
sorbed by  household  and  personal  trouble,  that  the  palsied 
spirit  has  no  thought  as  to  why  it  has  been  sent.  Neither  be  re- 
volted; {jiauseated  is  perhaps  the  original  sense).  The  Wise  Man 
could  hardly  have  been  more  graphic.  For  these  two  feelings 
are  the  uppermost  when  we  are  tried.  An  arrow  falls,  and  we 
are  either  too  shrinking  to  take  thought  of  anything  beyond,  or 
too  much  surprised  to  be  at  all  submissive  under  its  infliction. 
"Think  it  not  strange  "  (i  Pet.  4:  12),  the  apostle  says.  In 
Hebrews  (12:5)  Paul  quotes  our  present  Proverb,  but  of 
course  from  the  Septuagint.     "  My  son,  despise  not  thou,  (literal- 


40  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

ly,  do  not  make  little  of),  the  chastening  of  the  Lord,  nor  faint 
when  thou  art  rebuked  of  Him."  V.  12.  "For  whom  Jehovah 
loves,  he  corrects."  How  much  more  thorough  this,  than  to 
say, — '  It  is  a  blessing.'  This  goes  down  to  the  roots  of  the 
influence.  If  God  really  "  loves"  us,  affliction  must  be  all  for 
good.  And,  therefore,  the  sentence  closes  appealing  to  the  very 
tenderest  comparison; — "As  a  father,  does  the  son  a  favor." 
Many  translate,  "  Ajid  delights  t?i  him,  as  a  father  in  a  son." 
Our  English  Version  has  it : — "  As  a  father  the  son  in  whom  he 
delighteth."  But  neither  of  these  agrees  with  the  grammar,  and 
the  former  of  the  two  adds  nothing  to  the  sense.  The  verb 
"  delights,"  which  also  means  is  favorable  to  or  gracious,  is  in 
apposition  to  the  verb  "  corrects "  of  the  first  clause.  The 
meaning  is,  therefore,  as  we  gave  it.  The  Almighty  corrects 
the  man  he  loves;  and  thereby,  as  a  father  in  the  case  of  a  son, 
does  him  a  favor,  or  shows  himself  gracious  to  him. 

13  Oh,  the  blessedness  of  the  man!    he  hasi  ^;^3  ^^^ppyj^'^'^^^j^j^^" 

found  wisdom  ;  and  the  man  that  get- 

yea  of  the  man  !  he  gets  discernment.         |'"^  understanding: 

This  is  the  favor  correction  has  done  for  him,  (emphatic  per- 
fect). As  elsewhere  translated,  the  passage  would  be  less  in- 
teresting. ^^  Happy  is  the  man  that  findeth  wisdom"  (E.  V.) 
would  simply  announce  the  trite  reality  that  wisdom  is  a  bless- 
ing, leaving  it  only  to  be  noticed  that  he  has  said  so  in  connec- 
tion with  chastisement ;  and  leaving  it  to  be  inferred  that  chas- 
tisement begets  wisdom.  But  the  italic  "  that  "  shows  that  we 
have  a  right  to  translate  in  separate  clauses.  Blessed  is  the 
man,  (that  is,  that  God  corrects),  not  now  because  correction 
tcfids  to  wisdom,  or  because  it  is  jncant  for  wisdom,  or  because 
it  often  results  in  it;  but  let  us  take  the  whole  beautiful  Pro- 
verb: it  actually  produces  it.  If  God  loves  a  son,  he  corrects 
him,  and  then,  "(9  the  blessedness  of  the  man!"  It  actually 
makes  him  wise.  Let  us  not  forget  the  doctrine  that  affliction, 
as  indeed  everything  else,*  always  benefits  the  Christian.  "  Of 
the  man  " — "yea,  of  the  man."  There  is  a  plain  emphasis  on 
the  thought  that  it  is  the  7nan  that  is  blessed,  because  all  out- 

*  (Rom.  8  :  28)  "  All  things  work  together  for  good." 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY.  ^^ 

ward    blessings    are    often    swept   away.     Wisdom    makes   its 
profits  within.*     And  herein  starts  our  line  of  proof,  that  the 
translation  above  is  the  correct  one.     It  may  be  objected  to  it 
that  "  Blessed  is  the  man  "  has  often  the  arrangement  without 
the  pronoun;  as  for  example  (Ps.  84  :  5),  "  Blessed  is  the  man 
whose  strength  is  in  Thee  :  in  whose  heart  are  the  ways  of  them." 
(See  Hebrew).    Now  without  appealing  to  the  thought  that  it  is 
hard  to  claim  a  grammatical  exception  in  any  passage  because 
of  the  stress  of  the  sense,  and  then  quote  it  against  another 
passage  where  the  grammatical  arrangement  is  the  most  logical, 
it  is  of  importance  to  consider  whether  the  strict  grammar  does 
not  answer  the  best,  even  in  the  quoted  passages.     For  exam- 
ple, let  us  look  at  this  one.     The  Psalmist  has  been  speaking 
of  '  the   temple,    that   is   God's   inner   kingdom.      He   says,— 
"  Blessed  are  they  that  dwell  in  thy  house  "  (84  :  4).     Here  the 
verb  is  in  the  participle,  and,  therefore,  a  pronoun  would  not 
be  needed.     What  more  natural  than  that  he  should  go  on  to 
explain  the  blessedness  ?— "  Blessed  is  the  man  !  His  strength  is 
in  thee.     He  has  highways  in  his  heart."     Moreover,  the  em- 
•   phatic  "  man"  seems  also  important  here.    He  has  been  speaking 
in  the  plural.    He  returns  to  the  plural  even  in  this  very  sentence. 
But  he  is  detailing  that  which  inures  to  our  inmost  nature.    He 
is  not  promising  prosperity.     The  highways  of  David  might  be 
in  the  caves  and  partridge  wanderings  of.  the  wilderness.     But 
he  says  the  "  man'  will  be  blessed.     "  Blessed  are  they  that 
dwell  in  thy  courts"— not  that  they  will  as  a  necessary  thing  be 
prosperous— often  far  otherwise— but  the  "man"  will  be  blessed 
Whatever  his  forest  wanderings,  "  He  will  have  highways  in  his 
heart."t     "He  gets    discernment,"     literally  he  brings  out  or 
draws  out  like  grain  from  a  sheaf.    Many  think  it  means  x//rg^- 

*  (Rom.  14  :  17),  "  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but  righteousness  and 
peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  ti.„  fif,l, 

t  Ps  84  5  This  whole  Psalm  is  interesting,  and  calls  for  a  new  translation.  The  fifth 
verse  has  been  rendered  (E.  V.),  "  Blessed  .-.  the  man  whose  strength  /.  m  Thee  :.n  whose 
heart  ...  the  ways  of  the^n.  etc."  Throw  out  the  Italics,  and  be  s.nctcr  wuh  the  words, 
and  there  emerges  this:  "Blessed  is  the  man  (collective)  whose  strength  is  .n  Thee. 
There  :::  highways  in  their  hearts."  Let  their  life  be  as  pathless  as  U  w.U  the.  p.lgr^- 
age  is  over  smooth  roads  inwardly.  The  seventh  verse  has  been  translated  (E.  V.),  ^  h  y 
go  from  strength  to  strength  ;  every  one  of  tke,n  in  Zion  appeareth  l^^^-  ^o^;^  f^^^'J 
dispense  with  the  Italics,  and  we  have  this  doctrine  :-that  sa.ntsgrow.  ^^^llH^'^^, 
Utemselves.  God  sees  it ;  "  They  go  from  strength  to  strength  it  appears  unto  God  m  Z.on. 


42  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

ing  wisdom*  as  the  first  clause  means  getting  it;  but  the  best 
sense  is,  bringing  it  out,  either  for  ourselves  or  others.  Many 
of  the  other  passages,  Avhere  the  word  occurs,  embrace  both 
meanings. 


14  For  her  gains  are  better  than  the  gains  of 

silver, 
and  her  increase  than  choice  gold. 

15  In  her  very  self  she  is  more  precious  than 

pearls ; 
and  all  the  things  thou  couldest  desire  are 
not  to  be  compared  with  her. 


J4  For  the  merchan- 
dise of  it  is  better  than 
the  merchandise  of  sil- 
ver, and  the  gain  there- 
of than  fine  gold. 

15  She  is  more  pre- 
cious than  rubies:  and 
all  the  things  thou 
canst  desire  are  not  to 
be  compared  unto  her. 


"  Her  gains."  The  root  means  to  move  about  like  a  merchant ; 
who  in  those  days  travelled.  The  English  version  gives  it,  "  mer- 
chandize y"  and  we  justly  keep  in  view  the  sort  of  gains,  viz.,  tJiose 
of  a  merchant.  But  the  word  in  our  text  was  framed  to  mean  the 
rcsults\  of  travelling  around,  and  means  so  in  other  passages. 
V.  15.  "In  her  very  self  she  is  more  precious  than  pearls." 
Solomon  is  always  keeping  this  in  view,  that  the  prize  is  in  "  her- 
self." The  pronoun,  therefore,  should  be  made  emphatic,  as  in 
the  Hebrew.  "  All  the  things  thou  couldest  desire. "  What  a  orand 
comparison  !  The  translation  is  correct,  though  of  necessity  a 
paraphrase  of  the  original.  All  thy  delights.  All  thy  desired 
things  would  be  a  more  literal  expression.  "  Are  not  to  be  com- 
pared with  her."  We  have  tried  to  get  a  terser  term  that  would 
translate  this  verb  always.  It  means  to  be  set,  just  as  another 
word  that  denotes  comparison  means  to  set  in  order.  Literally, 
"  Cannot  be  set  with  her,"  i.  e.,  so  as  to  fit.  A  bold  reading 
would  be,  is  nothing  to  her.  So  Haman  (Esther  5  :  13) ;  "Yet, 
all  this  is  nothing  to  me  so  long  as  I  see  Mordecai,  the  Jew,  sitting 
at  the  king's  gate."  So  Esther  in  that  most  adroit  courtiership 
(Esther  7  :  4).  It  is  translated  in  our  English,  "  Although  the 
enemy  could  n«t  countervail  the  king's  damage."  But  the  word 
is  not  "  althougJu,"  but  ''■for."    Let  us  go  back ;  abiding  close  by 


*  As  a  merchant.     See  next  verse. 
+  We  translate  '■'■gains"  instead  oi" gain,"  because  the  plural  implies  better  the  whole 
results,  as  in   (he  original,  .and  because  the  "^rt/«  (t/ w/owt'/' would  sound  more  like  a 
mnneyeii gain  than  the  gain  that  money  makes  as  the  results  of  merchandise.     The  word 
is  in  the  singular,  however. 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY. 


43 


the  Hebrew.  "  For  we  are  sold,  I  and  my  people,  to  be  de- 
stroyed, to  be  slain  and  to  perish.  And  if  we  had  been  sold 
for  bond  men  and  bond  women  I  had  held  my  peace ;  for 
there  is  nothing  in  the  case  of  an  enemy"  (such  as  she  modest- 
ly confessed  the  Jews  might  be  considered  to  be)  "  that  cafi  be 
compared  with  a  loss  to  the  king." — The  Septuagint  adds  two 
whole  verses  at  this  point.  Some  think  that  they  had  intruded 
into  the  Hebrew.  One  clause  that  it  adds  is, — "  Nothing  evil  can 
cofupcte  with  her."  This  is  indeed  a  grand  philosophy.  Every- 
thing e.xcept  her  is  evil.  Long  life  and  great  riches  and  great 
honors  are  evils  unless  with  wisdom.  Everything  that  we  could 
desire  becomes  an  evil  to  sink  us  all  the  deeper  in  eternal 
ruin.  In  this  light  the  comparison  with  wisdom  is  appalling. 
We  are  prepared,  therefore,  for  the  doctrine  of  the  next  verse, 
which  is, — that  Wisdom  sanctifies  these  earthlinesses.  That  is, 
she  alone  can  make  a  splendid  use  of  them : — 

i6  Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand,  |.  V^  Length  of  days  « 

"  .    -J  t>  »  in  hern^ht  hand ;  a«rt 

m  her  left,  riches  and  honor.  in  her  left  hand  riches 

I  and  honour. 

We  have  already  quoted  this  (v.  2),  as  militating  against 
a  former  exposition.  Every  one  seems  to  believe  that  "in.  her 
riglit  hand"  means  in  her  possession,  or  as  the  thing  she  wins. 
And  so  the  text  has  been  taken  for  granted  (allied  with  many 
others)  as  meaning  that  Piety  promises  long  life  and  great  suc- 
cesses. There  is  rarely  a  phrase  that  can  correct,  with  such  an 
emphatic  evidence,  such  an  established  interpretation.  The 
^^  right  hand"  in  the  Bible  everywhere  means  one's  highest  in- 
strumentality or  agency.  Christ  himself  is  thrice  called  the 
"  Right  Hand"  of  the  Father.  (Ps.  80  :  17.)  "Let  thy  hand 
be  upon  the  Man, — thy  Right  Hand  ;  upon  the  Son  of  Man 
whom  thou  madest  strong  for  thyself."  (Ps.  60  :  5  ;  108  :  6.) 
■*  That  thy  beloved  ones  may  be  delivered,  save  thy  Right  Hand, 
and  answer  me."  It  is  true  these  are  new  interpretations,  and 
we  cannot  stop  to  give  our  reasons  :  but  the  use  itself  of  "  right 
hand"  as  the  figure  of  high  agency  is  every  where  in  the  sacred 
Book.  But  further;  "  in  the  right  hand"  has  but  one  meaning. 
We  have  tried  all  the  cases.  It  means  that  the  thing  said  to  be 
"  in  the  right  hand,"  is  wielded  in  a  high  agency.      Christ  is 


44  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

said  to  hold  "  the  stars  in  his  right  hand,"  (Rev.  2:1.)  mean- 
ing that  he  made  ministers  his  great  instrument.  The  usage, 
therefore,  was  borrowed  by  the  Greek.  Moreover,  "  Is  there  not 
a  lie  in  my  right  hand  "  (Is.  44  :  20) .?  that  is,  in  my  great  work 
or  agency,  the  making  of  idols  1  is  there  not,  in  the  very  busi- 
ness itself,  a  lie .?  "  In  his  right  hand  Avas  the  divination  for 
Jerusalem"  (Eze.  21:22).  That  is,  he  was  governed  by  it  in 
his  most  important  agencies.  Zockler,  in  his  late  Avork  on 
Proverbs,  gives  two  passages  as  fully  carrying  out  the  old  un- 
derstanding. A  new  and  beautiful  proof  is  derived  from  the 
difficulties  of  the  old  understanding  in  these  passages  them- 
selves. We  will  examine  both  of  them.  The  first  is  Ps.  16  :  11, 
"  Thou  wilt  shew  me  the  path  of  life ;  in  thy  presence  is  ful- 
ness of  joy;  at  thy  right  hand  there  are  pleasures  forever- 
more."  Notice  the  italics;  and  then  let  us  read  without  thern  ; 
and  almost  without  further  change  we  reach  at  once  a  far 
more  beautiful  interpretation,  "  Thou  wilt  shew  me  the  path  of 
life;  in  thy  presence,  fulness  of  joy;  by  thy  right  hand  (that, is, 
by  thy  grand  working  '  thou  wilt  show  me,'  again  understood) 
pleasures  forevermore."  The  other  passage  is  Is.  44  :  20  ;  "  Is 
there  not  a  lie  in  my  right  hand  V  What  is  the  prophet 
speaking  of.?  The  making  of  idols.  "He  feedeth  on  ashes" 
he  says ;  that  is,  the  man  does  who  makes  them  :  a  deceived 
heart  hath  turned  him  aside,  that  he  cannot  deliver  his  soul,  or 
say,  "  Is  there  not  a  lie  in  my  right  hand .?  "  that  is ;  not  a  lie 
in  my  possession  simply,  but  a  lie  in  my  work,  i.  e.,  in  my  great 
agency,  a  lie  in  the  very  business  he  feels  called  to  prosecute  } 
We  are  prepared,  therefore,  to  understand  our  text  as  meaning 
that  Wisdom  is  able  to  use  a  long  life  as  a  splendid  agency. 
Tong  life,  when  it  is  bestowed,  is  in  the  very  hand  of  Wisdom, 
"  And  in  her  left  riches  and  honor."  Zockler  quotes  again  : — 
First  (Prov.  8  :  18),  "  Riches  and  honor  are  with  me;  yea,  dur- 
able riches  and  righteousness."  How  can  we  escape  the  idea, 
that,  after  all,  riches  are  promised.?  Again,  and  apparently 
stronger, — Prov.  22  :  4,  "  By  humility  and  the  fear  of  the  Lord 
are  riches,  honor  and  life."  And  yet  they  both  easily  resolve 
themselves.  "  Riches  and  honor  are  with  me."  Yes !  But 
what  sort  of  riches  ?      The    Proverb    immediately  replies  : — 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY.  45 

"  Durable  riches  and  righteousness  :  "  and  then  adds,  still  fur- 
ther to  direct  the  sense,  "  My  fruit  is  better  than  gold ;  "  show- 
ing that  the  riches  and  honor  are  that  sort  which  are  still  better 
pointed  out  in  the  other  of  Zockler's  quotations.  There  the 
character  of  the  riches  is  distinctly  affirmed  by  being  associated 
with  life.  "  The  end  of  a  humiliation  which  is  the  fear  of  Je- 
hovah, is  wealth  and  honor  and  life."  When  Wisdom  says, 
that  she  has  long  life  in  her  right  hand,  and  riches  and  honor 
in  her  left,  she  means,  therefore,  that  both  are  used  upon  her- 
self: that  she  uses  long  life  just  as  is  said  above  (3  :  2)  to  make 
increase  for  her,  and  all  worldly  wealth  as  a  lower  but  most 
substantial  instrumentality. 


17  Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness, 
and  all  her  paths  prosperity. 


17  Her  ways  are 
ways  of  pleasantness, 
and  all  her  paths  are 
peace. 

"  Her  ways  "  are  the  ways  she  makes  people  travel  in.  "  Her 
ways  "  are  sometimes  on  hot  coals  and  to  burning  stakes.  If 
there  is  anything  unpleasant  in  her  way,  it  is  to  promote  wis- 
dom, and  so  to  promote  more  "  pleasantness"  another  time.  And 
wisdom;  or  spiritual  light,  is  the  very  highest  pleasure,  through 
all  eternity,  that  even  God,  who  is  infinitely  happy,  can  possibly 
enjoy.  "All  her  paths  prosperity;" — more  thoroughly  "  ar// " 
of  them  than  in  the  case  of  pleasantness.  While  the  happiness 
of  a  Christian  may  flag  in  this  world,  his  ''''prosperity  "  never 
stops  a  moment.  His  7mv  is  prosperous,  i.  e.,  he  gains  by 
every  inch.  "The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light." 
The  merchandise,  being  not  of  gold,  the  man,  though  he  may 
go  back  in  every  ostensible  interest,  yet  touches  the  margin  of 
the  tomb  having  gained  by  every  footstep. 

18  In  her  very  self  she  is  a  tree  of  life  to  them  \,./^  ^^^, "  ^  ."'^e  °f 

^,,,1,1  1  life   to    them    that   lay 

that  lay  hold  upon  her;  hold  upon  her:  and 

and  each  is  led  straight  of  them  that  have  ["S^t^herf''''^'*'^' 
her  by  the  hand.  I 

A  few  passages  in  this  book  that  we  shall  overtake  in  turn, 
and  the  texts  (Gen.  2:9;  3  :  22)  are  all  in  the  O.  T.  that  men- 
tion the  "tree  of  life."  These  last,  however,  are  most  exciting. 
They  tell  of  a  tree  of  which,  if  we  so  much  as  bit  the  fruit, 


46  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

i.  e.,  if  we  so  much  as  eat  the  least  from  it,  we  should  live  for- 
ever. Immortal  joys  which  involve  the  body,  and  bags  of 
v/ealth  (Lu.  12:33),  and  never  ending  ages  of  delight  were 
suspended  conditionally  for  some  mystic  cause  upon  that  brief 
act.  The  type,  therefore,  is  singularly  good  of  the  results  of 
wisdom.  If  I  but  get  a  ray,  if  I  but  steal  a  glance  of  spiritual 
wisdom ;  for  that  is  what  is  meant  by  laying  hold  upon  her  ;  I 
"  shall  never  perish."  Touching  her  but  once,  as  the  sick  did 
our  Saviour,  if  it  be  a  spiritual  fastening-hold  upoti  her,  will 
make  her  my  guide,  and  I  shall  be  "  led  "  forever  after  "  straight" 
in  the  long  path  to  blessedness. 


19  Jehovah  by  wisdom  founded  the  earth, 
setting  firm  the  heavens  by  discernment. 

20  By  His  knowledge    the  deeps  are  cloven 

up, 
and  the  clouds  drop  down  the  dew. 


19  The  Lord  by  wis- 
dom hath  founded  the 
earth  ;  by  understand- 
ing hath  he  established 
the  heavens. 

20  By  his  knowledge 
the  depths  are  broken 
up,'and  the  clouds  drop 
down  the  dew. 

The  wisdom,  so  splendid  in  man,  has  its  seed  also  in  the 
Almighty.  We  are  made  in  his  image.  The  wisdom,  so  spir- 
itual as  to  belong  only  to  the  pious,  nevertheless  has  its.  Teach- 
ings into  all  wisdom,  as  we  saw  Chap,  i  :  10,  where  it  is  called 
wisdoms,  as  embracing  all  forms  of  it.  Creative  wisdom,  there- 
fore, is  part  of  the  broad  array.  But,  notv,  as  a  more  impor- 
tant teaching,  creative  wisdom  must  include  the  spiritual. 
God  could  not  found  the  heavens  without  that' holy  character 
that  makes  the  system  possible.  Its  enormous  intricacies  could 
not  be  kept  up  without  the  harmonizing  influences  of  holiness. 
Government,  of  course,  is  built  upon  it.  Justice,  of  course,  is 
a  part  of  it ;  and  the  whole  would  be  an  unmeaning  mass  un- 
less Jehovah,  by  wisdom,  shaped  it,  viz.,  in  those  diviner  forms 
in  which  he  is  the  governor  as  well  as  the  builder  and  original 
schemer  of  the  universe.  God  would  not  have  built  the 
world  without  holiness ;  and,  therefore,  in  the  very  strictest 
sense,  "  by  wisdom  he  founded  "  the  heavens,  because  only  that 
holy  light,  Avhich  is  the  light  of  love,  could  be  the  inspiring 
motive  for  building  the  habitations  of  his  creatures.  We  are  to 
understand  this  verse  as  meaning,  therefore,  first,  that  creative 
light   merges   into  all  light,  as   one  grand  omniscience;   but, 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY. 


47 


second,  that  creative  light  would  be  nothing  without  spiritual 
light ;  that  God's  love  and  justice  were  the  very  spring  and 
harmonious  law  whereon  all  are  builded.  V.  20.  Tlie  dee^s 
axe  cloven  up,"  i.  e.,  from  one  ocean  bed  through  to  a  new  one. 
Great  geologic  changes.  "  Glotids  drop  down  the  dew."  Strange 
that  so  slight  an  operation  should  thus  be  singled  out !  and 
impossible  to  keep  back  the  fancy  (which,  however,  must  be  a 
mere  fancy)  that  along  with  the  old  deeps  being  broken  forth, 
Solomon  knew  something  of  the  great  nebular  condensings  of 
our  planets. 


21  My  son,  suffer  not  to  pass  from  thine  eyes, 
watch,  what  is  stable  and  well-considered  , 

22  and  they  shall  be  life  to  thy  soul 
and  grace  to  thy  neck. 


21  My  son,  let  not 
them  depart  from  thine 
eyes  :  keep  sound  wis- 
dom and  discretion  : 

22  So  shall  they  ,be 
life  unto  thy  soul,  and 
grace  to  thy  neck. 


The  address,  "my  son,"  or  (4  :  i)  "j^  sons"  would  seem  to 
be  the  intimation  of  the  beginning  of  new  passages.  There  is 
a  tendency  in  the  sacred  Scriptures  to  be  divided  into  isolated 
and  very  brief  lessons ;  and  it  is  convenient,  as  well  as  beauti- 
ful, to  divide  them  so  with  good  apparent  margins.  But  this 
instance  might  seem  to  be  exceptional.  Our  English  transla- 
tion begins,  "  Z<?/  tiot  t/iem  depart  from  i/tiiie  eyes;"  and  the 
text  has  gotten  to  be  buried,  therefore,  in  the  midst  of  a  stream 
of  sentences.  But  the  Flebrew,  in  a  law  it  has,  relieves  the 
difficulty.  When  a  verb  (Green  Gr.  §275,  i)  precedes  the 
governing  noun,  it  is  oftsn  launched  out  in  the  primary,  or 
masculine  form,  without  staying  to  ask  whether  the  noun  is 
masculine  or  feminine.  We  may  suppose,  therefore,  that  the 
feminine  nouns  at  the  close  of  the  sentence,  govern  this  mascu- 
line. Moreover,  the  nouns  at  the  close  of  the  sentence,  are  not 
governing  nouns  at  all,  but  objects.  We  are  to  imagine  these 
nouns,  therefore,  as  repeated.  "  My  son,  suffer  not  what  is 
stable  to  pass,  etc.  ;  watch  what  is  stable,  etc."  We  are  to 
observe  in  all  these  directions  that  Solomon  commands  voluntary 
things,  and  promises  involuntary  things  (2:2).  "Incline 
thine  ear,"  and  "thou  shalt  apply  thine  heart."  (2:3-5). 
"  Seek,"  as  for  money,  and  "  thou  shalt  understand  the  fear, 
etc."  (3  :  1-4).    "  Forget  not  my  law,"  and  "  thou  shalt  find  good 


48  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

intelligence."  So  here  : — Let  not  certain  things  ^^ pass  f 7-0771  thine 
cycs^"  and  "  they  shall  be  life  to  thy  soul  a/id  grace  to  thy  neck." 
Let  them  "  not  pass,  etc."  i.  e.,  simply  attend  to  them,  "  Watch  " 
like  a  sentinel,  intently  eying.  "  Wherewithal  shall  a  young 
man  cleanse  his  way .?  By  taking  heed  thereto  according  to  thy 
word."  We  speak  of  voluntary  and  involuntary.  It  is  volun- 
tary simply  to  watch  a  thing.  It  is  involuntary  to  cleanse 
such  a  thing  as  our  inmost  nature.  Solomon  enjoins  the 
voluntary,  and  promises  the  involuntary.  The  voluntary 
we  cixi  do,  save  only  for  that  grand  helplessness,  an  aver- 
•sion  of  the  will  itself.  The  involuntary  we  cannot  do,  save 
only  mediately  through  the  obedient  acts.  Attention  is,  of. all 
but  muscular  things,  the  sole  act  of  volition.*  Attention, 
therefore,  is  within  our  power,  if  God  give  grace  to  the  will.  A 
new  nature  is  not  within  our  pow^r,  whether  God  give  grace  or 
not ;  only  mediately.  This  is  the  drift  of  the  promise.  You 
do  your  part,  and  God  will  do  His.  "  Attend,  and  thou  shalt 
understand."  Let  not  certain  things  '''' depa7-t  from  thine  eyes, 
a7ul  they  shall  be  life  to  thy  soul  a7id  grace  to  thy  neck."  V.  21. 
"What  is  stable;" — the  peculiar  word,  chap.  2:7.  The  im- 
penitent can  be  trusted  to  understand  it ;  for  he  knows  "  that 
the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  the  glory  of  them,"  if  he  does 
not  have  an  eye  to  what  is  stable,  have  no  stability,  and  will 
only  add  to  his  perdition.  "  Well  considered."  This  is  a  noun. 
The  verb  means  to  t/ieditate.  The  root  means  fuur/nu/'i/ig, 
mutteri/ig,  with  the  low  voice  of  persons  talking  to  themselves. 
What  is  "  well  considered"  therefore,  is  a  well-formed  purpose. 
The  Quaker  doctrine  of  an  inward  light  is  true  thus  far,  that 
if  a  man  would  digest  his  purposes ;  that  is,  if  he  would  sit  and 
meditate,  and  keep  in  view  all  that  he  thinks  as  a  Christianly 
educated  man,  and  follow  all  that  he  keeps  in  view,  and  do  it 
long  enough,  he  would,  by  this  promise,  come  out  into  the  fear 
of  the  Lord,  and  find  the  knowledge  of  God ;  (but  see,  by  way 
of  caution,  2  :  1-6).  "  Life  to  thy  sovil;  "  just  the  opposite  of 
death.     Whatever  spiritual  death  has  been  to  the  soul  of  man, 

*  This  is  not  accredited  philosophy,  but,  like  many  of  these  interpretations,  must  seek 
its  acceptance  in  the  future. 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY. 


49 


of  that  "  life  "  will  be  the  opposite  and  more.  Life,  starting 
from  mere  animal  life,  grows  to  mean,  in  the  Bible,  all  conceiv- 
able good.  "Grace  to  thy  neck."  So  sunken  are  we,  that  we 
can  hardly  realize  that  holiness  is  most  precious  just  sheerly 
for  itself.  It  not  only  brings  good-;  not  only  does  good ;  not 
only  is  good ;  but  good  in  such  a  measure,  that,  abandoning  so 
low  a  word  as  preciousness,  it  is  good  on  its  own  account  alone, 
and  without  anything  in  the  world  beside.  It  is  not  only  "  /i/e 
to  the  soul,'"  but  ''^  grace,  etc.  y"  that  is,  a  splendid  ornament. 

Having  lifted  us  to  this  vantage  ground,  the  Wise  Man*  can 
easily  bear  down  upon  all  uneasinesses  as  to  mere  worldly  wel- 
fare.    If  thou  hast  life  in  the  soul : — 


23  Then  shalt  thou  walk  thy  road  safely 
and  thy  foot  shall  not  stumble. 

24  If  thou  shalt  lie  down,  thou  shalt  not  be 

afraid ; 
yea,  thou  dost  lie  down  and  thy  sleep  is 
sweet. 


23  Then  shalt  thou 
walk  in  thy  way  safely, 
and  thy  foot  shall  not 
stumble. 

24  When  thou  liest 
down,  thou  shalt  not 
be  afraid  ;  yea,  thuu 
shalt  lie  down,  and  thy 
sleep  shall  be  sweet. 


The  Bible  is  full  of  such  reaffirmances,  v.  24.  (Matt.  7:7,8) : — 
"  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  ;  for  every  one  that  asketh  re- 
ceiveth."  "If  thou  lie  down,  thou  shalt  not  be  afraid;  yea, 
thou  dost  lie  down,  and  thy  sleep  is  sweet."  The  man  whom 
God  loves  (v.  12)  must  have  a  practicable  road  to  travel.  His 
foot  cannot  finally  stumble.  His  path,  in  its  forlornest  parts, 
must  be  leading  by  the  sharpest  cuts  to  the  Celestial  Canaan. 

But  sudden  burstings  in,  and  storms,  when  they  are  already 
breaking  round  the  Christian  !  the  Proverb  provides  for  them : — 


25  Be  not  afraid  of  sudden  fear,  I    ^5^%"°'„Srnf 

^  .  I'll!  sudden  fear,  neither  or 

nor  of  the  destruction  of  the  wicked,  be-|the  desolation  of  the 
cause  it  is  actually  coming  in. 

26  For  Jehovah  shall  be  as  loins  to  thee, 
and  guard  thy  foot  from  being  taken. 


wicked,  when  it  Com- 
eth. 

26  For  the  Lord  shall 
be  thy  confidence,  and 
shall  keep  thy  foot  from 
being  taken. 


"  The  destruction  of  the  wicked. "  There  has  been  a  debate 
about  this.  Is  it  destruction  by  the  wicked,  or  destruction  for 
them  7  The  debate,  perhaps,  is,  in  its  very  nature,  groundless. 
Is  it  not  all  destruction  J     The  Christian  is  threatened  by  the 

3 


50  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

sinners  in  all  their  ills,  whether  for  them  or  by  them.  Sin 
breeds  the  whole  of  them ;  and  the  Wise  Man  would  magnify 
the  grace  by  saying,  that  they  are  equally  indifferent.  "  Let 
cares,  like  a  wild  deluge,  come." — V.  26.  "  For  Jehovah  shall 
be  as  loins  to  thee."  The  word,  often  translated  ''''  confidence'' 
(E.  v.),  primarily  means  the  ^^  loins.''  The  ^^  loins  "  were  con- 
sidered, in  the  East,  the  emblem  of  fortitude.  "  God  trieth 
the  reins,"  (or  loins),  (i  Jer.  17  :  10),  i.  e.,  our  fortitude.  A 
confident  man  was  one  who  had  stout  loins.  Whenever  what 
is  primary  will  come  in,  it  is  best  to  introduce  it ;  and  the  word 
stood  nakedly  "  the  loins  "  to  a  Hebrew  eye.  The  preposition 
in  in  the  Hebrew,  often  means  '  as '  (Ps.  39  :  6).  "  Surely  every 
man  walketh  as  a  vain  show  "  (or,  as  an  image),  literally,  "  in 
an  image."  So  (Ex.  6:3)"!  appeared  unto  Abraham  in  (as) 
God  Almighty."  (Ex.  18:4),  "  The  God  of  my  father  was  in 
(as)  my  help,"  (see  Class  XXVI).  The  assurance,  therefore, 
that  "  Jehovah  shall  be  as  loins  "  to  us,  is  as  strong  as  an  as- 
surance can  be  made.  We  could  bear  mountains,  if  Jehovah 
be  our  loins.  The  idea  is,  that  the  destruction  of  the  wicked 
is  meant  only  for  the  reprobate,  and,  that  if  wisdom  is  life,  it  is 
useless  to  be  afraid  of  anything.  The  snares  are  set  for  others, 
and  Jehovah,  who  is  ''loins  to  us"  shall  guard  our  "feet  from 
■being  taken." 

With  these  luxuries  of  grace,  the  Wise  Man  mixes  in  its  con- 
ditions. They  are  rugged  like  those  of  the  Apostle  (i  Cor. 
13).  If  we  enjoy  the  good  of  the  gospel,  we  are  to  render 
again  according  to  the  benefits  shown  us  : — 

27  AVithhold  not  good  from  the  rightful  sub- 

ject of  it, 
when  it  is  in  the  power  of  thy  hand  to  do. 

28  Say  not  to    thy  neighbor.  Go   and  come 

again 
and  to  morrow  I  will  give ;  and  thou  hast 
means  at  the  time. 


27  W  i  t  h  h  o  Id  not 
good  from  them  to 
whom  it  is  due,  when 
it  i-;  in  the  power  of 
thine  hand  to  do  it. 

28  Say  not  unto  thy 
neighbour.  Go,  and 
ccme  again,  and  to- 
morrow I  will  give ; 
when  thou  hast  it  by 
thee. 


"  Rightful  subject  of  it ;"  literally,  " /Vi-  rnasfcr."  A  render- 
ing, attractive  for  its  brevity,  would,  therefore,  have  been, 
"  Withhold  not  good  from  its  master."     But  we  have  encoun- 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY.  51 

tered  this  idiom  already  (i  :  19).  Masters  of  spoil  mczins  "  those 
that  get  possession  of  it."  Masters  of  wickedness  (Eccles.  8  :  8) 
means  the  wicked.  Masters  of  wisdom  (Proverbs  16  :  22)  means 
the  wise.  And,  therefore,  in  the  present  text.  Masters  of  good 
means  those  that  can  rightfully  claim  it.  This  includes  all 
rightful  claims ;  not  always  ownership,  (for  that  would  make  the 
verse  only  mean  that  we  are  not  to  defraud),  but  those  infinitely 
harder  claims  under  the  law,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor." 
"Withhold  not."  These  precepts  are  very  scientific.  They 
touch  the  very  marrow.  We  are  often  all  right  in  purpose,  but 
our  alms-deeds  stick  to  us.  There  is  a  sort  of  torpor  in  get- 
ting them  out  of  our  fingers.  The  command,  therefore,  is,  Re- 
strain not,  or  hold  not  back  ;  such  is  the  meaning  of  the  Hebrew. 
Push  off  the  alms-gift,  and  let  it  boldly  go,  where  it  sticks  in 
our  intent.  And  then  this  bold  rule, — not  so  much  when  it  is 
in  the  power  of  thine  estate,  or  in  the  swing  of  thy  whole  future 
calculations,  so  as  to  be  certain  never  to  want  it:  (then  we 
would  never  give)  ;  but—"  in  the  power  of  thy  hand."  We  see 
a  trace  of  this  in  another  sentence  (Eccles.  9:10);  "  Whatso- 
ever thy  hand  findeth  to  do  :"  the  meaning  plainly  being,  that 
"  he  that  observeth  the  Avind  shall  not  sow  "  (Eccles.  11:4); 
that  we  are  to  trust  largely  to  the  Almighty  for  our  after  wants ; 
that  we  are  to  look  more  at  what  we  have  in  our  hands  than  at 
our  whole  future  estate ;  and  not  say  to  a  man  in  torpid  calcula- 
tions, V.  28,  "Go  and  come  again,  and  to-morrow  I  wiU  give; 
and  thou  hast  means  at  the  time."  Some  translate  this,  "  and 
he  is  ivith  thee  /'  that  is,  a  guest  at  thy  house.  But  this  narrows 
the  sense.  The  Proverb  is  far  from  noting  a  mere  rule  of 
Eastern  hospitality.  Some  say,  too,  that  "when  it  is  in  the 
power  of  thy  hand  to  do  "  (v.  27),  means  rather,  ''when  thou 
hast  thy  hand  from  God  (i.  e.,  thy  power)  to  do."  That  would 
be,  indeed,  a  striking  sense.  That  is,— Give  while  God  puts  it 
in  thy  power.  But  there  are  numbers  of  these  instances  (Gen. 
31  :  29).  "  It  is  in  the  power  of  my  hand  to  do  you  hurt."  It 
is  less  probable  that  Laban  was  attempting  to  say,  "  My  power 
is  from  God  to  do  you  hurt;  "  particularly  as  the  Hebrew,  to 
say  tlie  very  least,  equally  suits  both  of  the  intended  meanmgs. 
(Deut.  28  :  32.)    "  There  shall  be  no  might  in  thy  hand  ;"  alias, 


52  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  III. 

"  There  shall  be  no  hand  for  thee  of  God."  The  old  is  the 
better  rendering.  The  passage,  therefore,  is  the  grand  lesson 
of  charity, — that  the  poor  have  rights,  and  that  the  wise  must 
be  sure  to  concede  them. 

29  Be  not  silent  with  thy  neighbor  as  to  an  I    =9  Devise   not   evil 

''  .  JO  against  thy  neighbour, 

evil,  seeing  he  dwelleth  se- 

and  he  dwelling  trustfully  with  thee.  |  ""'"'^  ^^  '^""• 

The  verb  means  to  '"''  plot"  as  well  as/^  be  "  silent."  The  con- 
nection of  the  two  is  obvious.  To  "  plot  "  implies  a  much  less 
profound  admonition.  Moreover,  it  ought  to  be  a  law  in  criti- 
cism (see  Prov.  6  :  1-5),  to  claim  the  more  comprehensive 
sense.  It  is  a  rule,  hard  to  keep,  that  we  are  to  give  our 
neighbor,  in  such  cases,  the  chance  of  all  our  own  intelligence. 
If  we  know  evil  threatening,  we  should  tell  him.  If  we  know 
advantages  that  he  fails  to  see,  we  should  not  take  them.  The 
picture  is  singularly  complete.  Our  neighbor  "  dwelling  trust- 
fully "  (literally,  with  trust),  with  us,  is  to  have  the  benefit  of 
the  direction  (Phil.  2  :  4), — "  Look  not  every  man  on  his  own 
things,  but  every  man,  also,  on  the  things  of  others." 


3P  Thou  shalt  not  quarrel  with  a  man  to  no 
■*' •'  "^^    purpose ; 

verily,  he  has  already  done  thee  mischief. 


30  Strive  not  with  a 
man  without  cause,  if 
he  have  done  thee  no 
harm. 


We  might  be  sure  the  English  version  was  not  correct.  It 
is  tautological.  That  fault  is  death  to  Proverbs.  If  7iot  (2d 
clause)  is  a  Hebrew  form  for  asseveration  {)j^  Ci^)-  We 
translate  it,  "verily."  Strife  (and  it  means  strife  of  all  forms) 
is  bad  enough,  even  when  we  are  right.  But  though  unlawful 
suits  have  sometimes  coined  wealth,  yet,  temporally,  they  often 
work  disgrace,  and  eternally,  most  certain  ruin.  "  To  no  pur- 
pose;" i.  e.,  not  simply  without  occasion,  but  where  there  is 
no  good  to  arise,  even  when  the  cause  is  just.  We  are  not  to 
quarrel  except  for  a  good  purpose.  "  Verily ;  "  or,  "  rest  as- 
sured" (5^3  Di^))  "^®  has  already  done  thee  mischief"  (em- 
phatic preterite).  Spiritually,  if  not  temporally,  the  bolt  is  al- 
ready shot. 


Chap.  III.]  COMMENTARY.  53 


31  Do  not  become  excited  about  a  rapacious 

man, 
and  do  not  choose  any  of  his  ways ; 

32  for  he  who  is  bent  out  of  his  course  is  an 

abomination  to  Jehovah 
but  with  the  straightforward  is  His  secret 
counsel. 


31  Envy  thou  not  the 
oppressor,  and  choose 
none  of  his  ways. 

32  For  the  froward/j 
abomination  to  the 
Lord  :  but  his  secret 
is  with  the  righteous. 


"Become  excited."  It  includes  all  excitements,  envy  and 
emulation  among  the  rest.  Thou  shalt  not  only  not  be  excited 
about  a  man  who  has  won  by  fraud ;  but  thou  shalt  not  choose, 
— thou  shalt  not  be  willing  pleasantly  to  admire,  any  part  of  his 
good  estate.  Thou  shalt  not  think  well  of  his  gold  as  a  thing 
to  be  distinguished  from  his  history.  For  the  "  rust  of  it  doth 
eat  as  doth  a  canker  "  (Jas.  5:3);  and  God  never  forgets  its 
origin.  "  For  he  wlio  is  bent  out  of  his  course."  These  idioms 
(see  Class  XXXII.),  should  all  be  noticed.  "  His  course;'  \.  e., 
the  bad  man's  course.  He  does  not  stick  even  to  that.  His 
course  is  better  than  he  ever  follows.  And  dropping  off,  even 
from  a  bad  man's  better  thought,  he  is  a  special  abomination. 
"  The  straightforward;"  a  word  often  translated  righteous.  But 
here,  in  antithetical  relation  with  a  man  "  bent  out  of  his  course" 
it  is  well  to  restore  it,  and  to  read  it  as  it  looked  in  Hebrew. 

II  The  curse  of  Jehovah  is  in  the  house  of 
the  wicked ; 
but  the  resting  place  of  the  righteous  is 
>>  blessed. 

As  already  said  (2:18),  "house,"  in  such  passages,  means 
all  conceivable  interests.  So  (Ruth  4  :  "),  "  Leah  and  Rachel 
did  build  the  house  of  Israel."  We  are  to  notice  how,  in  many 
such  comparisons,  the  truth  is  made  intensive  by  throwing 
toward  the  wicked  all  the  advantages.  The  "  house;'  or  heavy 
interests,  are  imagined  for  the  wicked;  "the  resting  place,"  or 
travelers  hut,  i.  e.,  the  scanty  lot,  are  imagined  for  the  right- 
eous. In  spite  of  this,  the  righteous  overweighs.  How  often 
are  like  asseverations  thus  intensified  !  "  The  house  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  overthrown  ;  but  the  tent  of  the  upright  shall 
flourish  "  (Prov.   14:  n)-     "  I"  the  house  of  the  righteous  is 


33  The  curse  of  the 
Lord  is  in  the  house 
of  ihe  wicked  :  but  he 
blesseth  the  habitation 
of  the  just. 


54 


PRO  VERBS. 


[Chap.  IV. 


34  Surely  he  scorn- 
eth  the  scorners:  but 
he  giveth  grace  unto 
the  lowly. 


much  treasure :  but  in  the  revenues  of  the  wicked  is  trouble  " 
(Prov.  15  :  6). 

34  If  scoffers  are  in    question,  He    Himself 

will  scoff, 
but  \i  the  humble,  He  will  bestow  favor. 

"  To  the  froward  He  will  show  Himself  froward  "  (Ps.  18  : 
26).  Some  translate, — "  If  He  scoff  at  the  scoffers,  He  unll  also 
give  grace  to  the  humble."  But  our  sense  sits  closer  by  the  text. 
The  preposition  is  well  rendered,  "  in  question ;  "  aiid  the  pro- 
noun "He  Himself,"  is  meant  to  be  expressed,  and  stands  fixed 
for  emphatic  interpretation. 

35  Glory,  wise  men  inherit;  ^  35  The  wise  shall  in- 

1       .   r      1  1         •!•  1  herit  glory:  but  shame 

but  lools  are  each  pilmg  shame.  shall  be  the  promotion 

of  fools. 

The  last  clause  is  awkwardly  ambiguous.  Exalting,  or  lift- 
ifig  tip,  is  singular,  and,  therefore,  might  seem  to  agree  with 
shame.  So  reads  the  English  Version.  But,  "  Shame  is  the 
exaltation  of  fools,"  or,  ^^ Shame  stueeps  away  fools,"  as  some 
translate  it,  is  not  so  consonant  with  the  earlier  clause  as  the 
rendering  we  have  given.  The  singular  is  sometimes  used  (see 
3  :  18)  to  give  intensity  to  the  plural.  We  translate  it  "  each." 
"  Glory  wise  men  inherit,"  is  well  balanced  by  the  picture,  that 
"  fools  are  "  but  "  piling  shame." 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Hear,  ye   children,   the   admonition  of  a 

father, 
and  attend  so  as  to  learn  discernment ; 
for  a  good  lesson  is  that  I  give  you ; 
my  direction  forsake  ye  not. 
For  I  became  a  son  to  my  father, 
gentle    and   alone   in    the   regard    of   my 

mother. 
And  he  directed  me  and  said  to  me ; — 
Let  thy  heart  take  hold  of  my  words ; 
keep  watch  over  my  commandments  and 

live. 


Hear,  ye  children, 
the  instruction  of  a 
father,  and  attend  to 
know  understanding. 

2  For  I  give  you 
good  doctrine,  forsake 
ye  not  my  law. 

•?  For  I  was  my  fath- 
er's son,  tender  and 
only  beloved  in  the 
sight  of  my  mother. 

4  He  taught  me  also, 
and  said  unto  me.  Let 
thine  heart  retain  my 
words  :  keep  my  com- 
mandments, and  live. 


Solomon  began  by  naked  announcements: — (1:2-5),  "To 


Chap.  IV.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  55 

know  wisdom,  is  righteousness."  "  The  wise  man  will  hear, 
etc."  He  follows  with  more  concrete  things,  calling  in  the 
idea  of  "a  father"  (i  :  8),  remembering  that  quality  of  men 
that  makes  things  influence  them  in  proportion  to  their  descent 
to  the  realities  of  their  actual  life.  He  now  goes  down  to  an- 
other principle.  After  first  giving  truth  in  itself,  and  then 
giving  truth  enforced  by  patriarchal  veneration,  he  now  traces 
that  truth  to  where  it  came  from,  viz.,  from  his  father;  his 
idea  being,  It  is   no   mere   theorizing   scheme,  but   one    that 

1  give,  because,  in  my  case,  it  was  also  originally  given- 
(v.  3))  "^  became  a  son  to  my  father;  gentle  and  alone  in 
the  regard  of  my  mother,"  because  I  listened  to  these 
same  instructions.  I  hand  them  on  to  you,  enforced  by 
the  convictions  of  an  absolute  experience.  V.  i.  "Ye  chil- 
dren." We  notice  that  the  address  glides  into  the  plural.  It 
is  an  easy  change,  by  which  the  inspired  rhetorician  gives  up 
the  singular  to  be  employed  in  his  father's  teaching  (vs.  4,  10, 
etc.).  The  question  has  been  asked,  how  far  this  teaching 
goes.  Some  say  to  the  tenth  verse.  Some  say,  to  the  twen- 
tieth. Some  say,  through  the  twenty-seventh.  Some  say, 
through  the  sixth  of  the  fifth  chapter.  The  very  helplessness 
of  the  question,  as  to  the  vigor  of  any  articulate  proof,  may 
show,  that  it  never  was  meant  to  be  settled.  The  teachings 
were  the  same.  The  style,  no  doubt,  was  wholly  Solomon's. 
If  we  fixed  upon  any  end,  it  would  be  in  the  next  chapter,  (v. 
6),  where  Solomon  goes  off  on  the  plural : — '■''and  now,  ye  chil- 
dren, hearken  unto  me :  "  and  where,  in  an  easy  way,  he  echoes 
the  close  of  the  anterior  admonitions.  In  the  first  part  (chap. 
4)  the  words  all  gain  by  being  kept  to  their  primary  significa- 
tion. "  Hear,  j'^  children,  the  admonition  of  a  father"  i.  e.,  his 
correction,  that  form  oi^''  instruction'  (E.  V.)  that  is  mixed  with 
chastisement.  "  And  attend  so  as  to  learn  discernment."  "  At 
tend,  to  knoiv  understanding "  (E.  V.)  is  not  good  English. 
Moreover,  "  discernment "  takes  hold  of  a  thought  in  the  origin- 
al which  means  to  distinguish  or  look  at  separately.  It  means 
jr/mV««/ discernment,  that  which  the  "natural  man"  (i   Cor. 

2  :  14)  is  said  not  to  have.  We  shall  always  translate  this  word 
this  way  in  every  part  of  the  Bible.     And  so,  in  the  next  verse, 


5^  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IV. 

*^  Ia7v."  (E.  V.)  It  seems  very  important.  It  occurs  all  over 
the  Pentateuch.  It  seems  to  answer  to  "  the  law''  discussed  by 
the  apostle  (Rom,  8  :  3.).  And  yet  it  would  be  vastly  better 
to  bring  it  to  its  root.  It  means  "direction."  The  root  from 
which  it  is  derived  means  to  pour,  or  to  thro7v.  When  we  poui 
water,  we  give  it  a  direction.  When  we  throw  a  javelin,  we 
direct  it.  Rather,  when  we  throw  up  our  hand,  we  would  point 
the  way.  In  all  instances  we  get  much  smoother  English  by 
going  back  to  the  original  root.  We  propose  to  translate  the 
word  '■'■law"  (E.  V.),  therefore,  '■''direction"  in  all  the  texts 
(not  three  hundred)  in  which  it  occurs  from  this  root.  If  any 
one  asks,  if  that  will  not  take  the  word  out  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment' (E.  v.),  I  say, — Yes.  If  any  one  asks,  whether  it  will 
take  the  thought  out,  I  say, — No.  For  the  "  statutes  "  and 
"  commandments"  that  are  spoken  of  (E.  V.)  are  the  words 
that  express  the  thought,  and  ought,  all  along,  to  have  had  the 
word.  If  any  asks,  whether  "  breaking  the  lata  "  and  the  "pen- 
alty of  the  law  "  and  the  "  curse  of  the  law  "  will  not  give 
trouble  when  we  come  across  such  expressions  in  the  English 
Version,  I  say  this  is  one  of  the  great  charms  of  the  change. 
Such  expressions  never  occur.  This  is  one  of  the  arguments 
for  the  interpretation  ;  that  the  thought  lies  smooth  with  this 
root,  and,  in  a  large  number  of  cases,  is  smothered  up,  and  does 
not  answer  to  the  English  in  which  we  dress  it.  For  example, 
in  this  verse  :  "forsake  ye  not  ivhat  I  direct"  is  much  less 
stately  in  a  father  than  "  forsake  ye  not  my  law."  In  Ps.  119  : 
72,  "What  thy  mouth  directs,"  is  much  better  than  "  the  law 
of  thy  mouth."  "  In  her  tongue  is  kind  direction  "  (Prov.  31  : 
26)  is  better  than  "  in  her  tongue  is  the  law  of  kindness  "  -(E, 
v.).  There  remain  enough  cases  of  other  words  where,  in 
translating  "  /^rc,"  we  retain  the  idea  of  breakings  or  violation. 
Moreover,  light  springs  from  this  source ; — the  verb  is  just  in 
the  neighborhood,  (v.  4) — "He  directed  me."  It  riiakes  all 
much  plainer  to  have  it  like  the  noun.  "  A  good  lesson;  "  lite 
rally  "  d!  good  take."  The  verb  occurs  just  afterward  (v.  10) 
"  Hear,  O  my  son,  and  take  my  words."  The  nearest  equiva- 
lent that  can  be  found  to  of<'er,  is  "lesson."  "For  I  became." 
The  verb  to  be  not  being  necessary  in  Hebrew,  which  can  e.x- 


Chap  IV.]  COMMENTARY.  57 

press  existence  without  it,  means  becoming,  or  coming  to  he,  when 
it  is  found  actually  expressed.  "  Let  there  be  light "  means 
rather  "  let  light  come  to  he."  Solomon  "  became  "  a  son  to  his 
father  under  this  teaching.  "  Gentle ;  "  not  "  tender  "  (E.  V.), 
referring,  as  commentators  imagine,  to  his  early  age ;  but  some- 
thing that  he  grew  to  be  "  in  the  regard  of  (Ais)  mother ;"  that 
is,  ''''gentle"  or  "  docile,  and' alone  /'  not  Bathsheba's  only  child, 
for  she  had  several ;  but  an  only  one  in  the  regard  oi  Bathsheba. 
The  expression  is,  ifi  her  face,  or  before  her  presence.  Just  as 
(Luke  1:6)"  before  God  "  means  in  his  sight,  or  as  it  appears  to 
Him.  V.  4.  "  And  he,"  i.  e.,  the  father;  letting  the  father  take 
the  precedence,  as  evermore  in  the  East  (Matt,  i  :  16).  '''And 
he  directed  me," — the  same  verb  whose  noun  is  translated  ''law" 
(E.  V.  passim  see  v.  2).  "  Let  thy  heart  take  hold  of  my  words ; 
keep  watch  over  my  commandments  and  live."  This  is  not  a 
repetition  of  what  is  passed,  but  an  advance  upon  it.  I  said 
(2  :  1-5)  that  Solomon  commanded  what  was  voluntary,  and 
left  the  involuntary  to  be  promised.  Llere  he  commands  the 
involuntary,  because  he  has  shown  the  steps  to  it.  We  cannot 
YaskQ  ovix  "  heart"  do  anything,  except  by  the  anterior  steps. 
We  cannot,  of  all  other  things  in  the  world,  "  live  "  by  a  volun- 
tary act ;  but  we  can  keep  luatch  over  the  commandments.  I  mean, 
we  can,  as  it  is  a  voluntary  act,  if  God  make  us  willing.  But 
we  cannot  "  live,"  and  we  cannot  act  upon  our  "  hearts,"  as  a 
voluntary  thing,  except  through  some  form  of  anterior  obedi- 
ence. It  is  not  necessary,  however,  as  Zockler  does,  to  trans- 
late "  and  thou  shall  live  "  for  it  is  a  clear  imperative ;  and 
though  the  imperative  is  sometimes  predictive  in  its  character 
(Matt.  23  :  32),  still  that  is  not  to  be  brought  into  the  meaning 
here.  The  wise  teacher  may  well  command  us  to  "  live  j  "  be- 
cause he  has  directed  the  steps  that  shall  certainly  lead  to  it. 

5  Get  wisdom,  get 
understanding ;  forget 
it  not :  neither  decline 
from  the  words  of  my 
mouth. 

6  Forsake  her  not, 
and  she  shall  preserve 
thee:  love  her,  and  she 
shall  keep  thee. 


Get  wisdom ;  get  discernment ; 

forget  not ;  and  turn  not  thou  away  from 

the  speeches  of  my  mouth. 
Forsake  her  not,  and  she  shall  guard  thee. 
Love  her,  and  she  shall  stand  sentry  over 

thee. 


*'  Get  Wisdom  ;  get  discernment."     We  cannot  do  it  directly  ; 

•3* 


58  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IV. 

but  there  immediately  follow  the  rules  to  be  observed ; — "  forget 
not,  and  turn  not  thou  away  from  the  speeches  of  my  mouth." 
It  is  astonishing  how  much  is  made  of  attention.  It  is  the  only 
voluntary  thing,  not  muscular.  We  have  already  alluded  to  an 
ethical  truth  heretofore  not  noticed  (see  note,  p.  48).  All 
things  in  these  Proverbs  make  attention  the  great  voluntary 
thing.  "  Wisdom,"  of  course,  means  spiritual  wisdom ;  and 
'"'' discerriment"  which  has  still  that  element  of  distinguishing 
which  we  marked  before  (v.  i),  means  that  spiritual  distinguish- 
ing that  proceeds  from  a  light  that  is  from  above.  ^''Forget"  is 
a  word  in  the  Hebrew  that  admits  the  preposition  "from.''  It 
must,  therefore,  stand  with  "  turn,'"  (though  we  cannot  so  trans- 
late it  in  the  English)  as  3.  forgetting  /ran  (like  a  turning  froni) 
"the  words  of  my  ?nouth."  Turning  is  an  insidious  thing.  We 
"turn''  from  very  solemn  "words"  when  they  have  greatly 
impressed  us,  by  worldly  things  that  steal  our  sight.  It  is  "the 
turning  away  of  the  simple  (that)  shall  slay  them"  (i  :  32.). 
V.  6.  "Her;"  that  is,  the  prominent  figure  of  the  previous 
sentence,  "  IFisdoni."  "Forsake  her  not  and  she  shall  guard 
thee."  "  Preserve  thee"  says  the  English  version  ;  but  that  is 
too  general.  It  is  the  preserving  by  a  watchman.  "  Love  her, 
and  she  shall  stand  sentiy  over  thee."  And  this  is  strangely 
fulfilled.  We  turn"  an  eye  to  Wisdom,  and  she  turns  an  eye  to 
us.  We  watch,  and  she  watches.  In  our  ungodly  state  we 
cannot  think  of  Wisdom  that  she  does  not  turn  and  step  back 
towards  us  by  common  grace.  And,  if  we  think  so  long  and 
strive  so  earnestly,  as  that  she  comes  up  to  us  and  is  full  in 
sight,  then  each  new  fondness  fascinates  her  and  brings  her 
close.  Each  wise  thing  we  do  makes  us  wiser.  We  put  our 
hand  in  hers,  and  she  takes  charge  of  us  for  life.  Give  her  one 
spiritual  thought :  I  mean  by  that,  win  from  her  one  ray  of  sav- 
ing knowledge  ;  and  she  mounts  guard  over  us  forever.  And 
the  nearer  that  we  draw,  the  closer  does  she  watch  over  our 
eternal  being. 

So  the  next  truth  is  evident : — 

7  As  the  height  of  wisdom  get  wisdom  ;  i  p,L  J;,f  ^ng';  V.'! 

and  by  means  of  all  thy  getting   get  dis- '/'"'•  k<=' *'^dom :  and 

cemment  iwuh  .->ii  thy  getting  get 

CCrilUlCIll.  I  understanding. 


Chap.  IV.]  COMMENTARY. 


59 


"As  the  height  of  wisdom  get  wisdom."  This  is  four  words* 
and  its  terseness  has  encouraged  different  translations.  The 
English  has  it: — "  Wisdom  is  the  principal  thing,  therefore  get 
taisdoni :"  "is"  and  "there/ore"  being  in  Italics.  Zockler 
has  it : — "The  highest  thing  is  wisdom.  Get  tvisdom."  No  one 
seems  to  have  noticed  the  grand  meaning  from  clamping  the  four 
words  together.  They  stand  in  the  Hebrew  thus.  "  Beginning  " 
{ox  principal  thing) — "  tvisdom" — ^'' get" — "wisdom."  Let  me 
say,  as  bearing  on  the  case,  that  the  two  first  are  dependent  on 
each  other; — as,  for  example,  in  9:10,  "the  beginning  of 
wisdom  ;"  like  1:7,"  the  beginning  of  knowledge."  We  have" 
but,  therefore,  to  put  the  two  clauses  in  apposition  by  the  per- 
fectly grammatical  prefix  of  the  word  "  as"  to  have  a  most  excel- 
lent interpretation.  "  As  the  very  height  of  wisdom  get  wisdom  :" 
the  idea  being  that,  if  Wisdom  stands  sentry  over  the  man  that 
once  sues  to  her ;  through  the  long  ages  watches  his  life,  and 
lifts  him  higher,  if  he  has  once  raised  his  heart  to  her  as  her 
friend ;  then  his  wisest  act  in  eternal  ages  will  have  been  that 
act  of  his  conversion  ;  and  the  very  noblest  gain,  not  in  amount, 
but  in  determining  significance,  that  gain  which  he  made,  when 
he  laid  hold  by  humble  faith  of  that  tree  of  life  which  grows 
now  in  all  the  wilderness.  It  is  a  good  meaning,  therefore  : — 
"  As  the  highest  thing  in  wisdom  get  wisdom  ;  and  by  means  of  all 
thy  getting  get  discernment,"  The  English  has  it,  "  With  all 
thy  getting  get  understanding  j"  i.  e.,  along  with  or  in  addition 
to  all  the  rest  of  thy  gettings.  But  the  beautiful  idea  is  as  in 
Pro.  3  :  16.  We  are  to  turn  all  our  gettings  into  the  channel 
of  more  grace.  We  are  to  use  all  our  properties  for  growing 
wiser.  We  are  to  grind  up  all  our  corn  into  the  bread  of  spir- 
itual nourishment.  For  our  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that 
hath  sent  us.  And  therein  we  are  to  be  the  very  essence  of 
Wisdom,  who  uses  even  life  itself  for  her  advancement ;  for  as 
we  explained  the  passage,  "  length  of  days  are  in  her  right  hand, 
and  in  her  left  riches  and  honors." 


8  Exalt  her,  and  she  shall  promote  thee.         Lhaii  proV.o7e  ^"hee1 
She   shall   load    thee   with   honor  because  ^^^  ^'i-''"  •,"'? '"j-f" 

,  honour,    v  1  en     thou 

thou  dost  embrace  her.  Idost  embrace  her. 


6o  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IV. 

Q  She  shall  give  to  thy  head  a  garland  ofl,,?^''?  ^!l^"  ^'''*  '" 

-'  D  •'  D  thine    head    an    orna- 

grace  5  1  mem  of  grace:  a  crown 

as  a  crown  of  glory  shall  she  serve    for'°,^f^Xe^''"'^"^'"'" 
thee.  i 

"  Exalt  her  and  she  shall  promote  thee.''  We  exalt  her  most  in 
her  great  embodiment — the  Only  Wise  ;  and  Eli  (i  Sam.  2  :  30) 
heard  the  truth  in  respect  to  Him, — "  Them  that  honor  me  1 
will  honor;  and  they  that  despise  me  shall  be  lightly  esteemed." 
"  Because  "  not  "  when  "  (E.  V.).  It  is  usually  best  to  translate 
^5  "  because"  for  it  will  nearly  always  fit  in.  Her  honoring  us 
is  because  we  embrace  her ;  and  that  peculiarly  above  all  usual 
emphasis  of  the  word,  because  it  is  wisdom  itself  that  becomes 
the  honor.  We  can  be  honored  only  when  we  are  in  her  em- 
brace. Such  too  is  the  very  meaning  in  the  next  verse,  v.  9. 
"  Serve  for  thee. "  In  our  English  it  is  translated  "  deliver  to 
thee."  The  verb  is  a  very  rare  one.  It  means  to  be  able.  In 
our  text  it  means  to  avail  for  or  to  serve  as.  And  the  meaning  is, 
that  wisdom,  i.  e.  spiritual  holiness  is  itself  "  a  crown  of"  ever- 
lasting "glory."  We  had  the  idea  before  at  the  very  opening 
of  the  book.  Here  it  is  repeated  with  a  higher  emphasis. 
"  She  shall  give  to  thy  head  a  garland  of  grace  ;  as  a  croivn  of 
glory  shall  she  serve  for  thee"  Wisdom  in  its  highest  precious- 
ness,  is  wisdom  in  itself,  nakedly  and  in  its  high  adornment. 

10  Hear,  O  my  son,  and  take  my  words,  I    '?  ^^^r-  ^^  ">>'  s°"' 

'  -'  '  -'  '  J   and    receive    my    say- 

and  they  shall  grow  greater  to  thee  thro  I  ings ;  and  the  years  of 

r  1  T  thy  life  shall  be  many. 

years  of  life.  I    ■* 

"  And  they  shall  grow  greater  to  thee."  This  is  one  of  the 
list  of  passages  given  under  chap.  3:2.  It  is  uniformly  com- 
mented upon  as  though  wisdom  promised  long  life.  But  that 
we  are  too  hasty  in  translating  this  verb  of  increase  of  numbers 
rather  than  increase  in  size  and  growth,  is  illustrated  in  the  29th 
chapter  (v.  16,)  wliere  our  English  version  reads: — "  When  the 
wicked  are  multiplied,  transgression  increaseth;  but  the  right- 
eous shall  see  their  fall."  Now  the  verbs  in  the  earlier  clause 
are  both  the  same.  To  translate  them  alike  it  would  have  read  : 
— "  When  the  wicked  are  multiplied,  transgression  is  multiplied  ;" 
which  would  be  such  a  truism  that  tlie  translators  seem  to  have 


Chap.  IV.]  COMMENTARY.  6i 

shrunk  from  it.  They  seem  to  have  shrunk  from  it  also  in  the 
second  verse  (chap.  29th),  where  they  translate,  "  When  the 
righteous  are  in  authority."  This  last  sentence  balances  better 
what  is  asserted  in  its  second  clause ;  and  the  sixteenth  verse  is 
altogether  more  significant,  if  we  let  that  share  in  a  kindred  in- 
terpretation. "  When  the  righteous  grow  great  (29 :  2)  the 
people  rejoice;  but  when  the  wicked  bearCth  rule  the  people 
mourn."  Therefore,  again,  (v.  16,)  "When  the  wicked  grow 
great,  transgression  grows  great;  but  the  righteous  shall  see 
(clearer  by)  their  fall."  It  is  in  favor  of  this  method  that  the 
verb  in  our  passage  is  masculine,  while  "years  of  life,"  as  will 
be  seen  in  the  original,  is  feminine.  We  translate  well,  then, 
•^\\\\"- words''  ^%  the  governing  subject;  because  that  also  is 
masculine.  But  if  this  were  out  of  the  account,  and  ''■years  " 
were  the  governing  word  (according  to  the  rule  Green  Gr.  § 
275,  I,  that  a  verb  preceding  its  subject  often  does  not  agree  in 
gender)  we  would  still  translate  grow  great.  "  Hear,  O  my 
son,  and  take  my  words  and  the  years  of  thy  life  shall  grow 
great."  We  prefer,  however,  the  other  rendering  :— My  words 
"  shall  grow  greater  to  thee  through  years  of  life."  This  was  so 
singularly  true,  if  the  " words"  attended  to,  were  to  pile  up 
wealth.  "  Years  of  life  "  must  thus  be  used  adverbially.  They 
are  so  used  as  we  shall  see,  chap.  9:11;  signally  so,  Ps.  21  :  4; 
where  eternity,  which  is  also  a  noun,  is  similarly  used,  and  that 
in  immediate  apposition.  The  meaning  of  the  passage,  there- 
fore, is, "Hear,  O  my  son,  and  takemy  words,"  (still  voluntary 

woric,  it  will  be  noticed  ;)  and  "  they,"  that  is  the  "  words,"  will 
be  '' growing  greater  to  thee  through  years  of  life." 


Ill  have  directed  thee  in  the  way  of  wisdom  ; 

I  have  guided  thee  in  level  paths. 
12  When  thou  walkest,  thy  step  shall  not  be 
straitened ; 
and  if  thou  runnest,  thou  shalt  not  be  made 
to  stumble. 


11  I  have  taught  thee 
in  the  way  of  wisdom  ; 
I  have  led  thee  in  right 
paths. 

12  When  thou  goest, 
thy  steps  shall  not  be 
straitened  ;  and  when 
thou  runnest.  thou 
shalt  not  stumble. 


"I  have  directed  thee."  These  perfect  tenses  all  mean  very 
actual  influences,— influences  quite  positive  at  the  time  ;— mflu- 
ences  so  positive,  that  if  a  man  repents,  they  can  be  looked 


62  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IV. 

upon  as  having  taken  place  as  past.  So  verse  2d,  (literally) 
^^  I  have  given  you  a  good  lesson."  ^^  Directed  thee  /'  the  word 
already  alluded  to  (i  :  8)  :  the  original  of  what  has  been  trans- 
lated "  !a7a  "  (E.  V.).  "  Level  paths ;"  literally,  ''/>aths  of  level- 
fiess."  It  might  be  translated  "righteousness;"  but  agrees 
better  in  its  primary  sense  when  used  in  connection  with  being 
^^  dif-ectcd."  V.  12,*"  Shall  not  be  straitened."  This  is  a  grand 
promise.  When  looking  forward,  a  man's  way  may  be  hedged  ; 
but  when  setting  out,  it  is  marvellously  cleared  for  him.  "  When 
thou  walkest,"  thy  path  shall  open;  "thy  step,"  that  is,  space 
enough  for  thy  foot-fall,  not  being  straitened.  How  universal 
such  experience  among  believers  !  Not  "  7iihen  thou  runnest" 
(E.  v.),  but  "if  thou  runnest."  These  twigs  of  rhetoric  are 
meant  for  notice.  A  man  is  obliged  to  walk,  i.  e.,  to  move  for- 
ward in  his  vital  experience.  But  he  is  not  obliged  to  ;-//;/.  In 
running  there  is  the  most  exposure  for  godless  people.  But  the 
Christian  may  wisely  run;  and,  "//"  he  runs,  he  shall  not  "be 
made  to  stumble;"  the  form  is  the  Niphal,  implying  that  he 
will  be  kept  from  fatal  downfall.  The  Christian  may  trudge 
slowly,  or  go  faster  on  his  course;  yet  may  be  utterly  sure  that 
he  will  neither  be  stopped  or  stumbled. 


13  Take  fast  hold  oi 
instruction;  let  her 
not  go  :  keep  her  ;  for 
she  is  thy  life. 


13  Take  fast  hold  of  discipline.     Do  not  let 
go. 
Keep  watch  over  her ;  for  she  is  herself 
thy  life. 

The  verbs  in  the  first  clause  are  Hiphils.  They  arc,  for  that 
reason,  all  the  more  intense.  Fasten,  and  do  not  let  slack.  One 
rough  grapple  is  not  enough.  Wisdom  insidiously  glides  away 
if  we  give  time  to  the  Arch  Deceiver.  We  are  like  a  child  try- 
ing to  wake.  He  grasps  the  apple  that  one  gives,  but  slackens 
as  drowsiness  creeps  back.  " Keep  watch  over  her."  " Discip- 
line "  which  in  our  old  translation  is  "  instruction  "  (see  i  :  2,  3) 
is  masculine.  The  question,  therefore,  has  been  agitated,  who 
is  meant  by  "  her  ?"  Umbreit  boldly  says  Solomon  forgot,* 
and  thought  that  he  had  said  wisdom,  Avhich  is  feminine;  but 


*  "  F.s  ist  daher  wahr-sheinlich,  dass  der  Verfasser  sich  vergass,  und  glaubte  er  habe 
n?2Dn  datUr  Rcschrieben." 


Chap.  IV.]  COM  MEN  TAR  V.  6z 

the  English,  even  more  than  Umbreit's  language,  teaches  us 
that  if  a  poem  has  been  in  the  vein  of  personification,  it  will 
call  up  the  figure  again  without  much  account  of  gender.  If 
wisdom  were  itself  masculine,  it  would  not  forbid  the  splendid 
form  that  rises  upon  us  in  the  eighth  chapter.  Not  "  s/ic  is  thy 
life"  (E.  v.);  but  "She  is  herself  thy  life."  The  pronoun  is 
emphatic. 

14  Enter  not  by  the  path  of  the  wicked ;  ^^^  ^T\lf'TvX 

and  do  not  attempt  straight  guidance  by  and  50  not  in  the  way 

,  /-         -1  of  evil  7nen. 

the  way  of  evil  men.  ,j  Avoid  it,  pass  not 

iq  Let  that  go  :  do  not  get  on  by  that ;  W  it,  turn  from  it,  and 

J  '^  to   , '  to  J  '  pass  away. 

turn  off  of  It ;  and  pass  on. 

We  must  attend  to  the  minutest  edge  of  the  language.  We 
must  all  "enter"  somewhere.  We  are  all  travelling.  We  all 
necessarily  follow  something.  Don't  take  the  "path  of  the 
wicked  "  for  it.  That  is  the  doctrine.  "  Bo  not  attempt  straight 
guidance."  Observe  ;  this  is  the  word  from  which  comes  happy 
and  happiness.  The  Kal  means  to  be  straight.  The  Pihel,  which 
is  in  use  here,  means  to  straighten,  or  to  go  straight.  All  men 
•  are  attempting  to  go  straight.  Respectable  unbelievers  are 
going  straight  in  the  opinion  of  all  around  them.  They  are 
straightforward  men.  This  father  advises  his  son  not  to  go 
straight  in  that  way.  On  the  contrary  he  says,  (v.  15)  Drop 
out  of  it.  The  word  in  the  original  which  we  translate  "  let  go  " 
means  to  imbridle.  The  idea  of  letting  -loose  is  a  very  suitable 
one ;  for  the  way  of  ambitious  worldlings  is  hard  and  tight. 
Let  go  of  it,  the  wise  man  would  say.  Fush  not  forward  on  it 
in  the  great  enterprise  of  life.  "  Turn  off  of  it."  And  for  the 
very  purpose  of  getting  clear,  get  a  path  of  thine  own.  Take 
my  path ;  and  without  pausing  at  the  treacherous  point,  take  it 
boldly,  "  and  pass  on." 

16  For  the  mere  reason  that  they^  sleep  not,  „o\^  I°eVMhey'have 

done  mischief;  and 
their  sleep  is  taken 
away,  unless  they  cause 
some  to  fall. 


rest  assured  they  do  mischief, 
and  that  their  sleep  is  stolen,  rest  assured 
they  occasion  stumbling. 


We  spoil  Scripture  by  making  mild  passages  introduce  vio- 
lent ones.    The  wise  man  is  speaking  of  sober  sinners :  those 


64  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IV. 

whose  straight  ways  tempt  the  moral  and  polite.  He  is  speak- 
ing of  such  temptations  as  push  us  toward  honest  ends  by  pro- 
crastinating courses ;  the  temptation  to  enrich  our  families,  for 
example,  that  we  may  get  leisure  for  a  more  prosperous  religion. 
He  says,  Let  go  that  course;  pass  not  on  it  even  to  an  honest 
end.  And  then,  that  he  may  enforce  his  teaching,  he  declares 
that  these  honest  men,  the  harder  they  work,  the  more  they  in- 
jure. The  more  grandly  they  push  their  lives,  the  more 
miserably  they  do  harm  to  souls.  Because,  "  For  the  mere 
reason  that  they  sleep  not,  rest  assured  they  do  mischief;  and 
that  their  sleep  is  stolen,  rest  assvured  they  occasion  stumbling." 
Because,  the  inspired  Solomon  would  say,  the  very  ardor  of  the 
most  moral  work,  if  it  be  that  of  an  impenitent,  ripens  the  im- 
penitent man  the  faster.  It  also  makes  him  more  injurious. 
It  heightens  the  example.  It  gives  more  respectable  stand  to 
sin.  It  does  not  mean  (E.  V.)  that  they  are  mad  for  mischief, 
and  that  this  better  sort  are  sleepless  to  destroy.  This  is  the 
jumbling  already  noticed.  But  simply  "  because  "  or  ''''for  the 
reason  that  t/iey  sleep  ?Jot,  if  jwt  {'^"'^i  CJJ^)/'  that  is,  "  rest  assured, 
etc,''  the  form  of  asseveration  (see  Job.  i  :  ii);  ^'' and  because  . 
their  sleep  is  stolen  (i.  e.,  by  hard  work)  rest  assured  that  (55;3  t3i^ 
again)  they  occasion  stumbling."  Meaning,  the  more  sleepless 
the  industrious  impenitent,  the  faster  he  is  carrying  everything 
to  eternal  ruin. 


17  For  they  feed  on  food  of  wickedness, 
and  drink  wine  of  wrongs. 

18  But  the  path  of  the  righteous  is  as  dawn- 

ing light, 
advancing  and  brightening  toward  perfect 
day. 

19  The  way  of  the  wicked  is  as  darkness. 
They  know  not  by  what  they  are  made  to 

stumble. 


17  For  they  eat  the 
bread  of  wickedness, 
and  drink  the  wine  of 
violence. 

18  BmI  the  path  of 
the  just /j- as  the  shin- 
ing light,  that  shineth 
more  and  more  iinto 
the  perfect  day. 

iq  The  way  of  the 
wicked  is  as  darkness  ; 
they  know  not  at  what 
they  stumble. 


"For."  That  the  most  honest  impenitent  man,  the  harder 
he  works,  is  but  increasing  his  wickedness,  finds  a  reason  in 
this, —  that  "wickedness"  is  the  "food"  of  the  sinner.  Just  as 
bread  forms  the  flesh,  and  makes  it  grow  according  as  it  is 
eaten,  so  wickedness  is  the  food  of  the  spirit.     "  My  meat  is," 


Chap.  IV.]  COMMENTARY.  65 

says  Christ  (John  4  :  34),  "  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me, 
and  to  finish  His  \rork."  "  Thy  words  were  found  and  I  did 
eat  them,"  (Jer.  15  :  16).  So  in  this  same  book  (i  :  31)  "  There- 
fore shall  they  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their  own  way :"  the  meaning 
being,  that  a  man's  way,  spiritually  considered,  is  all  that  forms 
him.  He  feeds  upon  it.  If  it  is  righteous,  it  nourishes  him  in 
life.  If  it  is  wicked,  it  nourishes  him  in  death.  '"''  He  feeds  on 
food  of  7vickednes»"  and  grows  exactly  in  proportion  as  he  sins ; 
and  he  drinks  the  "wine  of  wrongs,"  in  that  the  most  moral 
sinner,  the  more  ''''sleep  is  stolen,''  grows  in  his  very  enthusiasms. 
The  more  he  works,  the  more  he  sins.  The  more  he  sins,  the 
more  he  wrongs  others.  And  the  more  he  sins  and  wrongs 
others,  the  more  he  advances  on  the  road  to  death.  His  very  life„ 
if  he  be  only  impenitent,  is  in  its  very  self  a  deadly  banqueting; 
V.  18,  "  But  tlie  path  of  tlie  righteous."  That  is  a  growth,  too^; 
though  the  inspired  father  turns  away  from  the  idea  of  nourish- 
ment ;  for  our  best  righteousnesses  are  but  poor  ''''food"  indeed 
He  likes  to  change  the  figure.  He  gives  an  image  of  advanc- 
ing illumination.  It  is  very  complete;  first,  small  in  tlie  begin- 
ning as  the  grey  morning ;  second,  always  advancing,  because 
neither  saint  nor  sinner  can  ever  stand  still ;  but,  third,  bright- 
ening with  the  advance ;  and,  fourth,  brightening  always ;  for 
"  the  path  of  the  righteous  is  as  dawning  light,  advancing  and 
brightening  toward  perfect  day. "  The  Christian,  once  converted, 
never  stops  his  growth,  and  grows,  as  these  Proverbs  never  fail 
to  insist,  by  attending  to,  that  is,  by  7vatching  over  the  words  of 
Wisdom.  V.  19,  "  The  way  of  the  wicked  is  as  di«jkness.  They 
know  not  by  what  they  are  made  to  stumble.  "^^  Righteousness 
being  only  light  (i  :  2,  3)  unrighteousness  is  i^turally  ''''dark- 
ness." Strange  enough  !  it  is  a  confessed  darkness.  There  is 
a  sort  of  common  light  that  tells  a  man  that  impenitence  is 
darkness.  And  yet  it  does  not  teach  him  better.  Like  mere 
physical  light  at  times,  some  chemical  ray  is  absent.  The 
darkness  that  remains,  is  a  darkness  that  may  be  felt.  It  con- 
stitutes our  eternal  chains  (2  Peter,  2:4);  it  binds  a  man  oa 
the  car  of  ruin.  And  like  a  Christian,  who,  in  his  partial  light,, 
may  fail  to  know  what  is  blessing  him,  so  the  sinner,  in  his  ab- 
solute darkness,  takes  industry  for  virtue,  and  family  love  for  a 


66     '  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IV. 

wholesome  righteousness;  and  does  not  know  the  incidents  of 
life  that  are  stumbling  blocks  to  eternal  ruin. 


20  My  son, attend  to  my  words; 
bend  thine  ear  to  my  speeches. 

21  Let  them  not  get  away  from  thine  eyes; 
guard  them  in  the  midst  of  thine  heart ; 

22  for  they  are  life  to  them  that  find  them, 
and  healing  to  all  their  flesh.  « 

23  More  than  any  guard-post  keep  watch  over 

thine  heart ; 
for  out  of  it  are  the  outgoings  of  life. 


20  My  son,  attend  to 
my  words  ;  incline 
thine  ear  unto  my  say- 
ings. 

21  Let  them  not  de- 
part from  thine  eyas; 
keep  them  in  the  midst 
of  thirn;  he.irt. 

22  I'or  they  are  life 
unto  those  that  find 
them,  and  health  to  all 
their  flesh. 

23  Keep  thy  heart 
with  all  diligence  ;  for 
out  of  it  are  the  issues 
of  life. 


There  is  an  aspect  of  sameness  in  these  beginnings  which  is 
to  be  relieved  by  three  considerations. — First,  they  are  begin- 
nings. One  of  the  characteristics  of  Scripture  is  a  division  like 
Childe  Harold  into  cantos,  or  separate  sonnets.  These  para- 
graphs are  distinct,  and  should  be  separated  by  broad  margins. 
They  are  most  conspicuous  in  the  Prophet  Isaiah;  and,  like 
grapes  upon  a  bunch,  each  wrapped  in  its  individual  rind,  but 
all  clustered  on  the  common  stem.  If  we  ventured  a  conjec- 
ture, it  would  be  that  this  suited  itself  to  the  Israelitish  wor- 
ship. The  synagogue  would  take  one  of  these  cantos  and  use 
it  for  the  day.  They  were  of  irregular  length  ;  but  that  would 
allow  variety.  They  had  some  repetitions ;  but  so  have  missals 
and  breviaries,  that  allow  of  choice  on  different  occasions. 
Repetition  implies  fulness  ;  and  there  was  an  aim  to  provide 
most  of  the  points  for  recitation  on  each  occasion.  What  for  one 
reading  would  seem  very  same,  for  many  readings  would  seem 
wonderfully  diversified.  This  thought  explains  apparent  repe- 
titiousness  in  many  parts  of  the  synagogue  collection.  Second, 
these  directions  to  "attend  "  Solomon  seems  to  prefer  to  repeat, 
(see  3  :  21).  And,  third,  as  a  mark  of  his  genius,  there  is  always 
some  variety.  He  always  advances  upon  the  thought.  There 
is  always  sonae  characteristic  novelty.  And  that  no\elty  is  the 
hinge  of  the  purpose,  and  imbeds  its  meaning  in  the  very  life 
of  the  passage.  That  novelty,  in  the  present  instance,  is  the 
function  of  the  heart.  It  circulates  life.  Give  it  good  blood, 
and  it  will  throw  off  disease.     Give  it  bad  blood,  and  it  will 


Chap.  IV.]  COMMENTARY.  67 

produce  disease.  Give  it  health  enough,  and  it  will  disperse 
incipient  mortification.  Give  it  no  health,  and  it  wjll  produce 
mortification.  See  how  capitally  Solomon  weaves  this  into 
experimental  godliness.  "  Attend  to  my  words.  Bend  thins 
ear  to  my  speeches.  Let  them  not  get  away  from  thine  eyes. 
Guard  them  in  the  midst  of  thine  heart ;  for  they  are  life  to 
them  that  find  them,  and  heahng  to  all  their  flesh,"  In  a  usual 
citadel,  if  the  outposts  fall,  the  citadel  is  immediately  endan- 
gered. But  in  these  fortifications,  the  citadel  governs.  "  Keep 
watch  over  thy  heart,  more  than  any  guard  post ;  for  out  of  it 
are  the  outgoings  of  life."  The  English  version  has  it,  ^^  Keep 
thy  heart  with  all  diligence ."  Others  translate, — •''^  Keep  thy 
heart  more  than  all  other  keeping."  But  by  either  the  main 
beauty  is  sacrificed.  The  noun  has  a  prefix  (^2),  which  de- 
notes ''''post"  ov place,  (see  Class  XXXIX).  The  emblem  was 
at  first  surgical ;  now  military.  Fill  thy  heart  with  the  words 
of  God,  and  they  will  be  healing  to  all  thy  flesh.  Guard  thy 
heart  as  the  great  central  "  guard-post,"  and  no  out-station  v/ill 
be  cut  off.  If  it  be,  for  a  time,  the  heart  will  win  it  again. 
This  is  the  base  of  all  theology.  Give  a  man  a  perfect  heart, 
and  it  will  be  healing  to  all  his  flesh.  It  will  make  obedience 
the  most  glorious  peace.  ''^  Keep  watch  over  thy  heart  more  than 
any  other  guard-post  ■'''  for  if  other  sentry  posts  fall,  they  will  be 
retaken.  Feed  the  heart.  For  the  good  red  blood  of  God's 
truth  will  be  to  all  our  being  the  very  "  out-goings  "  or  circula- 
tion ''  of  life." 


24  Remove  from  thee  crookedness  of  mouth, 
and  swerving  lips  put  far  from  thee. 

25  Let  thine  eyes  look  right  on, 

and  thine  eyelids  be  level  before  thee. 

26  Make  smooth   the   planting-place   of  thy 

foot; 
and  all  thy  ways  shall  be  established  firmly. 

27  Turn  not  to  the  right  or  to  the  left. 
Remove  thy  foot  from  evil. 


24  Put  away  from 
thee  a  froward  mouth, 
and  perverse  lips  put 
far  from  thee. 

25  Let  thine  eyes 
look  right  on,  and  let 
thine  eyelids  look 
straight  before  thee. 

26  Ponder  the  path 
of  thy  feet,  and  let  all 
thy  ways  be  establish- 
ed. 

27  Turn  not  to  the 
right  hand  nor  to  the 
left  :  remove  thy  foot 
from  evil. 


A   signal   token  of  a  bad  heart  is  "crookedness  of  mouth." 
The  meaning  of  this  is, — saying  one  thing  and  doing  another. 


68  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IV. 

This  is  a  great  symptom  of  impenitency,  that  will  condemn  it 
in  the  last  day.  "  Swerving  lips"  are  men  doing  what  they  did 
not  mean  to  do.  If  impenitency  were  consistent  as  a  whole,  it 
would  be  less  absurd;  but  Solomon  constantly  signalizes  the 
fact,  that  it  knows  and  means,  and,  therefore,  continually 
speaks,  better  than  it  does  (2  :  15),  It  does  not  "look  right 
on."  If  the  wicked,  at  any  given  point,  would  start  right  for- 
ward under  the  lead  of  their  shrewdest  thoughts,  it  would  soon 
get  them  to  Canaan.  This  truth  Solomon  paints  by  all  our 
organs;  in  verse  twentieth,  by  the  ear;  in  verse  twenty-first, 
by  the  eyes ;  in  verse  twenty-third,  by  the  heart ;  in  verse 
twenty-fourth,  by  the  mouth;  in  verse  twenty-sixth  by  the 
foot.  "  Ponder  "  (E.  V.  v.  26)  is  an  unfortunate  translation. 
It  confuses  many  passages.  The  primary  meaning  is  to  /cvel. 
We  doubt  if  it  ever  means  to  ponder  (Ps.  58:3;  78  :  50  ;  Prov. 
4  :  26  ;  5  :  6,  21 ;  Is.  26  :  7).  The  sustantive  means  a  scale,  be- 
cause we  have  to  level  it.  Here  it  means  that  we  are  to  level 
our  paths,  just  as  with  another  verb  (v.  25)  we  are  to  let  our 
"  eyelids  "  (not  "  look  "  (E.  V.) ;  for  eyelids  do  not  look  ;  but) 
"be  level  before"  us.  And,  with  this  meaning,  an  exquisite 
sense  springs  out  of  the  twenty-sixth  verse: — "Make  smooth" 
each  foot  planting.  It  is  a  capital  text.  As  in  the  fable  of  the 
pendulum,  we  are  to  endure  and  make  sure  each  swing  by  it- 
self. Then  all  is  cared  for.  We  cannot  attend  to  two  steps  at 
once.  Make  smooth  each  "planting  place  of  thy  foot,"  and 
there  emerges  a  whole  good  path.  Act  for  the  present,  and 
trust  for  the  future.  Act  for  the  present,  and  thus  for  the 
future.  ''''Make  smooth  the  planting  place  of  thy  foot ;  and  all 
thy  ways  shall  be  established  firmly."  "  Turn  not  to  the  right 
or  to  the  left;  "  that  is,  even  thou  thyself  being  the  judge,  as 
in  other  passages — (2  13;  5:12;  20  :  5).  How  that  ought  to 
wither  a  man  ! — that  if  he  followed  his  own  eyes,  and  his 
own  ears,  and  his  own  mind,  wicked  as  they  are,  and  did  it 
consistently,  God  would  long  ago  have  led  him  to  redemp- 
tion. "  Established  firmly  y"  literally  "  jnade  to  stand,"  or  "  set 
tip."  It  looks  to  the  throiving  up  of  the  ancient  highway. 
Level  one  foot-print,  and  the  whole  higlnvay  will  then  be  builded. 


Chap.  V.]  COM  MEN  TAR  Y.  69 

CHAPTER  V. 


My  son,  attend  to  my  wisdom ; 
to  my  discernment  bend  down  thine  ear. 
To  guard  deep  counsels 
and  knowledge,  let  them  mount  guard  over 
thy  lips. 


My  son,  attend  unto 
my  wisdom,  and  bow 
thine  ear  to  my  under- 
standing ; 

2  That  thou  mayest 
regard  discretion,  and 
that  thy  lips  may  keep 
knowledge. 


This  may   seem   the  last   utterance  (vs.    1-6)   of  the  Wise 
Man's  father  (4  :  4)-     He  begins  with  the  usual  entreaties,  tak- 
ing care  always  to  vary  them  ;  for  I  believe  they  are  in  no  two 
cases  alike.     He  advances  them.     They  become  more  abstract, 
and  less  voluntary;  the  implication  being  that  he  has  given 
directions  by  which  these  less  voluntary  things  may  be  practi- 
cally assured.     He  remembers  the  grand  duty,  "  Attend."    But 
he  says,—"  Attend  to  my  wisdom ;"  not  in  this  case,—"  attend  to 
my  tvordsr     To  guard  deep  counsels  and  knowledge,  let  them 
mount  guard  over  thy  hps."     This  will  be  the  third  instance  of 
new  interpretation  by  force  of  the  same  peculiarity  of  gram- 
mar (see  Class  I.)     In  chap.  2  :  i,  2,  the  old  version  has  it;— 
"  If  thou  wilt  receive  ray  words,  so  that  thou  incline  thme  ear 
unto  wisdom,  and  apply  thine  heart  to  understanding."  We  trans- 
lated it ;— "  If  thou  wilt  take  my  words  so  as  to  point  thine  ear 
toward  'wisdom,  thou  shalt  incline  thine  heart  to  discernment." 
In  chap.  2  :  8  the  old  version  has  it,—"  He  keepeth  the  paths 
of  judgment,  and  preserveth  the  way  of  his  saints."     We  trans- 
lated it ;—"  To  keep  watch  over  the  paths  of  judgment,   He 
must  also  guard  the  way  of  His  saints."     So  in  the  present  case 
(v.  2)  the  old  version  has  it,—"  That  thou  mayest  regard  dis- 
cretion, and  that  thy  lips  may  keep  knowledge."     The  gram- 
mar is  precisely  the  same  in  each  of  the  three.     They  begin 
with  an  infinitive  with  b  {to\  and  end  with  a  future.     Strange 
enough  the  three  old  versions  are  made  to  defend  each  other ! 
On  this  last  both  Zockler  and  Maurer  make  a  comment  refer- 
ring each  to  the  others  or  to  some  like  case.     Zockler  treats  of 
them  as  though  there  had  been  a  rule.     "  The  infinitive  withy 
{to)  is  followed  by  the  finite  verb."     And  Maurer  says,—    Ad 
struetin-am  confer  x-^;  2:2,  et  alia  f  while  all  the  while  a 


70  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  V. 

plain  insisting  upon  the  grammar  gives  to  each  of  them  an 
otherwise  unattainable  sense.  What  a  grand  Proverb  the  verse 
before  us  !  "  To  guard  deep  counsels  and  knowledge;"  things 
too  involuntary  to  be  gone  after  in  esse  ;  set  them  to  ivoj-k ;  for 
so  the  idea  is.  It  is  a  deep  philosophy.  To  guard  the  heart, 
guard  its  agencies,  i  Tim.  4:7,  "  Exercise  thyself  unto  god- 
liness." And  this  father  chooses  the  most  difficult  of  all 
guardianships  of  men,  viz.,  the  guardianship  of  the  tongue.  If 
*'  the  tongue  can  no  man  tame,"  then  "  to  guard  deep  eounsels 
and  knowledge,  let  them  moimt  guard  over  thy  lips." 

■  V.  3.  "  For,"  says  the  Wise  Man,  the  lips  are  so  near  us,  and 
whatever  is  sweet  in  saying  what  we  list,  is  so  easily  tasted, 
(because  the  words  are  so  easily  said),  this  watch  is,  of  all  other 
things,  the  most  difficult. 

But  we  must  break  off  just  here  to  study  the  meaning  of 
"the  Strange  "Woman."  She  occurs  so  often  in  this  book  (see 
Class  L.)  that  it  is  not  probable  that  she  is  introduced  simply 
to  denounce  licentiousness.  Indeed,  she  so  stands  twin  pic- 
lure  to  Wisdom,  that  we  come  to  a  firm  belief  that  she  is  in- 
troduced as  the  picture  of  Impenitence.  In  fact,  in  the  last 
case  (9  :  13-18)  she  has  plainly  ripened  into  the  express  por- 
traiture for  Folly.  We  expound  in  this  way : — The  common 
harlot,  is  no  doubt  sufficiently  described.  The  common  liber- 
tine is  no  doubt  sufficiently  admonished.  The  tempted  young 
man  may,  no  doubt,  be  legitimately  taught ;  and  may  learn,  in 
artistic  detail,  the  folly  of  adultery.  But,  aback  of  all  this,  the 
thing  predominantly  meant,  and  to  which  the  other  is  some- 
times sacrificed,  is  the  spreading  forth  of  Impenitence.  Such, 
let  me  now  distinctly  say,  is  a  great  typical  law  (see  Introd. 
§  VI.)  In  history,  no  doubt,  Joshua  crossed  the  Jordan,  but 
the  fact  even,  was  ordained  to  set  forth,  in  visa,  certain  spirit- 
ual truth.  In  prophecy,  no  doubt,  Cyrus  was  to  save  the  Is- 
raelites. But  the  fact, /ri' ;«<??z/^,  was  predicted  by  Isaiah  (Isa. 
45  :  I,  etc.),  less  for  prediction's  sake  than  to  shadow  Another 
Deliverer.  No  doubt  Babylon  was  to  fall ;  but  the  prophecies 
to  that  effect  (Is.  48  :  20),  beyond  all  purpose  of  prophetical 
proof  were  pictures  of  the  gospel.  And  I  wish  to  say,  for  it 
will  often  have  to  be  remarked,  especially  in  other  books,  that 


Chap,  v.]  COMMEN-TARY.  71 

the  picture  may  be  often  violated  in  the  direction  of  the  lower 
end  (Is.  li  :  8;  44:  28)  (I  mean  the  mere  historic  detail);  in 
order  to  complete  philosophically,  the  more  spiritual  represen- 
tation. So  therefore  with  the  "  Strange  Woman."  Her  errand, 
of  the  highest  sort,  is  to  personate  Impenitency.  And  if,  as  she 
comes  into  the  text,  there  is  sometimes  a  too  formal  speech 
(see  5  :  6),  it  is  the  shadowing  of  the  superior  thought,  without 
any  damage  to  the  more  immediate  signification. — 


3  For  the  lips  of  a 
strange  woman  drop  as 
an  honcy-cumb,  and 
her  mouth  is  smoother 
than  oil  : 

4  But  her  end  is  hit- 
ter as  wormwood,  sharp 
as  a  two-edged  sword. 

5  Her  feet  go  down 
to  death  ;  her  steps 
take  hold  on  hell. 

6  Lest  thou  shouldest 
ponder  the  path  of  life, 


3  For  the  lips   of  a   strange   woman   distil 

honey  ; 
and  her  mouth  is  smoother  than  oil ; 

4  but  her  end  bitter  as  wormwood ; 
sharp  as  the  edges  of  a  sword. 

5  Her  feet  go  down  to  death. 
Her  steps  take  hold  of  Sheol. 

6  Lest  she  should  lay  smooth  the  path  of 

life, 
her  tracks  are  shifting.     She  does  not  get  her  ways  are  moveable; 

,  °  °      \tkat   thou    canst    not 

to  know.  |know//i^7«. 

"The  lips  of  a  strange  woman  distil  honey."  That  is,  our 
^^ lips"  (v.  2)  are  so  near  to  us,  and  saying  what  we  like  is  so 
sweet,  that  it  will  specially  ^^  guard  deep  counsels  and  knoivlcdge  " 
(v.  2)  to  cause  them  to  "  mounf  guard"  each  day  over  our 
^^  lips."  "  Ker  mouth  is  smoother  than  oil. "  That  is,  not  only 
the  life  of  a  Strange  Woman,  in  all  its  adulterous  detail,  is  sweet 
both  to  herself  and  her  victims,  but  such,  too,  is  the  impeni- 
tent enchantment.  "  T/ie  lips  of  a  strange  woman  distil  honey." 
The  charm  of  Impenitency  is,  that  it  is  in  our  very  tastes. 
The  choice  of  Hercules  calls  for  a  double  guard,  because  we 
have  to  reject  that  which  is  on  our  very  palate.  V.  4,  "But  her 
end  bitter  as  wormwood."  Whose  end  .i*  Is  it  the  Woman's 
end,  or  her  victim's  end.?  See  next  verse  :  "Her  feet  go  down 
to  death."  Whose  feet.?  Is  it  the  Woman's  feet,  or  her  vic- 
tim's feet .?  A  like  controversy  besets,  3  :  25.  See  remarks  p.  49 
as  to  ''the  destruction  of  the  wicked."  Take  the  strange  woman 
as  a  harlot,  and  the  ambiguity  clouds  us  a  little ;  but  take  her  as 
Impenitence,  and  it  but  adds  to  the  vigor  of  the  picture.  Already 
(see  above)  we  have  reached  a  case  where  the  higher  thought 


72  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  V. 

breaks  through  the  crust  of  the  lower,  where  it  spoils  the  precise- 
ness  of  the  type.  If  the  Strange  Woman  is  Impenitence,  she  lies 
within^  so  to  speak,  her  wretched  victim.  If  her  '''' lips  distil 
honey,'"  it  is  honey  on  the  very  lips  of  the  tempted  man.  If 
^^  her  feci  "  are  lost,  it  is  when  his  are.  Nay,  there  is  a  still  fur- 
ther identification.  Not  only  is  Sin  a  part  of  her  victims,  but 
she  is  a  sufferer  in  her  very  self.  That  is,  "  her  end  is  bitter  as 
wormwood  •"  not  only  in  torments  of  the  flesh,  but  in  torments 
of  her  own  nature.  She  becomes  bitter  herself.  Though  once 
like  honey  upon  the  lips,  "  her  afterwards,''  as  the  expression 
is,  becomes  itself  bitter  as  wormwood.  "  Sharp  as  to  the  edges" 
literally.  Mouths  the  Hebrew  has  it.  The  edge  of  a  sword 
was  called  its  mouth.  "  Shajp  as  a  sivord  of  mouths,"  some 
would  render  it;  i.  e.,  as  *' «  two-edged  sword."  So  it  is  in  the 
English  version.  But  apart  from  the  fact  that  a  two-edged 
sword  is  not  necessarily  sharp,  we  build  upon  a  less  idiomatic 
rendering:  ''''Sharp,  as  to  the  edges,  as  a  sword."  V.  5,  ''''Her 
feet  go  down  to  death,"  that  is,  in  the  instance  of  the  harlot,  her- 
self with  her  votaries ;  in  the  instance  of  Impenitence,  herself 
//2  her  votaries.  "  Her  steps  take  hold  of  Slieol."  Not  ^^  hell" 
(E.  V.)  as  the  name  of  the  dire  Gehenna;  I  mean  not  in  that 
language ;  not  the  grave  merely,  for  that  is  the  fate  of  the  body ; 
but  Sheol,  i.  e.,  the  place  of  the  departed.  It  means  ^^ hell" 
under  a  figure;  just  as  eternal  ruin  is  pictured  under  the  name 
of  "  death."  The  next  verse  is  one  of  those  already  alluded  to 
(vs.  3-5),  too  much  in  the  track  of  a  pronounced  theology, 
to  be  thought  of  as  merely  describing  a  bad  woman.  "  Lest 
she  should  lay  smooth  the  path  of  life;"  that  is,  not  ''''ponder" 
it  (E.  V.)  (see  also  4:  26),  but  ^''smooth"  it,  so  that  she  can 
enter  upon  it;  "her  tracks  are  shifting,"  that  is,  wandering 
all  about.  They  do  not  remain  the  same,  for  then  she  might 
detect  them.  When  disgusted  with  one  course  of  sin  she 
glides  into  another.  The  Strange  Woman  is  constantly  mark- 
ed as  holding  the  reins  by  bustle  (9  :  13).  Let  a  poor  sin- 
ner thhiL  and  he  might  be  saved.  When  quieted  from  one 
task,  behold  another  !  L«  .-.t  she  should  smooth  the  path  of  life, 
she  never  finds  it  out,  because  her  own  tracks  are  eternally 
wandering  round.     This  text  has  caused  a  great  trouble  with 


Chap.  V.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  73 

commentators ;  but  it  seems  to  be  because  there  is  such  terse 
packing  of  the  Hebrew  that  we  do  not  unriddle  it.     The  ab- 
sence of  "//"  at  the  end  is,  perhaps,  the  reason.  .  We  might 
supply  this   particle  without  violence  to   the  grammar.     The 
language  is  about  this  :  "  The  path  of  life  {lest  she  viake  smooth  ; 
her  tracks   are  shifting  j)  she  does  not   get  to  know."     The 
English  version  has  scarce  a  meaning ;  and  Zockler's  ("  The 
path  of  life  she  never  treadeth  ;  her  steps  stray  she  hioweth  not 
whither  ")  has  excellent  meaning,  but  decided  violation  of  text. 
The  question  whether  it  be  "  Lest  she  smooth^  or  Lest  thou 
smooth  ;  and  whether  it  be  "  She  does  not  get  to  ktwu',"  or  Thou 
.  dost  tiotget  to  know,  cannot  be  settled  :  such  is  the  verbal  form. 
And  both  will  make  equal  sense.     So  that  there  is  no  need  to 
settle  it.     The  third  person  feminine,—"  She  does  not  know," 
comes  in  as  well,  or  more  probably  as  best ;  because,  with  the 
Strange  Woman  as  Impenitence,  what  she  does  not  know,  and 
what  we  will  not  know,  are  precisely  the  same,  if  we  become  her 
victims. 

7  And  now,  ye  children,  hearken  unto  me , 
and    turn    not    from   the    words    of    my 

mouth. 

8  Let  thy  way  be  far  off  from  her ; 
and  approach  not  the  door  of  her  house  ; 

Here,  perhaps,  Solomon  begins  again  himself  after  concludmg 
What  his  father  taught  him.  If  so,  the  plural  address,  "Ye 
children,"  which  is  here  resumed,  if  thrown  in  merely  to  mark 
the  change,  he  finds  it  convenient  to  abandon  almost  as  soon 
as  it  is  employed.  "Thy  way,"  he  says,  in  the  next  verse. 
V.  8,  "Her."  He  re-echoes  his  father's  instruction,  and  repeats 
and  extends  it.  "  Let  thy  way  be  far  off  from  her."  As  a  har- 
lot, the  lesson  is,  of  course,  plain.  As  Impenitence,  it  is  the 
fundamental  wisdom  in  avoiding  mischief.  Obsta  principiis ! 
Such  is  the  figurative  representation.  If  a  man  would  not  be 
ruined  by  Folly,  he  must  turn  in  another  direction,  and  go  not 
near  "  the  door  of  her  house." 


7  Hear  me  now  there- 
fore, O  ye  children,  and 
depart  not  from  the 
words  of  my  mouth. 

8  Remove  thy  way 
far  from  her,  and  come 
not  nigh  the  door  of  her 
house  : 


9  lest  thou  give  thy  powers  to  others, 
and  thy  years  to  the  cruel ; 

4 


9  Lest  thou  give  thme 
honour  unto  others, 
and  thy  years  unto  the 
cruel  ; 


74  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  V. 

10  lest  strangers  be  filled  with  thy  strength,     I    lo  Lest  strangers  ha 
and  thy  hard  toils  be  in  the  house  of  a  fl'fthy' labour t-'m 

Stransrer  *  the  house  of  a  stranger: 

"  Thy  power."  One's  strength  may  be  given  to  vice,  but  not 
in  the  same  degree,  as  it  is  to  impenitence.  If  a  man  is  im- 
penitent, all  his  possessions  are  for  others.  He  is  trading  on 
what  is  not  his  own  (Luke  i6  :  12).  His  possessions  will  be 
absolute  pests  (Ec.  11:9).  All  his  wealth  will  go  to  the  right- 
eous (Eg.  2  :  26).  The  Bible  distinctly  assumes  that  all  men 
are  to  be  useful  (Ec.  5:9);  the  righteous  partly  to  themselves; 
the  wicked  only  to  the  righteous.  If  a  man  listens  to  Impeni- 
tence (v.  10)  "Strangers  [zuilt)  be  filled  with.  (/«V)  strength; 
and  {Jiis)  hard  toils  {tuill)  be  in  the  house  of  a  stranger."  And 
one  keenest  torment  of  the  damned,  will  be  to  find  that  they 
are  working  hard  in  the  very  pit  for  the  universe ;  submitting 
to  the  sentence  (Matt.  25  :  28),  "  Take,  therefore,  the  talent 
from  him  and  give  it  to  him  that  hath  ten  talents."  The 
adulterer  might  make  himself  a  bankrupt,  and  get  himself  sold 
(v.  10)  for  his  transgression ;  but  that  is  a  trifle  compared  with 
the  sweeping  surrender  that  must  be  made  of  all  by  the  finally 
impenitent. 

11  and  thou  groan  in  thine  after  lot, 
when    thy   flesh    and   thy   roundness    are 

consumed, 

12  and  say.  How  have  I  hated  admonition, 
and  my  heart  despised  reproof, 

13  and  I   not  heard  the  voice  of  them  that 

directed  me, 
nor  to  my  teachers  inclined  mine  ear ! 

14  I  soon  became  like  any  wicked  man 
in  the  midst  of  the  congregation  and  as- 
sembly. 

"Groan."  This  word  marks,  more  than  '''' mourii'  (E.  V.), 
the  deep  grief  of  the  lost  at  the  wasting  of  all  their  oppor- 
tunities. "Thine  after  lot."  The  noun  is  difficult  to  translate. 
It  means  tluiic  aftcnvards.  "  Ai  the  last"  (E.  V.)  will  not 
answer;  because  long  before  the  very  last,  the  sinner  may  wake 
up  to  his  insanity,  and  many  times  may  repeat  these  occasions 
of  inexpressible  remorse.     "And  thy  roundness."     Both  these 


11  And  thou  mourn 
at  the  last,  when  thy 
flesh  and  thy  body  are 
consumed, 

12  And  say.  How 
have  I  hated  instruc- 
tion, and  my  heart  des- 
pised reproof ; 

13  And  have  not 
obeyed  the  voice  of  my 
teachers,  nor  inclined 
mine  ear  to  them  that 
instructed  me  ! 

14  1  was  almost  in  all 
evil  in  the  midst  of  the 
congregation  and  as- 
sembly. 


Chap.  V.]  COM  MEN  TAR  Y.  75 

words  mean  "  flesh."  In  the  paucity  of  our  English,  we  go  to 
the  root  of  one  of  them,  which  is  swelling,  "  roundness"  and 
translate  by  that.  The  very  ''■flesh  "  which  seduces  the  sinner, 
is  that  which  is  to  bear  the  eternal  penalty.  V.  12.  "Despised." 
Grave  as  the  sinner's  fears  are ;  and  hard,  all  the  time,  as  is  the 
load  of  his  guilt;  yet,  in  wordly  engrossment,  he  does  look 
down  upon  the  things  of  the  gospel.  It  is  a  strange  confusion. 
Gravely  asked,  he  admits  the  supremacy  of  religion ;  and  yet 
uppermost  in  his  heart  is  a  quiet  contempt  for  it.  V.  14. 
"Soon."  We  have  examined  the  eighteen  cases  where  this 
word  occurs  in  the  Scripture,  and  in  no  one  of  them  does  it 
mean  " almost"  as  in  the  English  Version.  It  is  composed  of 
two  words,  one  a  substantive,  meaning  liiile,  and  the  other  a 
particle  meaning  as.  ''As  a  little  "  is,  therefore,  the  seed  of  the 
thought.  To  do  a  thing,  therefore,  "as  a  little  thing"  may 
mean  to  do  it  as  a  thing  of  small  importance  (i  Chron.  16  :  19), 
or  to  do  it  easily  (Gen.  26  :  10),  or,  where  the  idea  of  time  is 
understood  (and  that  is  its  most  frequent  bearing),  to  do  it 
"soon."  This  is  its  sense  in  the  following  passages  :— Job  32  : 
22  ;*  Ps.  2  :  12  ;t  Ps.  81  :  14  ; J  Ps.  94  :  17. §  In  the  present 
passage,  the  inspired  man  means  to  teach  how  "  soon  "  the  des- 
pising of  admonition  brings  even  the  instructed  youth  down  to 
the  level  of  any  sinner.  "  I  soon  became  like  any  wicked  man." 
There  are  three  meanings  that  this  clause  is  capable  of,  and  we 
have  to  choose,  with  some  difficulty,  as  to  the  proof  between 
them.  "  Wicked  man"  has  the  threefold  ambiguousness  that 
creates  the  doubt.  It  is,  indeed,  a  mere  adjective,  meaning 
evil.  It  may  mean  {1)  an  evil  man;  or  it  may  mean  {2)  an  evil 
thing,  in  the  sense  of  a  calamity  j  or  it  may  mean  (3)  an  evil 
thing,  in  the  sense  oi  a  wickedness.  If  it  mean  the  second  (2) 
the  verse  would  be  "  I  was  soon  in  all  disaster  in  the  midst  of 
the  congregation  and  of  the  assembly  ;"  that  is,  under  sentence 
for  adultery  and,  in  the  wider  view,  under  condemnation  as  im- 
penitent. This  is  not  an  impossible  meaning,  but  uses  the 
preposition  "in  "  (in  the  first  clause),  in  rather  a  peculiar  signi- 

*"In  so  doing  my  Maker  would  soon  fake  me  away."  +  "  For  soon  is  His  wrath 
kindled."  X  "  I  should  soon  have  subdued  their  enemies."  §  "  My  soul  had  soon 
dwelt  in  silence." 


76  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  V. 

fication.  If,  again,  we  choose  the  third  (3)  the  verse  would 
mean,  "  I  was  soon  in  all  wickedness  in  the  midst  of  the  con- 
gregation and  the  assembly."  But  if  we  choose  the  first  (i), 
we  call  in  the  beth  essentia;,  the  special  meaning  of  "  in  "  where 
it  becomes  equivalent  to  ''as"  (see  Class  XXVI).  Thus,  we 
believe,  it  becomes  most  expressive.  The  religiously  educated 
separate  their  case  from  the  mass.  The  inspired  man  warns 
them  that  this  is  altogether  an  error.  There  is  a  grand  resem- 
blance. In  fact  .there  is  a  depth  of  iniquity  where  the  well 
educated  despise  reproof.  They  "  soon'  become  "  like  any 
wicked  man  /'  and  while  they  still  arrogate  to  themselves  places 
with  Christians,  to  the  eye  of  the  world  they  are  like  any  evil 
man  "in  the  midst  of  tlie  congregation  and  assembly." 

15  Drink  waters  out  of  thine  own  cistern  ;        \J\S^\T^!,::'l 
Yea,  running  waters  from  within  thine  own  and  running  waters  o 

,,  '-'  of  thine  own '.veil. 

well. 

16  Let  thy  fountains  overflow  abroad; 
as  streams  of  water  in  the  open  squares. 

17  Let  them  be  for  thyself  alone, 
and  for  no  strangers  with  thee. 

18  Let  thy  fountain  be  blessed  ; 
and  have  joy  from  the  wife  of  thy  youth. 


16  Let  thy  fountains 
be  dispersed  abroad, 
and  rivers  of  water  in 
the  streets. 

17  Let  them  be  only 
thine  own,  and  not 
strangers'  with  thee. 

18  Let  thy  fountain 
be  blessed  ;  and  re- 
joice with  the  wife  of 
thy  youth. 


This  is  a  most  elaborate  trope  built  upon  usages  scarce 
thought  of  in  our  land.  Solomon  lays  it  more  tlioroughly  bare 
in  Solomon's  Song,  4:12.  "A  garden  enclosed  is  my'sister, 
my  spouse;  a  spring  shut  up,  a  fountain  sealed."  Wells  were 
important  private  properties,  and  matters  of  jealousy  (Ex.  2  : 
17)  and  bargain  (John  4  :  5).  Proprietors  seem  to  have  sealed 
springs  up  to  keep  them  uncontaminated.  Solomon  hims.lf  is 
said  to  have  owned  one  some  fifty  yards  above  his  fish  pools, 
which  he  kept  "sealed,  to  preserve  the  waters  for  his  own 
drinking."  See  Maundrell  {^'Journey.").  The  type,  then,  in 
matters  of  marriage,  is  complete.  "  Drink  waters  out  of  t.iine 
own  cistern;  yea,  running  waters  from  within  thine  own  well." 
"  From  within"  literally,  from  ike  middle  of.  Tlie  expression 
is  not  unintentional.  The  habit  was"  to  protect  the  jniddie,  or, 
we  should  rather  translate,  the  kcad  of  the  spring ;  for  the  lower 


Chap,  v.]  COMMENTARY.  77 

water,  or  as  the  next  verse  calls  it,  the  ^''overflow'"  of  the 
stream  could  not  and  need  not  be  sealed  or  protected.  V.  16. 
"  Let  thy  fountains  overflow  abroad ;  as  streams  of  water  in  the 
open  squares."  The  analogy  of  Scripture  would  make  this  a 
reference  to  offspring.  "  Thus  the  mother,  Sarah,  is  compared 
to  a  well  spring  (Is.  51:1),  and  Judah,  the  patriarch,  is  spoken 
of  as  "waters"  (Is.  48:  i);  as  also  Israel  (Num.  24:7;  Ps. 
68:26)." — Umbreit.  V.  17.  "Let  them  be  for  thyself  alone 
and  for  no  strangers  with  thee."  This  would  seem  inconsistent 
at  first  with  the  idea  of  flowing  all  abroad.  The  fountain  of 
the  most  recluse  court  had  to  break  away  through  the  wall, 
and  find  itself  at  last  in  the  streets  and  open  squares.  The 
spring  of  Solomon  broke  its  way  to  Kedron.  But  the  Proverb, 
without  troubling  itself  with  the  type,  presses  for  two  things, — 
the  sanctity  of  the  mother  and  the  child ;  the  sanctity  of  the 
mother,  and,  therefore,  the  child.  "  Let  them  be  for  thyself 
alone,"  i.  e.,  both  the  fountain  and  the  issue.  And,  lifting  this 
to  the  higher  region  of  Impenitency,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  wis- 
dom must  be  a  sealed  fount,  and  how  we  must  keep  the  world 
out' of  it,  if  we  would  drink  its  living  waters. 


19  A  loving  hind  and  graceful  ibex, 

let  her  breasts  satisfy  thee  at  all  times ; 
and  be  thou  always  insane  with  her  love. 


ig  Lei  her  be  as  the 
loving  hind  and  pleas- 
ant roe  ;  let  her  breasts 
satisfy  thee  at  all  times, 
and  be  thou  ravished 
always  with  her  love. 


"Ibex."  Where  a  word  occurs  but  once  in  the  Hebrew,  its 
translation  is  often  a  matter  of  conjecture.  These  gazelle-like 
and  light  built  tenants  of  mountainous  heights  are  all  beautiful, 
and  are  all  Scriptural -types  of  objects  of  affection.  It  makes 
little  difference  what  is  the  precise  translation.  "Let  her 
breasts  satisfy  thee;"  rather  a  sacrifice  of  the  strict  type  to  the 
grander  lesson.  "  Satisfy  "  means  in  the  way  of  drinh.  The 
writer  seems  unable  to  keep  his  thought  off  from  the  sinner  as  at 
the  breasts  of  Wisdom.  "  Let  her  breasts  satisfy  thee,"  or  give 
thee  drink  "at  all  times."  We  are  to  resort  to  no  other  foun- 
tain. And  then  comes  in  a  very  peculiar  word,  which  is  re- 
peated in  the  20th  and  23d  verses,  which  comes  from  reeling 
and  staggering  in  drink.     We  are  to  be  "-ravished''  (E.  V.) 


78  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  V. 

with  gospel  wisdom ;  we  are  to  be  entirely  entranced  with  it ; 
we  are  not  to  let  the  world  come  in,  and  foul  her  spring ;  we 
are  not  to  let  the  offspring  of  our  life  be  sin  and  folly ;  we  are 
not  (v.  20)  to  be  "insane"  or  ''''ravished"  (E.  V.)  "over  a 
strange  woman;"  or  in  miserable  engrossment  with  Impeni- 
tence, and  seduction  into  the  ways  of  the  world,  (in  the  figura- 
tive language  of  the  book)  "  embrace  the  bosom  of  an  alien  "  : — 


20  And  why,  my  son,  be  insane  over  a  strange 
woman, 
and  embrace  the  bosom  of  an  alien  ? 


20  And  why  wilt 
thou,  my  son,  be  rav- 
ished with  a  strange 
woman,  and  embrace 
the  bosom  of  a 
stranger  ? 


"My  son;"  a  rare  instance  where  this  address  does  not  begin 
a  canto.  "Why?"  The  question  is  intended  to  be  pressed. 
The  well  raised  impenitent  cannot  answer.  The  commerce 
with  the  "  Strange  Woman  "  breeding  a  spurious  and  patricidal 
offspring,  is  so  plainly  mad,  that  the  rightly  educated  impeni- 
tent cannot  possibly  answer  the  Wise  Man's  question. 

He  goes  on,  therefore,  to  the  philosophic  close,  as  in  most  of 
the  other  passages ;  where  the  texts  become  so  measured  and 
complete  as  to  lift  us,  in  spite  of  ourselves,  above  the  contem- 
plation of  mere  adultery  to  the  more  systematic  thoughts  con- 
nected v/ith  our  whole  impenitence  : — 


21   For  directly  in  God's  sight  are  the  ways 
of  a  man  ; 
and  all  his  paths  He  levels  down. 


21  For  the  ways  of 
man  are  before  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord,  and 
he  pondereth  all  his 
goings. 


"  A  man,"  i.  e.,  any  man.  He  speaks  now  of  both  saint  and 
sinner.  "Directly  in  God's  sight.."  The  word  is  a  very  pecu- 
liar one — confronting  God's  eyes.  The  meaning  is,  that  directly 
in  God's  eyes  are  the  ways  of  every  man,  as  if  there  were  no 
other  creature  in  the  universe  :  as  though  the  Wise  Man  were 
saying, — Why,  because  the  way  seems  smooth,  and  you  seem 
helped  in  your  ambitious  schemes,  do  you  go  on  in  your  im- 
pcnitency,  and  embrace  the  bosom  of  this  wanton .?  Why  do 
you  side  with  Folly,  because  your  way  seems  helped,  and  you 
go  on  naturally,  and,  to  some  view,  wisely  in  your  worldliness  } 
"For  "  (v.  21)  the  way  of  every  man  is  directly  in  the  sight  of 


Chap.  V.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  79 

God.  He  takes  the  most  emphatic  interest  in  our  schemes, 
whether  we  are  doing  well  or  ill.  He  helps  us  either  in  sin- 
ning or  doing  right.  As  He  Himself  expresses  it, — "  He  levels 
Q^{oncs)  paths."  -Not  that  He  approves  the  drunkard;  not 
that  we  are  to  involve  Him  in  the  folly  of  any  sin  (see  16:2  and 
21:2);  but  that  if  a  man  desires  to  drink,  He  levels  the  way 
for  him.  If  he  wishes  liquor,  He  gives  it ;  if  he  desires  inebri- 
ety, He  gives  the  intoxicating  sense  ;  if  he  desires  to  steal,  He 
gives  the  eye  and  the  nerve.  Nay,  He  is  directly  eyeing  the 
track  of  sin,  and  makes  almost  providential  way  for  it.  So 
that  the  moral  impenitent  is  not  to  imagine,  because  God  in- 
tervenes in  his  behalf,  that,  therefore,  it  is  righteous  to  go  on, 
"  For  directly  in  God's  sight  are  the  ways  of  (any)  man,  and 
all  his  paths  He  levels  down."  The  Divinity  seems  to  help  the 
struggling,  whether  saint  or  sinner ;  and  directly  in  His  sight 
the  struggle  passes,  and  by  the  very  statutes  of  His  nature,  He 
intervenes  always  and  gives  a  hand. 

But,  the  inspired  man  goes  on  profoundly, — 


22  His  own  iniquities 
shall  take  the  wicked 
himself,  and  he  shalT  be 
holden  with  the  cords 
of  his  sins. 


2  2  His  very  iniquities  trap  him,  if  he  be  a 
wicked  man ; 
and  he  is  holden  by  the  cords  of  his  sin. 

The  thought  that  he  is  prospered;  the  grave  moral  look  that 
his  enterprise  wears  from  its  being  levelled  as  one  of  the  very 
ways  of  Providence ;  the  very  impulse  that  the  debauchee  re- 
ceives, because  his  passions  and  his  loves  seem  to  be  given  to 
him  by  the  hand  of  Heaven,  all  help  in  one  characteristic  of  a 
trap.  " His  very  iniquities  trap  him."  The  arms  of  the  Fair 
Deceiver  become  the  levelled  pathway  of  a  snare.  And  he  is 
not  only  caught  by  the  smooth  promise  of  his  work,  but  actually 
made  stronger  and  stronger  as  he  sins.  We  have  here,  there- 
fore, the  great  doctrine  of  religion,  that  Sin  itself,  as  the  Strange 
Woman,  is  the  great  trap  for  the  sinner,  and  the  great  cord  that 
keeps  him  in  his  sins :  just  as  darkness,  by  being  dark  itself, 
keeps  a  man  dark,  and  is  the  great  dungeon  that  is  to  bind  ^the 
man  under  the  power  of  its  eternal  chains  ( Jude  6th).  "  If 
he  be  a  wicked  man;"  not  "//,"  in  actual  Hebrew,  but  //"re- 
quired to  express  an  apposition.      The    throwing   in  of   this 


8o  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VI. 

clause  is  simply  to  provide  for  the  fact  that  verse  21st  has  been 
speaking  "  of  {any)  man  y"  and  this  verse  undertakes  to  state  a 
fact,  "  if  he  be  a  wicked  "  one. 


23  In  his  very  self  he  dies  for  lack  of  discip- 
line ; 
and  by  the  greatness  of  his  folly  is  he  made 
insane. 


I  23  He  shall  die  with- 
out instruction  ;  and  in 
the  greatness  of  his 
folly  he  shall  go  astray. 


"  In  his  very  self."  The  pronoun  here  is. not  to  be  lost  sight 
of  in  its  emphasis,  The  ^''very  iniquities''  oi  a  man  (v.  22,) 
are  himself  acting  out  his  own  nature.  If  the  very  iniquities 
of  a  man  are  a  trap  to  him,  and  every  sin  ties  a  fresh  "  cord  " 
upon  him,  then  the  figure  oi  death  is  happily  applied  to  himself 
as  sinful.  "/;/  his  very  self  h-Q  dies."  There  is  no  hope  of 
him.  If  the  sinner  in  himself  is  bound  ;  and  every  sin  ties  a 
fresh  cord  upon  him ;  and  every  act  is  nothing  but  a  sin ;  then 
what  possibly  can  set  him  free  ?  He  might  be  freed  by  whole- 
some discipline  :  but  as  discipline  is  a  thing  he  hates  (v.  12.), 
what  can  force  it  upon  him  but  a  sovereign  power.?  He  grows 
insane  by  his  very  folly,  made  madder  by  his  very  madness ; 
and  this  is  the  summing  up  to  all  this  chapter  — "  In  his  very 
self  he  dies  by  lack  of  discipline,  and  by  the  greatness  of  his  folly 
is  he  made  insane."  "  Made  insane  "  is  the  same  word  as  in  ^er- 
ses  19,  20. 


CHAPTER  VL 

1  My  son,  if  thou   art  under  surety  to  thy 

friend, 
thou  hast  stricken  thy  hand  for  a  stranger. 

2  Thou  art   snared  by  the  speeches  of  thy 

mouth. 
Thou  hast  been  caught  by  the  speeches  of 
thy  mouth. 


My  son,  if  thou  be 
surety  for  thy  friend, 
1/  thou  hast  stricken 
thy  hand  with  a 
stranger, 

2  Thou  art  snared 
with  the  words  of  thy 
mouth,  thou  art  taken 
with  the  words  of  thy 
mouth. 


Here  again,  as  in  the  instance  of  the  Strange  Woman,  we 
are  to  settle  for  all  the  book  (see  Classes  L.  and  LIT.)  how  we 
are  to  regard  this  picture,  (i.)  Are  we  to  consider  it  merely 
as  a  warning  against  suretyships.'  or  (2)  are  v/e  to  consider  it 


Chap.  VI.]  COMMENTARY.  8i 

merely  as  an  allegorical  picture  }  or  (3),  as  in  the  instance  of 
the  Strange  Woman,  are  we  to  unite  the  two  ?  We  are  oppos- 
ing all  the  commentators  in  not  choosing  the  first.  But  we  are 
inclined  to  the  belief  that  this  is  a  religious  book.  We  mean 
by  that,  that  it  is  purely  spiritual  (see  Introd.  §  6.);  and  that 
it  took  the  seat,  in  those  days,  of  gospel  teaching ;  that  there 
may  be  imagined  in  it  only  meanings  like  those  we  might  find 
in  the  Apostle  Paul ;  that  there  are  no  Poor  Richard  maxims 
in  it,  or  worldly  policies  just  for  policy  or  prudence'  sake  ;  that, 
therefore,  a  mere  guard  against  suretyships  would  not  be  con- 
sistent for  the  book ;  that  suretyships  are  often  right,  and,  like 
giving  (Prov.  28:  27),  and  lending  (Matt.  5  :  42),  and  bearing 
each  other's  burdens  (Gal.  6  :  2),  a  positive  duty  ;  and  that, 
therefore,  in  all  the  instances  in  the  Proverbs  (6:  i,  n  :  15,  17  : 
18,  20  :  16,  27  :  13),  which  we  will  expound  when  they  come  in 
turn,  a  bald  advice,  in  forina  lit.,  is  not  the  thing  we  can  possi- 
bly conceive.  Nor,  either,  can  we  take  the  second  choice,  and 
suppose  the  whole  to  be  but  a  gospel  allegory.  Suretyships  are 
bad  things,  and  border  so  upon  the  confines  of  religious  evil, 
that  a  wise  man  might  easily  feel  strongly  in  their  case ;  and, 
therefore,  (though  even  on  a  lower  plot,)  we  would  imagine 
them  as  standing  like  the  picture  of  the  Harlot.  Let  the  passer 
by  take  the  warning  of  the  lower  truth ;  and  let  the  wisdom  in 
respect  to  suretyships  be  considered  as  truthfully  expressed ; 
but,  (not  at  all  as  itself  the  great  object  of  Solomon,)  let  it 
rather  be  considered  as  the  machinery  for  a  much  higher  lesson  ; 
one  more  religious  in  its  cast,  and  more  richly  deserving  a  place 
in  the  inspired  Scripture.  V.  i.  "  My  son,  if  thou  art  under 
surety  to  thy  Friend."  The  word  translated  "'surety'''  in  the 
English  Version,  means  primarily  to  interweave :  and  that 
rather  in  an  intransitive  sense.  A  man  who  interweaves  a 
stranger  (Gen.  43  :  9),  or,  rather,  is  interwoven  ivith  him,  is  one 
implicated  in  the  same  account,  and  therefore  who  has  become 
surety  for  him.  This  is  the  source  of  all  the  meaning ;  and  in 
Prov.  24  :  21,  the  old  meaning  of  being  interwoven,  or  oi  mixing 
up,  is  obviously  maintained.  "  My  son,  fear  thou  the  Lord  and 
the  king,  and  meddle  not  with  them  that  are  given  to  change." 
This  word,  interweave,  requires  no  preposition,  but  fits  directly 

A* 


82  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VI. 

on  its  object.  To  interzaeave  a  man  means  to  endorse  him ; 
that  is,  to  be  mixed  up  with  him  on  his  note.  So  to  be  "  surety 
for  a  stranger,"  in  three  places  (Prov.  ii  :  15,  20  :  16,  27  :  13), 
is  not  expressed  by  help  of  a  preposition,  but  the  verb  fits  right 
down  upon  its  accusative  case.  The  preposition,  therefore,  in 
the  first  verse  adds  something,  and  it,  points  us  to  the  Friend, 
whom  we  secure ;  not  to  the  man  for  whom  we  go  security. 
Our  translators,  therefore,  are  wrong  in  confounding  the  per- 
sonages in  the  first  and  second  clause.  Moreover,  they  are 
wrong  in  putting  the  two  clauses  in  apposition.  The  commen- 
tators are  still  further  wrong  who  repeat  the  word  "  if  "  to  all 
the  clauses  down  to  the  third  verse.  The  word  "  if  "  belongs 
only  where  it  stands.  The  meaning  is,  "  //  thou  art  under 
surety  to  thy  Friend,  thou  hast  stricken  thy  hand  for  a  stranger  ;" 
the  stranger  being  he  who  seduced  thee  on  his  bond  ;  the 
Friend  being  He  to  whom  the  bond  is  to  be  paid  ;  and  as  an- 
other grand  inference,  "  Thou  art  snared  by  the  speeches  of  thy 
mouth.  Thou  hast  been  caught  by  the  speeches  of  thy  mouth." 
There  seem  to  have  been  forms  not  gone  through  with  by  the 
pen,  but  by  the  hands  and  the  lip.  The  terrible  scourge  of 
securityship  is  meant  to  be  depicted;  and  that  fearful  trait 
of  it,  that  it  is  a  snare  which  the  mere  breath  of  the  lips,  like 
the  mere  stroke  of  the  pen  in  our  day,  sufficed  to  enter.  The 
warning,  therefore,  is  full  against  suretyships.  But  let  us  com- 
plete the  case  : — 


Do  this  now,  my  son,  and  deliver  thyself; 
for  thou  hast  come  into  the  hand  of  thy 

friend : — 
Go  cast  thyself  under  foot,  and  importune 

thy  friend. 
Give  not  sleep  to  thine  eyes, 
or  drowsy  heaviness  to  thine  eyelids. 
Get  snatched  as  a  roe  from  the  hand ; 
yea,  as  a  bird  from  the  hand  of  the  en- 

snarer. 


3  Do  thi?  now,  my 
son,  and  deliver  thy- 
self, when  thou  art 
come  into  the  hand  of 
thy  friend  ;  go,  humble 
thyself,  and  make  sure 
thy  friend. 

4  Give  not  sleep  to 
thine  eyes,  nor  slumber 
to  thine  eyelids. 

5  Deliver  thyself  as  a 
roe  from  the  hand  of 
the  hunter^  and  as  a 
bird  from  the  hand  of 
the  fowler. 


"Now."  This  word  is  an  actual  one,  and  intended  to  con- 
vey intensity.  "For  thou  hast  come;"  hot  '"''ivhcn  thou  art 
conic  "  (E.  v.).     The  inspired  man  wishes  to  press  the  idea  of 


Chap.  VI.]  COMMENTAR  Y 


^3 


the  creditor.     "  Cast  thyself  under  foot ;"  (literally,  Zef  thyself  be 
trajnpled upo7i).     The  English  Version  says,  ''Humble  thyself r 
We  try  to  retain  the  extremeness  of  the  humiliation.     "  Make 
sure  thy  friend;'  say  the  translators ;  but  the  word  means  to 
press  heavily,  to  urge.     Go  down  tmder  his  feet,  "  and  importune 
thy  Friend."     V.  4,  "Drowsy  heaviness  to  thine  eyeHd-s."     Not 
only  do  not  sleep,  but  do  not  drowse.    V.  5,  "  Get  thyself  snatch- 
ed."    It  is  a  Niphal.     We  cannot  snatch  or  ''deliver"  (E.  V.) 
ourselves  from  the  bond  when  we  have  once  gone  down  upon  it. 
But  all  this  is  an  appeal  to  "the  Friend"  (v.  i) ;  and  that,  ob- 
viously, is  not  the  bond-giver  who  has  seduced  us  to  endorse 
him,  and  is  as  helpless  as  we  to  get  anybody  off;  but  the  bond- 
holder; and  the  great  remedy,  therefore,  for  a  securityship  is  to 
go  beg  off  in  the  most  unspeakable  abjectness,  and  to  press  and 
to  urge  the  creditor  to  release  our  name.     Now  I  say.  This  is 
not,  simpliciter,  the  gist  of  the  inspiration.     But,  if  we  introduce 
the  gospel :  if  we  see  in  this  a  great  picture  of  our  guilt :  if  we 
see  in  the  bond-holder  the  Friend  to  whom  we  are  to  appeal : 
if  we  see  in  the  bond-giver,  Sin  in  4II  the  seductive  forms  in 
which  it  has  come  down  to  us  from  the  original  transgressor :  if 
the  gripe  of  the  suretyship  is  the  law,  and  the  form  of  the  law 
is  the  broken  covenant ;  if  the  act  of  our  "  striking  hands  "  is 
the  way  we  have  accepted  the  curse  of  Adam,  and  the  way  we 
have  volunteered  under  this  " strangers  "  burdens,  then  the 
whole  passage  becomes  complete,  and  we  are  ready  for  the  ap- 
peal, "  Go  cast  thyself  under  foot  and  importune  thy  Friend." 
That  is  the  very  gospel.      "Give  not  sleep  to  thine  eyes,"     An 
eternal  bond,  with  our  names  down  upon  it,  a  bond  signed 
first  by  Adam,  and  due  to  our  Great  Father  in  the  heavens,  is 
one  where  we  have  been  suffering  our  names  to  stand.     We 
have  really  struck  hands  for  a  stranger.     And  now  the  only 
method  is  to  go  at  once  to  the  "FRIEND,"  and  by  humble- 
ness and  urgency  push  the  measure  of  an  entire  release. 

For  this  end,  what  better  than  the  picture  of  the  ant .?  If 
the  sinner  succeeds,  it  must  be  by  earnest  pressing.  And  for 
this  he  is  altogether  too  sluggish : — 


84 


PRO  VERBS. 


[Chap.  VI. 


6  Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard ; 
see  her  ways,  and  be  wise  : 

7  who,  having  no  counsellor, 
director,  or  ruler, 

8  lays  up  her  food  in  the  summer, 

yea,   through  harvest  has  gathered   what 
she  is  to  eat. 


6  Go  to  the  ant,  thou 
sluggard  ;  consider  her 
ways,  and  be  wise  : 

7  Which  having  no 
guide,  overseer,  or  ru- 
ler, 

8  Provideth  her  meat 
in  the  summer,  and 
gathereth  her  food  in 
the  harvest. 


"  Go  to  the  ant,"  a  common  emblem  in  the  East.  "  See  her 
ways;"  not  necessarily  ^^ consider"  (E.  V.)  Seeing  is  the  Heb- 
rew ;  and  it  is  enough.  V,  7,  "  No  counsellor,  director  or  ruler." 
'"''  Kadiy  JVa/i,  and  Emir"  says  Zockler,  as  corresponding  Arabic 
titles;  and  most  of  the  expositors  inquire  as  to  the  official  dif- 
ference. If  there  be  any,  we  would  attribute  to  the  first,  de- 
cision, or  mere  counsel ;  to  the  second,  law-making,  or  absolute 
direction ;  and  to  the  third,  overseeing,  or  active  government. 
Without  these  three  in  the  East,  what  horrible  indolence ! 


9  How  long  wilt  thou  lie,  O  sluggard  } 
When  wilt  thou  arise  out  of  thy  sleep  } 

10  A  little  sleep  !     A  little  drowsing  ! 
A  little  folding  of  the  hands  to  rest ! 

1 1  So  comes  thy  poverty  like  one  that  travels ; 
and  thy  want  like  an  armed  man. 


9  How  long  wilt  thou 
sleep,  O  sluggard? 
when  wilt  thou  arise 
out  of  thy  sleep  ? 

10  Yet  a  little  sleep, 
a  little  slumber,  a  little 
folding  of  the  hands  to 
sleep : 

11  So  shall  thy  pov- 
erty come  as  one  that 
travelleth,  and  thy 
want  as  an  armed  man. 


"How  long?"  This  is  the  same  appeal  as  in  chap  i  :  22.  In 
the  higher  spiritual  sense,  slothfulness  is  one  of  the  names  of 
Folly.  The  appeal,  "  Hmv  long  ?"  is  one  of  the  constant  ut- 
terances of  the  preacher  of  the  word.  V.  10,  "A  Httle  sleep!" 
A  taunting  irony.  An  imitation,  not  an  actual  quotation,  of 
what  the  sluggard  is  always  saying.  V.  11,  "So  conies  thy 
poverty  like  one  that  travels."  A  most  dreadful  simile  !  One 
that  has  waited  for  a  fight,  knows  how  slowly  the  armed  men 
seem  to  come  up.  They  may  be  hours  passing  the  intervening 
space.  There  is  no  sound  of  them.  They  are  not  on  the  roads, 
or  on  the  air,  either  in  sight  or  echo ;  and  yet  they  are  coming 
on  !  The  intervening  time  is  the  sluggard's  sleeping  time ;  and 
it  seems  an  age.  But  his  want  will  come  "  like  one  that  travels  " 
doom-like  and  certain,  like  the  tramp  of  armed  men.    All  sloth- 


Chap.  VI.]  COM  MEN  TAR  V.  85 

fulness  is,  no  doubt  rebuked ;  but  especially  that  which  has  all 
heaven  for  its  garnered  stores ;  all  hell  for  its  experience  of 
"want;"  all  time  for  its  season  of  neglect;  and  all  eternity  to 
break  upon  its  sleep ;  and  to  follow  the  coming  of  the  "  armed 
man."  Beginning  with  the  idea  of  a  poor  man  involved  on  an- 
other's bond,  and  connecting  us  in  this  way  with  tempters  and 
with  the  parents  of  our  race,  the  Wise  Man  opened  the  chapter 
with  an  appeal  to  the  soul's  earnestness.  Go  press  upon  thy 
Friend.  Give  not  sleep  to  thine  eyes,  or  drowsing  to  thine  eye- 
lids. "  Get  snatched  as  a  roe  from  the  hand ;  yea,  as  a  bird 
from  the  hand  of  the  Ensnarer."  There  followed  a  picture  of 
the  "  Sluggard  "  as  resisting  all  this  heat. 

And  now,  without  a  change  of  subject,  (for  the  codex  does 
not  make  the  usual  marginal  separation),  a  terse  picture  of  the 
Sluggish  Man  is  given  in  what  might  seem  at  first  view  no  more 
serious  than  mere  laziness : — 


12  A  naughty  person, 
a  wicked  man,  vvalketh 
with  a  froward  mouth. 

13  He  winketh  with 
his  eyes,  he  speaketh 
with  his  feet,  he  teach- 
eth  with  his  fingers  ; 

14  Froward n ess  is  in 
his  heart,  he  deviseth 
mischief  continually ; 
he  soweth  discord. 


12  A  worthless  man  ;  a  man  utterly  in  vain ; 
walking  in  crookedness  of  mouth  ; 

13  talking  with  his  eyes ;  speaking  with  his 

feet ; 
motioning  with  his  fingers  ; 

14  with  upturnings  in  his  heart;  fabricating 

evil ; 
will  be  putting  forth  grounds  of  quarrel  all 
the  time. 

T/ie  sluggard,  seeming  to  be  harmless,  is  found  to  he  a  perfect 
Pandora's  box  of  moral  and  governmental  discords.  V.  12,  "A 
worthless  man."  This  is  the  easy  entrance  by  which  the  Pro- 
verb comes  upon  the  thought.  (That  is,  a  man  of  Belial,  not  a 
man  of  no  elevation  ( Utnbreit)  nor  a  man  of  no  yoke,  i.  e.,  un- 
governed  {Fischer),  but  a  man  of  no  use)  j  "  A  man  utterly  in 
vain."  These  words  grew  in  the  end  to  mean  wickedness ;  but 
the  inception  of  the  thought  was  an  utter  worthlessfiess.  Yet 
this  empty  sluggardism,  the  inspired  prophet  goes  on  to  preach, 
works  positive  mischief.  In  the  first  place,  it  walks  "in  crook- 
edness of  mouth."  It  says  one  thing,  and  does  another.  It 
proclaims  the  goodness  of  the  Almighty ;  and  admits  the  need 
of  His  commandments;  and  aspires  to  all  that  is  in  the  gospel. 


S6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VI. 

It  says,  "  A  little  more  sleep  !"  and  then  goes  on  slumbering  for 
forty  years.  It  is  a  constant  life  of  professing  one  set  of  prin- 
ciples, and  going  on  in  another.  And  now  the  Wise  Man  pro- 
claims :  This  cannot  be  done  without  calamity  to  other  men. 
V.  13,  He  talks  "  with  his  eyes."  He  may  say  what  he  please; 
his  eyes  do  the  talking.  Literally,  nipping  or  clipping  or  pirich- 
ing  with  the  eyes.  The  word  occurs  in  other  Proverbs  (10  :  10 ; 
16:30).  In  spite  of  himself  the  sluggard,  however  active  in 
worldly  matters,  discourses  with  his  very  eyes ;  so  as  to  lead 
other  men  away  from  the  paths  of  safety.  "  Speaking  with  his 
feet,"  when  he  turns  with  them  into  the  paths  of  ruin.  All  he 
does  is  a  sermon  to  other  men.  He  motions  "with  his  fingers." 
And  smooth  as  may  seem  to  be  his  daily  history,  yet  (v.  14) 
"XTptumiags  {are^  in  his  heart."  No  one  can  brave  hell  with- 
out having  some  desperate  malady  within ;  and  the  Wise  Man 
would  teach  that  this  cannot  expend  itself  upon  itself,  but  goes 
out  all  abroad.  He  is  "fabricating  evil."  And  then,  as  the 
great  apodosis  to  all  these  preliminary  touches,  he  is  just  a  sore 
in  the  imiverse.  *'  He  will  be  putting  forth  grounds  of  quarrel 
all  the  time." 

"Wherefore"  (v.  15),  if  a  thing  be  so  ruinous;  if  it  be  a 
fountain  of  sin ;  if  it  be  sending  forth  corruption  in  such  a 
way  as  to  increase  the  mass  of  it,  and  never  diminish  it; 
if  it  be  putting  forth  causes  of  quarrel  (v.  14)  both  with  God 
and  man,  then  that  thing  must  be  crushed.  We  would  expect 
a  sharp,  clean  end.  If  it  be  a  root,  it  must  be  threaded  to  its 
very  eye,  and  all  the  life  of  it  must  be  traced  and  crushed  quite 
out  of  it  in  the  soil : — 


15  Wherefore   his  crushing   shall  come  sud- 
denly ; 
at  a  stroke  shall  he  be  broken,  and  there 
be  no  remedy. 


15  Therefore  shall 
his  calamity  come  sud- 
denly ;  suddenly  shall 
he  be  broken  without 
remedy. 


^^ Motioning"  (v.  13)  is  the  same  word  (v.  20)  from  which 
"law  "  is  derived.  It  means  ''directing."  If  a  man  is  a  pro- 
crastinating impenitent ;  in  other  words,  a  spiritual  "  sluggard /' 
he  cannot  help  by  his  very  "■fingers"  that  is,  by  his  most  in- 
dustrious toil,  "  directing"  his  neighbor  in  like  procrastination. 


Chap.  VI.]  COMMENTARY.  87 

Now  the  Lord  hates  this  ruin.     In  other  words,  such  centres 
of  death  must  be  an  abomination  to  any  government : — 


16  These  six  things  Jehovah  hates; 

yea,  seven  are  an  abomination  to  His  very 
soul : — 

17  Lofty  eyes;  a  lying  tongue; 

and  hands  that  shed  innocent  blood; 

18  a  heart  fabricating  empty  devices; 
feet  that  run  swift  to  evil ; 

19  a  deceived  witness  whose  breath  is  lies  ; 
and  he  that  puts  grounds  of  quarrel  among 

brethren. 


16  These  s.ix  things 
doth  the  Lord  hate  ; 
yea,  seven  are  an  ab- 
omination unto  him  ; 

17  A  proud  look,  a 
lying  tongue,  and 
hands  that  bhed  inno- 
cent blood  ; 

iS  An  heart  that  de- 
viseth  wicked  imagina 
tions,  feet  that  be  swift 
in  running  to  mischief; 

19  A  false  witness 
that  speaketh  lies,  and 
him  that  soweth  dis- 
cord among  brethren. 


This,  curtly,  is  a  restatement  of  the  picture  just  passed  (vs. 
12-14) ;  not  exactly,  but  ripened  a  little  and  advanced  into 
more  mature  expression.  "Lofty  eyes,"  might  seem  to  have 
little  to  do  with  the  "  worthless  man  "  (v.  12) ;  but  a  man  is  a 
man  of  emptiness,  solely  because  he  is  arrogantly  depending,  in 
divers  ways,  upon  himself.  Humility  is  the  very  first  lesson 
toward  salvation  (see  v.  3).  A  man  could  not  live  a  whole 
life  long  taking  "  a  little  more  sleep,"  if  he  had  not  ''  lofty  eyes," 
arrogantly  depending  upon  something  that  is  within  himself. 
Then  comes,  therefore,  "  a  lying  tongue."  The  movements  of 
such  a  man  are  all  deceitful.  Then  comes,  as  an  inference 
from  this,  "  hands  that  shed  innocent  blood."  The  movements 
of  a  deceived  man  are  all  deadly.  The  amiable  may  be  fairly 
stung  by  such  rude  speech;  but  the  Wise  Man  intends  to  im- 
ply that  a  deceived  impenitence  deceives  and  festers  all  about 
it.  It  is  the  murderousness  that  the  sound  universe  constitu- 
tionally is  forced  to  cast  out.  The  worldly  father  that  mis- 
guides his  son,  sheds  his  blood.  It  is  astonishing  how  much 
there  is  in  the  Bible  of  this  cruel  language.*  V.  18.  "A  heai-t 
fabricating  empty  devices."  If  but  "  one  thing  is  needful,"  and 
a  lost  man  is  only  heaping  up  mischief,  then  all  his  business 
answers  to  our  text.  Stop  him  anywhere,  and  h?  is  doing  what 
the  Proverb  here  teaches  ;  and  because  "  he  sleeps  not  "  (4 : 
16)  the  more  rapidly  he  runs  down  to  ruin.  That  is,  the  more 
busy  the  most  industrious  impenitent,  thq  more  he  answers  to 

*  Ps.  5  :  9  ;  Is.  1 :  21 ;  Matt.  12  :  34. 


88  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VI. 

the  trait,  that  "his  feet  run  swift  to  evil."  V.  19.  Then  come 
the  last  two  : — "  a  deceived  witness  whose  breath  is  lies,"  which 
is  intended  to  teach  in  maturer  way  what  was  intimated  in 
the  thirteenth  verse. — First,  all  men  are  witnesses.  God  has 
no  other  exponent  of  Himself  than  the  intelligent  creation. 
Second,  lost  men  are  '''deceived  Tjitnesses."  Let  us  be  very  ex- 
press about  this,  for  it  occurs  in  many  passages  of  the  Pro- 
verbs (12  117;  14:5,25;  19  :  5,  9;  21  :  28)  ;  and  this  transla- 
tion oi^''  deceived''  rather  than  deceiving,  is  necessary  in  almost 
every  case  to  avoid  tautology.  The  original  is,  a  "  7uitness  of  a 
lie."  The  meaning  is,  one  who  observes  facts  in  such  a  way  as 
to  he  a  deceived  7vitness.  This  is  the  startling  truth  in  respect 
to  the  impenitent  man.  He  is  spiritually  blind,  and,  therefore, 
he  sees  erroneously.  The  Wise  Man  states  many  truths  about 
this  deadly  symptom  (14:5,25;  19:5).  Christ  describes  it. 
He  says  it  is  the  light  within  us  being  darkness.  They  do  not 
excuse  it.  Any  but  the  sluggard  might  escape  it,  and  get  into 
the  light.  They  denounce  it.  Its  very  ''^breath  is  lies."  The 
man.  deceived  himself,  cannot  keep  from  deceiving  others.  He 
deceives  unconsciously.  Whether  he  wake  or  sleep  his  breath 
goes  and  comes.  His  example  is  as  unconscious  as  his  breath. 
He  teaches  with  his  fingers.  And,  as  a  festering  distress,  he 
"  puts  grounds  of  quarrel  "  between  God  and  himself  and  the 
rest  of  creation.  "These  six"  and  "yea,  seven;"  tricks  of 
Oriental  rhetoric;  of  no  meaning,  as  to  the  sums;  and  only 
brought  forward  here,  and  in  other  parts,  to  add  vivacity  and 
defmiteness  to  the  style  of  asseveration.  As  to  the  order  of 
these  seven  things,  Zockler  notices  a  quaint  conceit, — that  the 
list  goes  steadily  downward,  ^^ eyes,"  ^^ tongue,"  ^^ hands,"  '''"heart," 
^^feet."  Such  ihings,  oculo  Dei,  z.xq  not  an  accident;  but  are 
of  the  lesser  orders  that  are  observable  in  the  whole  creation. 


20  Keep  watch,  my  son,  of  thy  father's  com- 
mandment, 
and  repel  not  what  thy  mother  directs. 


20  My  son,  keep  thy 
father's  command- 
ment, and  forsake  not 
the  law  of  thy  mother. 


The  Wise  Man,  intending  another  picture  of  the  Strange 
Woman,  gives  the  usual  hint  of  its  significance,  by  prefacing  it 
with  the  figure  of  Wisdom.      "Thy  father's  coniniandinent : " 


Chap.  VI.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  89 

all  superiors*  commandments  ;  pre-eminently  God's  command- 
ment. We  have  already  noticed  (i  :  8)  the  fifth  commandment 
as  comprehending  the  first  five;  just  as  the  tenth  command- 
ment comprehends  the  latter  five.  They  ought  to  be  painted 
so  in  churches.  Handed  down  so,  we  verily  believe,  to  Moses, 
each  table  must  have  carried  five  commandments.  Honoring 
our  father,  in  all  the  broad  meaning  of  that  term,  is  the  first 
commandment  in,  not  *'  with"  (E.  V.)  "  promise"  (Eph.  6  :  2). 


21  Bind  them  upon  thine  heart  forever; 
tie  them  about  thy  neck. 


21  Bind  them  con- 
tinually upon  thine 
heart,  and  tie  them 
about  thy  neck. 


A  most  philosophical  sentence.  First,  "Bind  them  upon 
thine  heart  forever,"  because  through  all  eternity  these  com- 
mandments will  be  the  very  highest  object  of  affection.  Holi- 
ness will  be  the  greatest  treasure  of  the  blessed.  And,  second, 
"  Tie  them  about  thy  neck  "  for  a  still  higher  reason.  Holiness 
is  a  bright  ornament.  It  is  precious  on  its  own  account.  It  is 
worthy,  not  on  account  of  what  it  does,  or  of  what  it  seems,  but 
of  what  it  is.  That  is,  if  we  neither  had  joy  in  it,  nor  won 
profit  by  it,  it  would  be  glorious  like  a  necklace  upon  the  blind, 
intrinsically,  and  on  its  own  account. 


22  When  thou  walkest,  she  shall  lead  thee ; 
when  thou  liest  down,  she  shall  guard  thee ; 
and  when  thou  wakest  up,   she  shall  be 
herself  communing  with  thee. 


22  When  thou  goest, 
it  shall  lead  thee  ;  when 
thou  sleepest,  it  shall 
keep  thee  ;  and  -when 
thou  awakest,  it  shall 
talk  with  thee. 


"She."  The  Wise  Man  steps  back  with  strange  abruptness 
upon  the  old  personification  (4 :  8,  9).  He  would  prepare  more 
effectually  for  the  twin  picture  of  the  Strange  Woman  (v.  24). 
We  have  noticed  these  rhetoric  hints  taken  up  sometimes  al- 
most at  the  verse,  and  dropped  as  soon  as  they  have  served 
their  turn.  "  My  sons,"  as  a  plural  address,  makes  way,  as  we 
have  seen,  for  the  Wise  Man's  father  (4  :  i),  to  whom  he  resigns 
the  singular  title,  (4  :  10) ;  and  then  when  that  episode  is  done, 
he  marks  it  by  again  saying,  "  my  sons  "  (5  :  7),  but  drops  back 
into  the  singular  almost  in  the  next  words.  "  S/ie,"  therefore, 
means    Wisdom;  and  she  is  hurried  back  upon  the  stage  to 


90  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VI. 

confront  significantly  her  rival, -Ft;//)'.  "  Iiead  th.ee;"  so  that 
thou  shalt  never  lose  a  step  (4:11,  12).  "  Guard  thee;"  so  that 
thou  shalt  never  meet  an  evil  (12:21).*  "Herself,"  The 
same  Wisdom  that  guides  and  guards,  is  herself  our  intelligent 
companion.  She  not  only  guides  us  for  the  very  best,  but 
amuses  us  all  through  our  journey  by  the  very  best  entertain- 
ments for  our  nature. 

V.  2,  "For,"  stating  now  the  more  immediate  method  : — 


23  For  the  commandment  is  a  lamp,  and  what 
is  directed  is  a  light ; 
and  in  the  way  of  life  is  admonitory  dis- 
cipline ; 


23  For  the  command- 
ment is  a  lamp ;  and 
the  law  is  light  ;  and 
reproofs  of  instruction 
are  the  way  of  life  : 


"  A  lamp ;"  and  one  so  magic  in  its  light  that  the  Christian 
has  never  taken  a  step  since  he  was  converted,  (and  perhaps  we 
may  say,  before),  that  has  not  in  some  way  sped  him  on  the 
road.  He  travels  better  than  he  thinks.  "  The  way  of  life : " 
the  way  to  life ;  but  also,  as  these  are  all  pregnant  expressions, 
that  way  which  is  itself  life.  To  walk  on  this  way  is  itself  to 
live.  And  now,  as  way  in  Hebrew  is  used  adverbially,  as  ("  by) 
the  way  of  the  sea,  beyond  Jordan"  (Is.  9  :  i),  we  have  marked  it 
so  here.  We  have  put "  in'  before  it,  though  not  in  the  original. 
And  our  reason  was,  that  if  we  made  ''''discipline''  a  ''way"  we 
spoiled  the  metaphor.  The  " comviandment"  as  a  "lamp,"  and 
"what  is  directed"  as  a  "light"  is  best  seen  as  shining  on  the 
way,  and  in  apposition,  in  that  respect,  with  "  admonitory  dis- 
cipline." 


24  to  guard  thee  from  the  Woman  of  Evil ; 

from  the  flattery  of  an  alien  tongue. 


24  To  keep  thee  from 
the  evil  woman,  from 
the  flattery  of  the 
tongue  of  a  strange 
woman. 


Not  the  "Alien  Woman "  this  time,  but  the  "  Woman  of 
Evil,"  as  more  directly  significant  of  Impenitence.  "To  guard 
thee,  etc;"  for  of  all  other  things  in  the  universe,  this  is  the 
province  of  Wisdom.  If  we  are  kept  from  the  "  JVoman  of 
.£w7,"  everything  is  saved.  "Flattery,"  That  constitutes  the 
risk.      If  Impenitence  would    tell    the   truth ;    or  even  if  we 

♦  "  No  evil  shall  happen  to  the  righteous." 


Chap.  VI.J  COMMENTARY.  91 

would  allow  the  truth,  there  would  be  no  danger.  But  hers  is 
an  "  alien  tongue,"  in  this, — that  though  we  deliberately  ad- 
mit it  is  a  cheat,  we  accept  its  flattery.  All  life  long  we  admit 
that  we  are  piling  wrath ;  and  yet,  "  stolen  waters  are  sweet,  and 
bread  eaten  in  secret  is  pleasant."     (9  :  17). 


25  Lust  not  after  her  beauty  in  thy  heart ; 
and  let  her  not  trap  thee  with  her  eyelids. 

26  For  after  a  woman  selling  herself  as  low  as 

for  a  loaf  of  bread, 
and  she  a  man's  wife, 
a  precious  soul  will  hunt. 


25  Lust  not  after  her 
beauty  in  thine  heart  ; 
neither  let  her  take 
thee  with  her  eyelids. 

26  For  by  means  of  a 
whorish  woman  a  man 
is  brought  to  a  piece 
of  bread  ;  and  the 
adulteress  will  hunt  for 
the  precious  life. 


This  is  one  of  the  fiercest  sermons  in  the  language.  Nothing 
is  so  bewitching  as  womanly  enchantment.  Nothing  in  esse, 
when  it  is  base,  is  so  contemptible.  Nothing  sweeps  a  man 
with  such  a  perfect  storm  of  influence.  Nothing  leaves  him  so 
perfectly  defrauded  and  unpaid.  The  Wise  Man  snatches  at  all 
this  for  the  sharpest  picture  of  Impenitence.  "  Lust  not  after 
her  beauty;"  for,  poor  as  Impenitence  is,  she  fascinates  like 
some  witching  harlot.  "  Her  eyelids  ;"  i.  e.,  that  strange  glamour 
by  which  a  man  will  lose  his  soul,  even  though  he  says  life  is 
unsatisfying.  V.  26,  "For  after  a  woman  selling  herself  for  a 
loaf  of  bread,  and  she  a  man's  wife  "  [at  thai)  ;  for  objects  (com- 
pared with  heaven)  utterly  disgusting ;  for  labor !  (our  life  is 
that !)  for  suffering  !  (we  are  born  to  suffer  !)  for  wealth,  which 
we  ourselves  admit  belongs  to  ANOTHER,  and  will  be  ex- 
acted of  us  in  eternal  judgment,  "a  precious  soul  will  hunt." 
Lay  zuait,  is  the  original  expression.  An  immortal  spirit,  hover- 
ing about  some  den  of  infamy,  is  the  picture  that  the  Wise  Man 
chooses  for  the  impenitent  sinner  under  the  charm  of  his  squalid 
enchantress.  This  translation  (v.  26)  is  all  original ;  but  I  see 
no  necessity  for  labored  proofs,  as  the  mere  propounding  of  it 
carries  all  the  evidence.  It  gets  over  the  difficulties  that  others 
have  endured ;  and,  with  the  only  perfect  meaning,  passes  over 
the  ground  smoothly  with  the  Hebrew.  The  genders  are  all  in 
place,  and  the  language  itself  is  almost  in  the  order  of  our 
English. 

Now  he  follows  with  consequences : — 


92 


PROVERBS. 


[Chap.  VI. 


27  Can  a  man  shovel  fire  into  his  bosom, 
and  his  clothes  not  be  burnt  ? 

28  Can  a  man  walk  on  coals, 

and  his  feet  not  have  the  deep  brand  ? 

So  shall  he  be  who  goes  in  to  his  neigh- 
bor's wife. 

Whoso  touches  her  shall  not  go  unpun- 
ished. 

Men  do  not  turn  adrift  a  thief  because  he 
steals 

to  fill  his  appetite  because  he  is  hungry ; 

but  caught,  he  must  pay  sevenfold ; 

he  must  give  all  the  substance  of  his  house. 

The  adulterous  debaucher  of  a  woman  is 
absolutely  senseless. 

He  who  would  destroy  himself,  is  the  man 
to  do  just  that  thing. 

33  A  wound  and  dishonor  does  he  get ; 
and  his  reproach  is  not  wiped  away. 

34  For  jealousy  is  the  rage  of  a  man  ; 

and  he  shall  not  spare  in  the  day  of  ven- 
geance. 

35  He  shall  not  show  favor  for  any  ransom  ; 
and  he  shall  not  yield  because  thou  swell 

up  the  bribe. 


29 


30 


31 


32 


27_Can  a  man  take 
fire  in  his  bosom,  and 
his  clothes  not  be 
burnt  ? 

28  Can  one  go  upon 
hot  coals,  and  his  feet 
not  be  burnt  ? 

29  So  he  that  goeth 
in  to  his  neighbour's 
wife  ;  whosoever  touch- 
eth  her  shall  not  be  in- 
nocent. 

30  Alen  do  not  des- 
pise a  thief,  if  he*  steal 
to  satisfy  his  soul  when 
he  is  hungry  : 

31  Hut  //he  be  found, 
he  shall  restore  seven- 
fold ;  he  shall  give  all 
the  substance  of  his 
house. 

32  But  whoso  com- 
mitteth  adultery  with  a 
woman  lackeih  under- 
standing: he  that 
doeth  it  destroyeth  his 
own  soul. 

33  A  wound  and  dis- 
honour shall  he  get  : 
and  his  reproach  shall 
not  be  wiped  away. 

34  For  jealousy  is  the 
rage  of  a  man  ;  there- 
fore he  will  not  spare 
in  the  day  of  ven- 
geance. 

35  He  will  not  regard 
any  ransom  ;  neither 
will  he  rest  content, 
though  thou  givest 
many  gifts. 


**  Shovel."  The  word  is  a  special  one,  and  means  to  take 
up  (as  fire).  "Fire,"  is  a  favorite  emblem  for  wickedness. 
"  Wickedness  burneth  as  the  fire"  (Is.  9:18:  see  also  Is.  65  :  5). 
The  (i)  pain,  the  (2)  zuaste,  the  (3)  growth,  and  (4)  the  small 
beginnings  of  sin  are  all  instanced  in  the  ^^fire."  "Bosom." 
Here  is  just  where  sin  is  taken.  "Walk."  Sin  is  not  only  the 
inward  but  the  outward  enemy;  not  only  the  "coals"  in  our 
'^ bosom,"  but  the  "'coals"  (or  fierce-tempting  occasions)  in  the 
midst  of  which  we  walk.  "Have  the  deep  brand;"  literally, 
be  bored,  i.  e.,  be  scorched  deep.  Is  it  possible  that  we  can  wor- 
ship God's  creation,  and  He  not  be  jealous.?  Can  we  be  a  nui- 
sance in  the  universe,  and  not  be  cast  out  of  it  as  a  festering 
evil.?  The  extreme  picture  (v.  26)  of  "  <z  precious  soul"  hunt- 
ing for  such  wretched  objects,  kindles  us  now  for  still  further 
paintings  ;  in  which,  as  before,  (see  notes  vs.  24,  25  also  Introd. 
§  6),  the  lights  of  the  more  spiritual  meaning  seem  continually 


Chap  VII.]  COMMENTARY. 


91 


to  be  breaking  through.  Adultery  is  a  most  senseless  infatuation  ; 
but  it  is  only  the  tendency  of  the  crime  that  can  fulfil  all  this 
language. — "All  [a  man's)  substance"  always  is  not  the  for- 
feit. Destroying  one's  self  is  not  its  prerogative  beyond  any 
other  criminality.  Its  "reproach."  may  sometimes  be  "wiped 
away."  Its  victim  may  sometimes  take  a  "bribe."  He  may 
sometimes  "  spare  in  the  day  of  vengeance."  He  has  been  known 
to  "show  favor  for  a  ransom,"  And,  therefore,  in  the  sharp-cut 
averments  of  the  texts,  the  horrible  insanities  of  adultery  are, 
indeed,  sufficiently  warned  against ;  but  the  full  fulfilment  of  the 
whole  is  in  the  madness  of  Impenitence.  V.  30,  "  Men  do  not 
turn  adrift  a  thief."  The  glaring  wickedness  of  unbelief  is 
brought  out  signally  by  this.  A  theft  may  have  some  sem- 
blance of  necessity.  But  a  debauch,  and,  passing  on  from  that, 
our  unbelief,  is  utterly  unpaid.  It  takes  all  our  substance.  A 
man  goes  into  the  eternal  world  worse  off  for  all  that  he  has 
possessed.  It  parts  in  endless  ages  with  none  of  its  disgrace. 
The  Jealous  Husband,  whose  creatures  we  have  defiled,  will 
take  no  ransom.  "  He  shall  not  spare  in  the  day  of  vengeance." 
Our  wild  debauch  is  "  absolutely  senseless. "  And  our  madden- 
ed Master  will  not  be  pleased  in  whatever  conceivable  form 
we  may  attempt  to  "  swell  up  the  bribe."  V.  30,  "  Do  not  turn 
adrift^''  i.  e.,  do  not  undervalue  ;  do  not,  on  account  of  the  force 
of  the  temptation,  overlook.  The  meaning  is, — they  punish  even 
him.  How  much  more  the  senseless  mischief  of  a  dishonor ! 
And  how  much  more  still  the  senseless  mischief  of  Impenitence  ! 
If  a  man  be  desperately  taxed,  who  has  stolen  under  the  hor- 
rors of  starvation,  how  for  those  deadly  crimes  by  which  a  man 
refuses  to  arrest  his  sins ;  and,  after  the  most  deliberate  confes- 
sion, continues  his  soul  in  the  contagion  and  the  mischief  of  his 
wickedness } 


CHAPTER  VII. 

I  My  son,  watch  my  words, 

and  thou  shalt  store  my  commandments 
with  thee. 


My  son,  keep  my 
words,  and  lay  up  my 
commandments  with 
thee. 


This  is  not  common-place  repetition.     Here  is  a  fresh  state- 
ment of  a  strong  doctrine.    A  man  may  save  himself  at  a  stroke, 


94  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VII. 

(of  course  Deo  adjuvante).  He  may  shape  himself  for  eternity 
in  a  moment.  One  act  of  thought  may  "  store  "  the  command- 
ments for  a  lifetime  (see  i6  :  20).  Nay,  each  fresh  -watchmg  of 
God's  "words;"  each  new  care  to  keep  his  precepts,  is  followed 
immediately  by  this  which  the  text  defines, — that  those  words 
are  stored  in  the  Christian  the  more  ever  afterwards.  I  look 
out  for  the  present,  and  God  looks  out  for  my  future ;  even  in 
this  matter  of  love  and  obedience.  ^^  Store  j'  literally  ^^  hide" 
(E.  v.). 


2  Guard  my  commandments  and  live  ; 
and  my  directions  as  the  apple  of  thine 
eyes. 


2  Keep  my  com- 
mandments, and  live  ; 
and  my  law  as  the  apple 
of  thine  eye. 


"  Guard  and  live ;"  that  is,  guard,  and  thou  shalt  live.  These 
imperatives,  like  Is.  6  :  9,  are  the  strongest  sorts  of  asseveration. 
"As  the  apple  of  thine  eye."  "Directions"  here  is  singular; 
the  usual  English  "  law  "  (E.  V.)  We  make  it  plural  as  meeter 
to  our  idiom  ;  and  it  is  the  apple  of  our  eye  as  the  one  thing 
needful.  If  holiness  is  the  beginning  even  of  the  ways  of  God 
(8:  22),  surely  no  man  need  care  for  anything  besides.  ^^  Apple  ;" 
literally,  ''^little  man,"  or  ^^ pupil"  of  the  eye. 


3  Bind  them  upon  thy  fingers; 

write  them  upon  the  tablet  of  thine  heart. 


3  Bind  them  upon 
thy  fingers,  write  them 
upon  the  table  of  thine 
heart. 


"Upon  thy  fingers;"  so  that  they  may  guide  all  thy  smallest 
actions,  like  thy  signet  ring,  (if  the  mind  chooses  so  to  fill  out  the 
figure),  since  the  signet  ring  is  the  symbol  of  execution  (see  Hag. 
2  :  23).  "  The  tablet  of  thy  heart ;"  so  that  they  may  mould  all 
its  central  influences  (4  :  21-23.) 

4  Say  unto  Wisdom, — Thou  art  my  sister ; 
and  call  Discernment  a  well-known  friend ; 


4  Say  unto  wisdom. 
Thou  art  my  sister ; 
and  call  understanding 
thy  kinswoman  : 


— so  as  to  receive  the  expulsive  power  of  a  grand  affection. 
"  He  that  doeth  the  will  of  God,  the  same  is  my  brother  and 
sister  and  mother  "  (Matt.  12  :  50).  "  If  any  man  come  to  me, 
and  hate  not  his  father,  etc."  (Luke  14  :  26)     Not  ^^  kinswoman" 


Chap.  VII.]  COMMENTARY.  95 

(E.  v.),   but    one  familiary  known,  from    the  common  word 
meaning  to  know. 

Thus,  as  noted,  6  :  20-23,  the  Wise  Man  prepares  for  another 
twin  picture  of  the  Strange  Woman.  This  is  now  to  begin.  It 
is  more  detailed  than  any  before;-  more  like  a  harlot ;  and  less 
like  anything  abstract;  and  it  gives  room  for  the  remark,  that 
there  was,  doubtless,  reason  that  piety  should  be  abstractly 
given,  as  a  picture  under  the  name  of  Wisdom ;  and  that  the 
opposite  should  be  concretely  sketched.  There  is  philosophy 
in  this.  Holiness  is  positive.  Sin  is  negative.  The  one  is  to 
love  God,  and  also  our  neighbour.  The  other  is  not  to  love  God, 
or  our  neighbor.  The  one  shows  itself  in  a  positive  love  ;  in  a 
positive  delight  in  the  abstract  holiness;  the  other  not  in  a  de- 
light in  the  opposite,  viz.,  in  an  abstract  sift,  but  a  delight  in 
women  ;  a  delight  in  money  ;  a  delight  in  praise  ;  a  delight  in 
everything,  except  moral  purity;  and,  therefore,  a  delight  in 
things  that  are  innocent,  when  in  limits;  and  that  are  only 
guilty,  when  the  soul  is  let  in  upon  them  without  curb  of  supe- 
rior affection.  If  a  man  calls  Wisdom  his  kinswoman,  then  he 
may  love  wine  or  love,  without  spiritual  danger.  That  holiness, 
therefore,  should  be  sketched  in  the  abstract,  and  sinfulness  in 
the  guise  of  its  best  chosen  illustration,  is  altogether  in  agree- 
ment with  the  fact ;  as  the  Christian  is  doting  upon  that  which 
is  to  last  forever,  but  the  sinner,  not  upon  its  opposite ;  (for 
cases  worse  than  his  own  he  intrinsically  loathes),  but  upon 
wine  and  other  delights,  which  shall  perish  with  the  very  frame 
of  Nature. 


5  to  guard  thee  from  the  Strange  Woman ; 
from  an  alien  that  makes  smooth  her  words. 


5  That  they  may 
keep  thee  from  the 
strange  woman,  from 
the  stranger  which 
flattereth  with  her 
words. 


"  Strange;"  straftge,  indeed,  if  she  alienate  us  from  the  very 
God  that  made  her,  and  stir  the  jealousy  of  the  very  Being  that 
gives  us  our  power  to  love  her  (Hosea  2  :  8).  "  Makes  smooth, 
etc."  That  is  the  word  iox  flattery.  Flattery  is  the  idea  to  be 
employed.  Men  can  see  through  flattery.  The  blandishments 
of  sin  the  impenitent  himself  thoroughly  comprehends. 


96  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VII. 


6  For  in  the  window  of  my  house, 
at  my  lattice,  I  looked  over. 


6  For  at  the  window 
of  my  house  I  looked 
through  my  casement, 


This  paints  like  art.  The  picturesqueness  of  the  Hebrew 
causes  us  to  imagine  a  lattice  inclining-  from  below  outward,  as 
on  nunneries  of  our  day ;  which  a  man  may  look  over  by  lean- 
ing far  out.  The  expression  means  leaning  over,  as  God  does 
(Ps.  14  :  2)  when  He  looks  down  from  Heaven.  But  this  is 
unimportant. 

What  business  has  Solomon  to  be  looking  out .?  He  tells 
us: — 


7  and  saw  among  the  simple  ones — 
I  distinguished  among  the  sons — 
a  young  man  destitute  of  sense. 


7  And  beheld  among 
the  simple  ones,  I  dis- 
cern ed  among  the 
youths,  a  young  man 
void  of  understanding, 


The  conjunction  often  denotes  purpose  or  object;  that  he 
might  mark  the  traits  of  the  libertine ;  or,  still  more,  of  the 
lost  man;  in  that  graphic  way  which  he  is  preparing  thus  to 
unfold  to  us.  The  word  "  I  distinguislied  "  has  no  conjunction 
before  it.  As  a  future  without  the  conjunction  it  still  more 
suggests  the  end  or  aim.  "  That  I  might  see,  etc"  it  would  be 
no  great  violence  to  make  it  read. 

In  the  first  place  he  found  a  man  that  tampered  with  tempta- 
tion : — 


8  Going  by  in  the  back  street  near  her  cor- 
ner, 
he  will  also  saunter   in  the  way   to   her 
house ; 


8  Passing  through 
the  street  near  her  cor- 
ner ;  and  he  went  the 
way  to  her  house, 


"Back  street;"  literally,  ^^cleftj" — interval  in  a  block  of 
houses  for  a  court  to  go  through.  "  Her  comer  ;"  the  one  she 
most  frequented,  and  that  she  could  see  so  as  to  come  out. 
"Saunter;"  just  the  gait  for  an  irresolute  victim.  The  first 
coup  d'ceil  shows  that  he  will  go  nearer  and  nearer. 

9  in  the  cool ;  in  the  evening  of  the  day ;       I    ^  ,„  ^^^  ^^^,.,.^^^  .^ 
in  the  very  bosom  of  the  night  and  deep  the  evening,  in   the 

darkness.  j  black  and  dark  night  ; 

A  most  artistic  poet !     "  In  the  cool ;"  literally,  '*  breath  /'  as 


Chap.  VII.]  COMMENTARY,  py 

the  evening  breeze  came  up  from  the  Levant.  He  began  his 
sauntering  then  ;  and  night  slowly  closed.  It  is  all  in  a  narrow 
text ;  from  the  evening  breeze  to  the  very  eyeball  of  the  night. 
"  Evening,"  a  word  derived  from  interweaving  and  thus  thicken- 
ing{6:i).  So  we  might  translate,—"///  the  cool— in  the  dusking 
of  the  day,"  on  to  "  the  very  bosom  of  the  night  and  deep  dark- 
ness." "  Bosom  "  is  literally  a/>J>/e,  i.  e.,  //////  or  ejeia//  of  the 
night.  The  second  trait  of  Impenitence,  therefore,  is  that  it 
deepens  with  the  darkness.  Moreover,  it  "loves  darkijess 
rather  than  light  "  (Jo.  3:19).  The.woman  said,  her  husband 
was  not  coming  home  till  the  full  moon  (v.  20).  Unless  the 
moon  rose  later  in  the  night,  it  would  be  a  long  time,  therefore, 
before  he  came. 

ID  And  behold  a  woman  to  meet  him  ! 
exposed  as  a  harlot,  but  hidden  in  heart. 


10  And,  behold,  there 
met  him  a  woman  wjV/t 
the  attire  of  an  harlot, 
and  subtile  of  heart. 


Naked  in  person,  but  anything  but  that  in  her  cunning  wiles. 
Impenitence  spreads  all  her  baits,  but  keeps  back  all  her  perils. 
This  is  her  third  attribute. 


11  She  is  loud  and  reckless. 

Her  feet  abide  not  in  her  house. 

12  Now   is   she  in    the   street;    now   in   the 

broad  squares ; 
and  she  lies  in  wait  at  every  corner. 


11  (She  7s  loud  and 
stubborn  ;  her  feet 
abide  not  in  her  house  : 

12  Now  IS  she  with- 
out, now  in  the  streets, 
and  lieth  in  wait  at 
every  corner. ^ 


"  She  is  loud."  This  is  her  fourth  characteristic.  It  is  men- 
tioned chap.  9  :  13.  The  word  means  to  hum,  or  to  make  a 
bustle.  That  is  the  very  sound  of  the  Hebrew.  She  never 
thinks.  The  world  clamors  so  about  men,  that  they  are 
quieted  along,  as  bees  are  settled  down  by  the  din  of  the 
struck  metal.  "  Her  feet  abide  not  in  her  house."  We  do  not 
believe  men  would  be  more  converted  in  a  monastery ;  but  that 
would  show  another  class  of  temptations.  The  Proverb  is 
speaking  now  of  bustle ;  and  undoubtedly  the  soul  learns  to 
make  a  vast  temptation  of  its  restlessness.  V.  12.  "  Now  is  she 
in  the  street, "  If  she  would  stay  in  certain  quarters.  Impeni- 
tence v/ould  have  less  sway.  She  seeks  victims  everywhere. 
She  has  more  preachers  than  Christ ;  and  more  churches  than 

5 


98  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VII. 

all  his  people.  She  has  absolute  versatility  of  craft.  She  lets 
go  no  corner  of  the  city.  She  is  horribly  ungoverned,  as  the 
word  is  ;  "  reckless  ;  "  and  pushes  everywhere.  This  is  her 
fifth  trait. 


13  And  she  caught  him,  and  kissed  him. 

She  put  on  a  bold  face  and  said  to  him : — 

14  Peace  offerings  are  upon  me. 
This  day  I  have  paid  my  vows. 

15  Therefore  went  I  out  to  meet  thee ; 
diligently  to  seek  thy  face  and  find  thee. 

16  I  have  spread  my  couch  with  coverings 
striped  with  the  yarn  of  Egypt. 

17  I  have  sprinkled  my  bed 

with  myrrh,  aloes  and  cinnamon. 

18  Come,  let  us  drink  deep  of  love  until  the 

morning. 
Let  us  entrance  ourselves  with   amorous 
delights. 


13  So  she  caught  him, 
and  kiased  him,  and 
with  an  impudent  face 
said  unto  him, 

14  /  ha7'e  peace-of- 
ferings witli  me  ;  this 
day  have  I  paid  my 
vows  : 

15  Therefore  came  I 
forth  to  meet  thee,  dili- 
gently to  seek  thy  face  ; 
and  1  have  found  thee. 

16  I  have  decked  my 
bed  with  coverings  of 
tapestry,  with  carved 
7iiorks^  with  fine  linen 
of  Egypt. 

17  I  have  perfumed 
my  bed  with  myrrh, 
aloes,  and  cinnamon. 

18  Come  let  us  take 
our  fill  of  love  until  the 
morning  ;  let  us  solace 
ourselves  with  loves. 


This  is  the  sixth  trait  of  the  soul's  impenitence  : — its  perfect 
whirlwind  of  promises.  V.  13.  "Bold  face."  Literally,  "  J>^(? 
strengthened  her  face."  She  had  to  do  that  toward  men,  se- 
cretly knowing  that  she  was  deceiving  them.  The  union  of 
boldness  and  modesty  in  impenitent  arts  is  strangely  skilful. 
V.  i4."Peace  offerings  are  upon  me."  See  Lev.  3  :  i,  3,  6,  9. 
In  those  old  days  a  man  vowed  z.  peace-offermg,  which  had  to  be 
some  choice  beast,  and  had  to  feast  upon  a  part  of  it,  and  to 
get  through  with  feasting  by  the  third  day.  It  encouraged 
great  and  wasteful  feasts.  She  says,  "  upon  me,"  meaning,  I  am 
bound  for  one.  And  she  speaks  of  "  vows,"  and  uses  the  per- 
fect tense  to  show  how  certainly  the  feast  must  come  off. 
There  might  be  room  for  another  surmise.  Lev.  15  :  29  ;  but  I 
think  such  sacrifices  are  never  called  ^'■peace-offerings.  V.  15, 
"Therefore;"  because  of  so  grand  a  feast.  V.  16.  "I  have 
spread,  etc.  ;"  just  a  whirl  of  impenitent  delights.  "  Striped;" 
literally,  whipped.,  to  represent  the  welts  that  followed  the  lash. 
Our  English,  stripes,  either  gives  or  takes  this  derivation. 
"Egypt,"  where  to  this  day  such  splendid  colors  are  disentombed. 
V.  18.  "  Come  ;"  not,  "  let  us  take  "  (E.  V.)  ;  for  it  is  well,  out  of 


Chap.  VII.]  COMMENTARY. 


99 


regard  to  other  figures  (5:15;  7  :  18)  to  preserve  the  literal  sig- 
nification ;  **  let  us  drink."  The  last  expression,  literally  given, 
is,  "  Let  us  cause  ourselves  to  exult  in  loves  j^  as  "  the  wing  of 
the  ostrich  exults''  (Job  39:13).  As  the  lust  of  harlotry, 
though  vile  in  itself,  is  nevertheless  kindled  by  a  perfect  tem- 
pest of  desire,  so  let  no  one  dream  is  not  impenitency.  "  Mighty 
men,  when  polluted,  she  has  hurled  down,  and  strong  men  were 
all  her  slain."  (7  :  26.)  Now  sixthly,  come  her  quietings  of 
alarm : — 

19  For  there  is  no  husband  at  home.  U-/Lf "ft  tn?e°°hrS 

He  is  gone  a  long  way.  |gone  a  long  journey; 

We  translate  so,  rather  than  as  in  the  English  version,  not 
arbitrarily,  because  it  is  more  graphic,  but  because  thus  are  the 
skilful  touches  of  the  Hebrew ;  not,  "  the  good  man  (husband) 
is  not  at  home  "  (E.  V.)  ;  but  literally,  "  there  is  no  husband  at 
his  home."  The  distinction  is  a  trifle,  but  it  punctures  more 
pointedly  the  sense.  "  There  is  no  husband"  That  is  the 
grand  point.     And  with  the  sinner,  "  there  is  no  God." 

And  so  in  the  next  verse.  We  see  cause  to  preserve  the  very 
shade  of  meaning : — 


20  He  hath  taken  a 
bag  of  money  with  him, 
and  will  come  home  at 
the  day  appointed. 


20  Quite  a  bundle  of  the  money  he  took  in 

his  hand. 
The  day  th^  moon  fulls  he  will  come  home 
again. 

Our  version  says,  "-He  has  taken  a  bag  of  money ."  We  pre- 
fer the  Hebrew ;  a  bundle  of  the  money.  That  is,  he  has  gone 
to  the  family  money,  and  bound  up  quite  a  bundle  of  it,  to  cor- 
respond to  the  "long  way."  She  gives  her  victim  both  a  long 
time,  and  a  precise  term.  And  so  the  impenitent.  God  is  to 
be  a  long  time  away ;  and  they  have  very  precise  designs  as 
to  their  future  repentance. 

21  By  her  very  taking  way  she  bent  him. 
By  the  flattery  of  her  lips  she  drives  him 

along. 

Literally,  by  her  muck  taking    The  English  has  it,  "  with  her 


21  With  her  much 
fair  speech  she  caused 
him  to  yield,  with  the 
flattering  of  her  lips  she 
forced  him. 


22  Hegoeth  after  her 
straightway,  as  an  ox 
goeth  to  the  slaughter, 
or  as  a  fool  to  the  cor- 
rection of  the  stocks ; 


loo  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VII. 

much  fair  speech^  We  read  it,  "  by  her  very  taking  way."  In 
the  fifth  verse  of  the  whole  book  the  English  makes  it  "  learn- 
ing" because  that  is  a  thing  takcfi.  Some,  therefore,  say  here, — 
^''  by  her  much  learning"  i.  e.,  ''''by  her  great  skill."  But  the 
other  is  more  faithful,  and  certainly  more  expressive.  The 
whole  text  implies  that  the  sinner  is  not  lost  without  resistance. 
"  Bent  "  (preterite)  she  "  bent  him  "  first.  She  "  drives  "  him 
ever  afterwards. 

22  starting  after  her  suddenly  as  an  ox  enters 
to  the  slaughter, 
and  as  a  chain  for  the  punishment  of  a 
fool; 

"The  ox."  A  butcher's  yard  would  show  the  meaning  of 
"starting  suddenly,"  "By  the  flattery  of  her  lips  she  drives 
him  along."  In  every  sort  of  way  the  ox  may  be  coaxed,  or  in 
turn  may  be  desperately  beaten,  and  apparently  to  no  purpose. 
But  though  he  may  stand,  ox-like,  like  a  rock,  yet  the  experi- 
enced herdman  knows  that  he  will  "  sudde/ily  "  start  in.  This 
is  his  nature.  One  inch  may  cost  a  hurricane  of  blows  ;  but  at 
a  dash,  as  the  butcher  expects,  he  will  suddenly  rush  in  to  his 
doom.  "And  as  a  chain."  This  has  occasioned  a  world  of 
comment.  It  seems  all  crooked.  It  ought  to  be,  many  would 
think,  as  a  fool  to  the  punishment  of  a  chaiti.  Some  say,  as  i?i 
chaijis  to  a  fooTs  punishjnent.  But  we  take  it  as  it  stands,  and 
suggest  this  sense. — From  the  ox  to  the  bull-ring,  as  it  is  called, 
a  chain  passes ;  not  to  drag  him  in,  but  to  hold  what  he  gives. 
As  he  yields,  he  is  wound  in.  Where  it  ends,  he  comes  to  his 
slaughter.  The  chain  is  the  Strange  Woman.  It  passes  in 
with  the  ox.  The  picture,  therefore,  may  be  literal.  As  the  ox 
starts  suddenly  to  the  slaughter,  the  chain  follows  in  to  the 
punislwieiit  of  the  fool.  We  may  mark  at  least  this  trait  as 
the  seventh  in  order, — that  sin  itself;  or,  perhaps,  more  inti- 
mately still,  his  own  heart,  is  the  chain  that  drags  the  sinner, 
and  binds  him  to  his  ruin,  after  it  has  entered  with  him. 


23  till  a  dart  strike  through  his  liver ; 
as  a  bird  hastens  to  the  net, 
and   knows   not    that   he   is   in    its   very 
throat. 


23  Till  a  dart  strike 
through  his  liver  ;  as  a 
bird  hasteth  to  the 
snare,  and  knoweth  not 
that  it  is  for  his  life. 


Chap.  VII.]  COMMENTARY.  loi 

"Till  a  dart  strike  through  his  liver."  Did  the  Orientals 
kill  with  a  " dart"  instead  of  like  our  butchers  with  the  blow 
of  a  bludgeon.?  If  they  did,  all  is  in  order.  They  hardly 
pierced  the  "liver,"  however;  and  that  word  in  its  root 
means  heavy^  and  may  refer  to  the  main  vitals.  We  rarely 
suggest  readings.  But  the  Massorites,  perhaps,  misplaced  this 
clause,  and  it  should  end  a  previous  triplet.  Then  a  full 
couplet  would  remain.  "Knows  not  that  he  is  in  its  very- 
throat."  There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  this  new  interpretation. 
The  old  reads, "  and  knoweth  not  that  it  is  for  his  life  "  (E.  V.). 
Such  are  all  the  other  comments.  The  word  is  tU'SD)  usually 
sou/  or  life.  The  text  as  a  whole,  and  the  preposition  thus  very 
badly  rendered,  and  the  sense,  as  concerns  the  context,  all  dis- 
courage the  rendering  that  either  of  these  two  words  can  sup- 
ply. Never  noticed  by  our  translators,  but  plainly  to  be  pre- 
ferred for  this  text  (see  Heb.  2:5),  and  regularly  put  down  in 
our  Hebrew  Lexicons,  is  a  third  meaning,  viz.,  /fiaw  or  throat : 
as  where  Isaiah  says,  "  Sheol  has  enlarged  her  throat,  and 
opened  her  mouth  without  measure  "  (Is.  5  :  14).  Of  course 
this  is  admirably  suitable.  As  a  great  summing  up  as  to  adultery, 
and  a  greater  still  as  to  the  poor  impenitent,  every  word  is  in 
place.  Let  it  be  either  victim,  ruin  steals  unconsciously ;  "as 
a  bird  hastens  to  the  net,  and  knoxvs  not  that  he  is  in  its  very 
throat." 


24  And  now,  ye  children,  hearken  unto  me ; 
and  attend  to  the  speeches  of  my  mouth. 


24  Hearken  unto  me 
now  therefore,  O  ye 
children,  and  attend  to 
the  words  of  my  mouth: 


We  thought  at  first  that  this  might  be  the  beginning  of  a  new 
canto,  reaching  on  through  the  next  chapter.  But  at  the  end 
of  that  chapter  (v.  32),  there  is  a  similar  starting-place,  which, 
plainly,  on  inspection,  proves  but  a  continuance  of  the  address 
of  Wisdom.  What  Solomon  says  here,  Wisdom  says  there, — 
"  And  now,  ye  children,  hearken  unto  me. "  As  that  cannot  be 
severed  from  the  rest  of  Her  address,  to  be  as  preface  to  the 
ninth  chapter,  neither  therefore  can  this  be,  as  preface  to  the 
eighth.     That  these  titles,  " My  son,  etc"  are  at  the  beginning 


I02  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VII. 

of  poetic  divisions,  must  be  accepted  manifestly  with  some  ex- 
ceptions (see  also  8:32). 


25  Let  not  thy  heart  go  aside  into  her  ways ; 
nor  do  thou  stray  into  her  paths. 


25  Let  not  thine 
heart  decline  to  her 
ways,  go  not  astray  ia 
her  paths  :  • 

Cut  off  the  beginnings  of  desire.  The  first  trickling  of  the 
crevasse  is  the  manageable,  and,  therefore,  more  culpable,  period 
of  the  difficulty. 

"  For  "  (v.  26)  the  secret  thought  that  one  can  saunter  toward 
her  house  (v.  8),  and  at  any  time  turn  back,  is  cruelly  met  by 
most  discouraging  examples  : — 

26  For  mighty  men,  when  polluted,  she  hasL  ^'^  ^""^  ^''^ ''^''^  cast 

,         ,     J    J  '■  '  down   many  wounded; 

nurled  down  ;  1  yea,  many  strong  tnen 

and  strong  men  were  all  her  slain.  |  ^^''^  ^^^"  ^'^"  ^^  ''^'■• 

"Mighty."  Sometimes  ^^  many."  All  the  expositors  in  this 
particular  case  translate  it  "  ma^iy."  But  the  after  word  (2nd 
clause)  is  rarely  translated  otherwise  than  "strong;"  and  this 
present  word  more  often  refers  to  quantity  or  greatness  than  it 
does  to  number.  The  whole  passage  is  the  more  impressive,  if 
we  consider  it  as  warning  against  confidence  in  strength,  and 
particularly  grand,  if  we  mark  the  second  clause.  The  "  mighty" 
weak  through  pollution,  i.  e.,  with  a  stained  fancy,  she  has  found 
it  easy  to  throw  down;  "and  strong  men;"  are  what.?  why, 
they  are  "all  her  slain."  She  damns  no  weak  people.  AH  men 
are  strong ;  and  strong  in  a  most  substantial  sense.  All  men 
are  offered  salvation.  All  men,  saved,  are  princes  (Rev.  1:6; 
5:10);  and  they  are  offered  the  second  place  in  God's  king- 
dom (Is.  61  :  7).  All  men  are  bone  of  Christ's  bone:  all  men 
are  born  with  a  birth-right  to  be  kings  and  priests,  if  they  choose 
to  be,  and  brothers  of  Emmanuel.  Just  as  we  mourn  when 
some  great  statesman  succumbs  to  licentiousness  or  drink,  so 
should  we  mourn  when  any  of  Christ's  race  succumb  to  the 
glamour  of  Impenitence. 

27  The  ways  to  Sheol  are  at  her  house 
descending  to  the  chambers  of  death. 


27  Her  house  is  the 
way  to  hell,  going  down 
to  the  chambers  of 
death. 


"Sheol."     If  we  say  ''hell"  (E.  V.)  we  destroy  the  figure. 


Chap.  VIII.]  COMMENTARY.  103 

"  Shcol "  is  a  figure  of  hell.  If  we  say  perdition  in  many  pass- 
ages from  Paul  (Rom.  6  :  23)  we  destroy  his  figure.  "  Death  " 
is  his  figure  (ov perdition.  It  is  best  to  say  "  Sheol" — the  tm- 
knoivn  world.  This  unknown  world  is  a  figure  of  the  pit  j  and 
why  have  a  figure  unless  we  retain  it  in  its  own  impressiveness  } 
"At  her  house."  There  is  no  preposition  ^^ at j"  but  the  word 
house  (Hebraice)  carries  an  adverbial  significance  (8 :  2).  Ber- 
theau,  De  Wette,  Maurer,  Zockler,  Umbreit  and  the  English  ver- 
sion, all  make  the  "  house"  to  be  "  the  ways."  But  first,  this  mars 
the  figure.  Second,  a  "  hoiise "  is  not  only  a  strange  emblem 
for  "  ways,"  hut  a.  good  centre  or  starting  point  or  depot  for 
them.  But,  third,  and  most  striking  of  all,  the  same  expres- 
sion, strangely  overlooked,  is  in  the  next  chapter  (v.  2),  again 
quite  sacrificed  in  most  of  the  translations,  and  never  brought 
by  any  of  them  into  an  even  balance  with  this  verse,  for  which, 
as  between  twin  pictures,  it  suits  best,  and  seems  legitimately 
intended.  "  The  ways  to  Sheol  are  at  her  house."  In  the  wider 
significance  of  Impenitence,  the  way  to  Hell  starts  no  where 
else.  The  court  of  this  Woman's  house  is  its  starting-out  sta- 
tion. And  there  is  not  a  way  to  the  eternal  doom  on  which  she 
does  not  herself  dispatch  the  lost ;  nor  has  she  any  track  that 
does  not  end  in  "  the  chambers  "  of  ruin. 
Watch  next  for  the  other  instance  (8  :  2) : — 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

1  Does  not  Wisdom  call  } 

and  Discernment  give  forth  her  voice  .? 

2  At  high  points  in  the  road 

she  stands ;  at  home  among  the  paths. 


Doth  not  wisdom 
cry?  and -understand- 
ing put  forth  her  voice  ? 

2  She  standeth  in  the 
top  of  high  places,  by 
the  way  in  the  places 
of  the  paths, 


We  cannot  promulge  as  doctrine,  but  we  think  the  last  day 
will  show,  that  Wisdom  plied  every  art ;  that  what  was  "  all 
things  working  together  for  good"  in  behalf  of  the  believer,  was 
something  analagous  in  tendency  in  the  instance  of  the  sinner ; 
that  if  the  sinner  thought  that  his  lot  defeated  repentance,  he 
was  mistaken :  or  that,  could  he  have  fared  otherwise,  his 
chances  would  have  been  in  all  cases  improved — all  this  was 


104  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VIII; 

largely  error:  moreover,  that  he  will  be  held  accountable  at 
last  for  quite  the  opposite ;  and  punished  for  a  life  singularly 
favored  and  frequently  adapted  as  the  very  best  to  lead  him  to 
salvation.  V..2.  "  At  high  points ;"  i.  e.,  so  as  to  be  seen  and  to 
be  heard.  "  At  home  among  the  paths."  This  is  the  twin  picture 
to  7  :  27.  Maurer  understands  a  cross-roads,  (literally,  a  house 
of  paths').  Umbreit  thinks  of  a  chance  house  where  roads  fork. 
Doderlein  thinks  of  an  in7i.  Our  English  version  has  it,  "  in 
the  places  of  the  paths."  De  Wette  thinks  with  Maurer.  Ber- 
theau  and  Zockler  say, — "  in  the  midst  of  the  paths."  And  this 
last  is  very  near  the  sense.  J^n^  (house)  is  sometimes  (ad- 
verbially) amid :  but  even  in  such  cases  (Ex.  28  :  26)  is  a  more 
intimate  word  than  ll^p^.  \tn^tzv,^''  at homeajnong."  Wisdom 
is  represented  as  "  at  home  among  the  paths."  Folly  was  repre- 
sented as  having  the  death-ways  at  her  home.  tT'S)  ^^'^  either 
instance,  is  adverbially  parsed,  and  is  without  the  particle. 
Wisdom  is  represented  as  haunting  all  human  paths.  Folly 
lives  upon  them,  too.  Wisdom  does  not  claim  them  as  her 
own.  Folly  does.  Wisdom  has  but  one  path.  And  she 
haunts  every  other  to  turn  men  out  of  such  diverse  journeyings 
into  the  one  great  track  of  truth  and  holiness. 


3  She  crieth  at  the 
gates,  at  the  entry  of 
the  city,  at  the  coining 
in  at  the  doors  ; 


3  By  the  side  of  gates ;  at  a  city's  mouth  ; 
at   the   entrance  of  doors  she  utters   her 
cry: — 

— Thereby  intending  (i)  to  reach  the  whole  concourse  of  the 
lost,  and  (2)  to  make  human  life  at  these  great  rallying  places 
of  men,  speak  its  own  lessons,  and  utter  the  loudest  warnings 
against  the  soul's  impenitence. 

4  To  you,  O  men,  I  call ;  I  t  "•  ,V"'°/°"'  ^  .'""=".• 

~  -^        '         .         .  '  ,       '  -  I  call ;  and  my  voice  ts 

and  my  voice  is  to  the  sons  of  man.  I  to  the  sons  of  man. 

The  nouns  in  the  two  clauses  are  different.  The  Hebrew 
had  more  words  for  "  men"  than  we  have,  (see  Class.  XLIX.) 
Everywhere  and  to  everybody !  The  variety  is  significant ! 
To  high  men  and  low  men;  to  all  classes  of  men.  Such  is  the 
ministry  of  this  Intelligence.  Her  address  lasts  through  the 
chapter : — 


Chap.  VIIL]  COMMENTARY.  105 


Make  subtlety  really  discerning,  O  ye  sim- 
ple ones; 

and  ye  stupid  ones,  give  true  discernment 
to  the  heart. 


S  O  ye  simple,  under- 
stand wisdom  ;  and,  ye 
fools,  be  ye  of  an  under- 
standing heart. 


This  sentence  recognizes  the  distinction  between  mere  in- 
tellect, or  that  "  subtlety  "  which  guides  men  in  the  marts  of 
business,  and  that  wisdom  which  is  spiritual,  and  which  comes 
down  from  above.  A  man  may  be  acutely  shrewd,  and  yet  be 
a  fool,  and  that  in  the  very  highest  sense.  Nor  is  this  a  mere 
mystic  sense.  He  must  be  a  fool  actually,  and  of  the  very 
plainest  kind,  who  gives  the  whole  labor  of  a  life,  for  example, 
to  increase  his  eternal  agonies.  The  cry  of  Wisdom,  therefore, 
to  such  men  is,  that  they  bring  "  discernment,"  that  is,  genuine 
sense,  into  their  native  shrewdness.  I,  Wisdom,  dwell  in  intel- 
lect, she  says  of  herself  in  the  twelfth  verse ;  meaning,  that  she 
takes  any  intellect,  whether  of  God  or  man,  and  makes  a  dwell- 
ing of  it,  i.  e.,  inspires  it,  in  all  its  subtlety,  with  genuine  discern- 
ment. And  then,  out  of  this  native  force,  blessed  by  the  rich- 
ness of  heavenly  understanding,  she  brings  forth  the  most 
splendid  results;  as  the  twelfth  verse  expresses  it,— "  I  find 
the  knowledge  of  deep  devices."  "  Make  subtlety,"  therefore, 
"  really  discerning,"  and  you  turn  a  keen  worldly  intellect  into 
a  heavenly  and  most  prosperous  discretion. 

6  Hear,  for  I  will  speak  obvious  things ; 
and  what  is  opened  by  my  lips  shall  be 
plain  matters. 

Not  only  does  the  higher  Wisdom  utter  high  things,  and, 
when  making  a  dwelling-place  of  intellect,  very  high  and  pros- 
perous devices,  but,  strange  enough,  very  plain  things  also,  just 
such  as  the  worldly  "  subtlety"  might  be  supposed  entirely  to  un- 
derstand. The  shortness  of  life,  the  certainty  of  death,  the  value 
of  the  soul,  the  terrors  of  the  pit,  and  the  solemnities  of  the  bar 
of  God,  only  this  higher  wisdom  intelligently  comprehends.  In- 
tellect, that  weighs  the  stars,  seems  covered  with  a  haze  before 
these  plain  ideas.  The  word  translated  "  obvious,"  is  in  the 
English  Version  ''excellent"  and  as  a  noun  means  prijucs,  and 
as  an  adjective  prince-like,  in   many  passages ;  i.  e.,  generous 


6  Hear,  for  I  will 
speak  of  excellent 
things  ;  and  the  open- 
ing of  my  lips  shall  be 
right  things. 


-* 


io6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VIIL 

and  noble.  But  in  this  verse,  and  in  contiguity  with  the  ninth, 
both  the  first  and  second  clauses  do  best  with  more  primary 
meanings.  '*  Obviotis  "  is  a  faithful  rendering,  because  the  root 
means  in  fro7it  of.,  or  facing  an  object ;  and  "  plain  "  (2d  clause) 
is  more  primary  than  "  right"  (E.  V.),  because  the  original 
meaning  is  eve?i  or  level,  and  we  are  always  entitled,  if  the  sense 
prefers  it,  to  a  return  to  an  original  signification.  The  text, 
therefore,  means  that  Wisdom  makes  plain  things  plainer,  and 
spiritual  things  plain  to  him  who  listens  to  her  teaching. 


7  For  my  mouth  shall 
speak  truth  ;  and  wick- 
edness is  an  abomina- 
tion totmy  lips. 


7  For  my  mouth  even  mutters  truth  ; 

and  wickedness  is  an  abomination  to  my 
lips. 

"For,"  (as  a  reason,  now,  why  all  things  become  plain)  "my 
mouth,"  (and,  of  course,  the  man's  mouth  when  Wisdom  has 
made  a  dwelling-place  of  his  intellect  (v.  12)  )  "even  mutters 
truth;"  that  is,  will  utter  it  as  its  native  language;  will  even 
viiirmur  it  out.  The  word  means  originally  mutter,  and  grew  to 
mean  meditate  (Zockler),  because  what  a  man  meditates  deeply, 
he  mutters  about.  The  meaning  is.  The  mouth  of  Wisdom 
mutters  about  truth,  it  is  so  natural  to  her.  It  mixes  with  her 
very  nature,  and  so  with  his  nature  that  takes  her  in ;  so  that 
his  mozith  will  murmur  truth,  and  wickedness  is  an  abomination 
to  (Jiis)  lips.  The  word  "  mouth  "  means  palate,  and  is  not 
unintentionally  selected  for  an  utterance  that  comes  deep  out 
of  the  heart.  See  Job.  31:30,  "Neither  have  I  suffered  my 
mouth  (palate)  to  sin  by  wishing  a  curse  to  his  soul." 

Wisdom  still  advances  on  this  idea : — 


All  the  words  of  my  mouth  are  in  right- 
eousness. 
There  is  nothing  twisted  or  crooked  in  them. 


8  All  the  words  of 
my  mouth  are  in  right- 
eousness ;  there  is 
nothing  froward  or  per- 
verse in  them. 


"Righteousness;"  primarily  '''' straightness."  We  were  natu- 
rally tempted  to  put  this  meaning  in.  But  the  word  is  the  most 
usual  word  for  "  ^^''//^^^'/''^''/^-fi' y"  and  we  dislike  to  dislocate  it 
from  its  ordinary  rendering.  Still  to  a  Hebrew  eye  the  whole 
verse  balances  itself: — All  straight  (ist  clause);  Nothing 
crooked  (2nd  clause).     In  the  sharpest  intellect  there  is  this 


Chap.  VIIL]  COMMENTARY.  107 

horrible  distortion, — that  in  its  impenitent  state  it  judges  one 
way,  and  travels  another.  It  judges^  heaven  to  be  everything, 
and  yet  labors  for  the  earth.  Now  there  is  nothing  like  this 
in  Wisdom.  "  There  is  nothing  crooked  "  in  her  utterances.  On 
the  other  hand,  however  spiritual  they  may  be, 


9  They  are  all  plain  to  him  that  can  give  a 
meaning, 
and  level  to  them  that  find  knowledge. 


9  They  are  all  plain 
to  him  that  understand- 
eih,  and  right  to  them 
that  find  knowledge. 


Whatever  intellect  maybe  converted,  wakes  up  with  the  most 
profound  astonishment  at  the  plainness  of  the  things  that  are 
now  for  the  first  time  revealed.  "Plain;"  i.  e.,  in  front  of ^  ob- 
vious ;  the  same  idea  as  in  another  root  (v.  6). 


10  Take  my  discipline,  and  not  silver; 
and  knowledge  rather  than  choice  gold ; 

11  for  wisdom  is  better  than  pearls; 

and  all  the  things  that  can  be  desired  are 
.     not  to  be  compared  with  it. 


10  Receive  my  in- 
struction, and  not  sil- 
ver ;  and  knowledge 
rather  than  choice  gold. 

11  For  wisdom /V  bet- 
ter than  rubies  ;  and 
all  the  things  that  are 
to  be  desired  are  not  to 
be  compared  to  it. 


First,  because  everything  else  without  it  is  a  curse,  and  with 
it  is  just  what  is  needed;  second,  because  it  is  necessary  to  all 
beings,  and  even  to  God  Himself,  as  the  spring  of  action  ; 
third,  because  it  is  glory  and  wealth  in  its  very  nature.  These 
,points  all  follow  in  their  turn  in  this  very  chapter ;  the  second 
in  the  succeeding  Proverb  : — 


1 2  I,  Wisdom,  have  made  a  dwelling  of  subtlety, 
and  find  the  knowledge  of  deep  devices. 


12  I  wisdom  dwell 
with  prudence,  and  find 
out  knowledge  of  witty 
inventions. 


That  is,  this  spiritual  light,  which  the  very  first  Proverb  (i : 
2,  3)  says  is  holiness,  takes  possession  of  any  ifitellecl ;  dwells 
in  it  J  nay,  makes  a  dwelling  of  it;  for  holiness  can  dwell  in 
nothing  else ;  and  that  intellect,  though  it  may  be  the  very  mind 
of  God,  is  stirred  up  by  nothing  else  to  do  all  that  is  grand  in 
its  total  history  (vs.  22-30).  Satan,  with  such  splendid  intel- 
lect, what  is  he  but  the  universe's  insanest  fool  7  He  toils  for 
worse  wages  than  anybody  in  the  whole  creation.  But  could 
Wisdom  get  a  lodging  in  that  peerless  intellect,  what  different 


io8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VIII. 

results !  She  gets  a  lodging  in  our  earthly  faculties,  and  turns 
us  about  from  sowing  to  our  death,  to  a  splendid  harvest  of 
eternal  favor. 


13  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  hatred  of  evil. 
Pride  and  arrogancy  and  the  evil  way 
and  an  upturning  mouth  have  I  hated. 


13  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  to  hate  evil  : 
pride  and  arrogancy  and 
the  evil  way  and  the  fro- 
ward  mouth  do  I  hate. 


"  The  fear  of  Jehovah  "  is  holiness,  and  such  fear  is  the  begin- 
ning of  Wisdom.  It  is  stating 'this  under  a  new  aspect  to  de- 
clare, that  "  the  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  hatred  of  evil."  An  in- 
tellect suddenly  inspired  with  a  hatred  of  all  evil,  (i)  evil  in 
itself,  (2)  evil  to  those  around  us,  and  (3)  evil  in  the  man's  own 
nature,  would  not  only  be  totally  different  from  the  mass,  but 
would  shape  its  action  like  the  action  of  the  blessed  in  heaven, 
with  the  most  marvellous  perfectness. 


14  Counsel  is  mine,  and  something  stable. 
I  am  discernment.     I  have  strength. 


14  Counsel  is  mine, 
and  sound  wisdom :  I 
am  understanding  ;  I 
have  strength. 


"CoTinsel  is  mine."  This,  in  any  human  writing,  would  be 
thought  tame,  but  here  it  stands  out  in  glaring  contrast  with 
the  opposite  picture.  What  ''''  coujiseV  has  the  impenitent  man.? 
As  he  sits  in  his  chair,  you  can  force  him  to  admit  that  his 
whole  life  is  a  blunder  !  "  Something  stable ;"  the  peculiar 
word  already  commented  on  (2  :  7).  Wisdom's  life  is  a  thing 
of  system.  It  has  an  assured  result.  It  is  the  card-building  of 
the  spirit.  One  card  supports  another.  It  builds  out  with  a 
declared  dependence  to  the  very  end.  Without  it,  man  stam- 
mers. There  is  nothing  clear  that  he  can  propound.  He  is 
without  ^''counsel.'"  Nay,  he  will  distinctly  own  that  the  course 
he  takes  speeds  to  ruin. 


15  By  me  kings  reign, 
and  princes  decree  just- 
ice. 

16  R  y  me  princes 
rule  and  nobles,  (T'ev;  all 
the  judges  of  the  earth. 


15  By  me  kings  reign, 
and  rulers  decree  righteousness. 

16  By  me  princes  rule,  and  nobles; 
yea,  all  the  judges  of  the  earth. 

First,  Wisdom  does  not  mean  Jesus  Christ.  It  means  simply 
holiness,  or  moral  light.  It  is  time  that  we  take  this  ground 
plainly.     There  is  too  strong  a  disposition  to  make  the  Beast 


Chap.  VIII.]  COMMENTARY.  109 

(Rev.  13:1)  mean  the  Papacy,  and  to  make  Babylon  (Rev.  17  :  5) 
Rome,  and  to  make  the  Seals,  etc.,  (Rev.  5:1)  certain  historic 
periods.  The  Bible  is  much  more  likely  to  make  concrete 
things  mean  abstract  ones,  as  in  the  instance  of  the  "  Strange 
Woman." 

When,  therefore,  the  next  verse  says  : — 


17  I  love  them  that  love  me; 

and  those  that  seek  me  earnestly  shall  find 
me. 


17  I  love  them  that 
love  me;  and  those 
that  seek  me  early  shall 
find  me. 


it  does  not  refer  to  any  person  at  all,  but  to  the  personified 
Wisdom,  and  means  that  Wisdom  increases  with  the  use  ;  that 
the  more  we  "  love  "  her,  the  more  we  have  of  her  to  love. 
Wisdom  being  a  mere  quality,  and,  therefore,  something  that 
has  no  feeling,  and  cannot  actually  love,  is  said  to  love,  very 
much  as  a  father  is  said  to  hate  (13  :  24;  see  also  13  :  5)  when 
he  spares  his  son,  and  does  not  discipline  him.  It  is  a  terse 
expression  for  what  is  analogous  in  its  effect  to  love,  and  loads 
its  subject  with  uncommon  favor.  Jehovah  loved  Solomon 
(2  Sam.  12  :  24)  ;  i.  e.,  He  loaded  him  with  good.  Possibly  He 
never  loved  him  in  a  higher  way.  "  They  that  hate  me  love 
death"  (8  :  36) ;  i.  e.,  they  behave  as  if  they  did.  "  I  love  them 
that  love  me;"  that  is,  I  treat  them  as  though  I  loved  them. 
I,  Wisdom,  who  am  but  a  personification,  load  a  man  with 
good.  I  do  so, — in  myself,  who  am  the  highest  good, — and  in 
the  heaven  I,  Wisdom,  win  for  him.  I  love  him  in  the  most 
generous  sense.  In  his  very  act  of  love  I  love  him  ;  and  in  his 
very  zeal  of  wooing  I  turn  to  him  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

To  return  to  the  last  texts  (vs.  15,  16) :  "  By  me  kings  reign" 
does  not  mean  that  kings  reign  through  Christ ;  but  that  kings 
are  kings  (Prov.  20  :  28)  only  as  they  are  wise.  Yet,  secondly, 
it  does  not  mean  wise  in  a  common  sense,  but  wise  in  the  sense 
of  holiness.  And,  thirdly,  it  does  not  mean  holiness  as  alto- 
gether distinct  from  virtue,  but  holiness  as  that  moral  right 
which  belongs  to  all  the  ranks  of  moral  intelligences.  The  vir- 
tue that  belongs  to  God,  and  the  virtue  that  belongs  to  Gabriel, 
and  the  virtue  that  remains  in  man,  and  the  virtue  that  is 
wrecked  in  hell,  are  not  all  different  qualities  of  moral  right. 


no  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VIII. 

but  are  all  identically  the  same.  One  moral  quality  inheres  in 
all.  Government  being  a  moral  work,  the  man  that  governs 
must  have  a  moral  heart.  And  as  there  are  no  two  sorts  of 
virtue,  (I  mean  strictly  in  its  essence),  he  is  a  king,  i.  e.,  he 
truly  exercises  his  kingship  just  in  proportion  as  he  is  moral 
i.  e.,  just  in  proportion  as  he  is  holy,  i.  e.,  in  this  language  of 
this  inspired  book  that  is  before  us,  just  in  proportion  as  he  is 
spiritually  wise.  Now,  of  course,  morality  is  not  holiness. 
One  can  belong  to  the  lost ;  the  other  is  with  the  ransomed. 
But  the  moral  quality  is  with  each.  And  the  Wise  Man  means 
to  declare  that  without  this  moral  conscience,  a  king  cannot  be 
a  king,  and  that  he  cannot  be  a  proper  sort  of  king,  except  with 
that  sort  of  conscience  that  is  inspired  and  quickened  in  the 
true  believer.  Therefore  it  is  said  in  the  14th  verse,  "  I  have 
strength;"  not  that  Wisdom  is  the  same  as  strength,  but  that 
effectively  she  commands  it.  We  shall  see  in  subsequent  verses 
(vs.  22,  27,  30),  that  God  could  not  build  the  universe  without 
this  holiness.  And  here,  in  these  present  texts.  Wisdom  has 
strength  in  this. — A  king  could  not  be  a  king  without  it.  A 
Prince  would  be  scouted  from  the  throne  if  he  had  positively 
no  virtue.  A  Judge  would  be  routed  from  the  bench,  if  he 
were  throughout  depraved.  Not  only  does  Wisdom  give 
strength,  by  bringing  it  down  to  us  from  above,  but  it  has 
strength  in  that  we  could  not  shape  a  plan  unless  we  gave  it 
the  ligature  of  so7ne  kind  of  virtuous  design. 

Before  he  applies  the  same  thoughts  to  God,  he  interjects  the 
idea  that  Wisdom  is  precious  on  her  own  account.  Not  only 
are  all  the  great  things  on  earth  done  by  her,  but  she  is  more 
glorious  still  outside  of  anything  that  she  may  avail  to  do  : — 


18  Riches  and  honor  are  with  me; 
durable  ease  and  righteousness. 

19  My  fruit  is  better  than  gold,  yea,  than  fine 

gold ; 
and  my  increase  than  choice  silver. 

20  In  the  way  of  righteousness  I  walk ; 
in  the  midst  of  the  paths  of  judgment. 

21  So  results  a  heritage  to  them  that  love  me ; 
and  I  fill  full  their  treasures. 


18  Riches  and  honour 
are  with  me  ;  yea,  dur- 
able riches  and  right- 
eousness. 

19  My  fruit  is  better 
than  gold,  yea,  than 
fine  gold  ;  and  my  rev- 
enue than  choice  silver. 

20  I  lead  in  the  way 
of  righteousness,  in  the 
midst  of  the  paths  of 
judgment ; 

21  That  I  may  cause 
those  that  love  me  to 
inherit  substance  ;  and 
I  will  fill  their  treasures. 


Chap.  VIII.]  COMMENTARY.  m 

"Riches  and  honor."  ^^  Riches"  are  very  different  from 
"  honor."  "  Riches  "  are  much  lower  than  "  honor."  "  Riches  " 
are  great  personal  treasure.  "  Honor  "  is  an  excellence /^r  se, 
a  blessedness  in  itself,  even  if  it  profited  not,  and  gave  us  no 
pleasure  at  all.  It  is  good  to  have  been  holy  even  if  we  were 
stricken  from  existence.  "  With  me."  I  suspect  that  the  par- 
ticle here  had  a  meaning,  particularly  in  the  older  Hebrew,  that 
has  too  far  fallen  out.  It  would  tend  to  erect  the  pronoun  into 
the  subject  of  the  verb.  We  have  not  insisted  thus  in.  the 
translation ;  but  approximately  the  meaning  is,  "  Myself  am 
riches  and  honor."  Of  what  nature  the  "  riches"  are  is  ex- 
pressed : — "  durable  ease,"  from  a  verb  meaning  to  be  ligJit  or 
easy  ;  and  then,  as  explanatory  of  all,  "righteousness."  V.  19. 
"  My  fruit ;"  not  so  much  my  benefits^  or  the  good  I  do  s  but,  as 
is  expressed  in  the  last  clause,  "  my  increase,"  or  my  own  growth 
as  Wisdom.  The  idea  holds  that  Wisdom  is  herself  the  bene- 
fit. V.  20.  To  relieve  the  incredibleness  of  this.  Wisdom  rep- 
resents how  she  is  immersed  in  her  own  entertainments.  She 
moves  and  has  her  being  always  in  herself.  "  In  the  way  of 
righteousness  I  walk  ;  in  the  midst  of  the  paths  of  judgment ;" 
"  so"  in  the  midst,  (she  evidently  implies)  that  she  finds  both 
end  and  business  in  the  mere  walk  of  the  righteous.  "  So  re- 
sults;" literally,  ^^  there  is."  The  sentence  strictly  would  read, 
"  To  make  those  that  love  me  inherit  (or  have  a  heritage)  there  is 
(or  there  is  enough)."  It  is  awkward  to  change  it  into  English. 
The  meaning  is,  that  Wisdom  being  riches  and  honor,  there  is 
enough  in  Wisdom's  self  to  make  "  a  heritage"  of  for  "  them 
that  love"  her.  In  fact,  our  eternal  heirdom  will  be  this  peer- 
less Wisdom.  Our  English  has  it,  "  That  I  may  cause  those  that 
love  me  to  inherit  substance."  The  difficulty  is  that  "  there  is  " 
(•Qji)  is  never  translated  "  substance"  and,  in  fact,  need  not  be. 
The  force  lies  in  translating  it  "  there  is"  or  ^''  so  results  :"  the 
meaning  being,  that  "  there  is  "  enough  in  this  quality  of  Wis- 
dom, making  it  "  riches  and  honor,"  to  erect  it  as  a  good,  and 
so,  beyond  all  rival,  the  highest  good,  as  that "  there  is"  enough  in 
itself  to  make  it  a  heritage  for  all  its  children.  "  Fills  "  (Pihel) 
sometimes  means  makes  full  (Job  8  :  21),  but  sometimes  also 
"  fll"  as  being  oneself  the  filling  (i  Chr.  12  :  15). 


PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VIII. 


22  Jehovah  got  possession  of  me  as  the  first 

of  His  way ; 
before  His  works  of  old. 

23  I  was  anointed  from  everlasting ;  from  the 

beginning; 
or  ever  the  earth  was. 


22  The  LoKD  pos- 
sessed me  in  the  begin- 
ning of  his  way,  before 
his  works  of  old. 

23  I  was  set  up  from 
everlasting,  from  the 
beginning,  or  ever  the 
earth  was. 


"Got  possession  of  me."  Many  modern  commentators  say, 
"  Created  me.'"  As  old  as  Arius  was  a  difficulty  with  those  who 
thought  Wisdom  was  Jesus  Christ,  and  who  were  stumbled  at 
the  thought  that  He  should  be  "  created.''  The  word  does  mean 
'"'■created,''  but  it  means  also  (not  "possessed"  (E.  V.)  but) 
acquired  possession  of,  which  is  the  meaning  in  this  place. 
^^  Created"  would  suit  the  philosophy  which  makes  holiness 
nothing  but  the  will  of  God.  But  for  those  who  believe  that 
it  is  as  eternal  as  Himself,  the  sense,  as  given,  is  exactly  appro- 
priate. There  never  was  a  time  when  truth,  and  that  spiritual 
truth  which  is  the  object  of  this  spiritual  Wisdom,  was  not  at 
hand  with  God,  ready  to  be  perceived  by  Him,  and  actually 
being  perceived,  or  gotten  possession  of,  in  its  eternal  fulness. 
The  rest  of  the  sentence,  however,  is  much  more  important. 
Let  us  premise  : — Wisdom  is  holiness.  Holiness  is  two  virtues. 
One  is  the  love  of  the  welfare  of  others.  The  other  is  the  love 
of  holiness  itself.  These  two  loves  make  up  all  there  is  of 
spiritual  wisdom.*  Now  it  is  in  this  light  that  we  can  under- 
stand the  expression,  "the  first  of  His  way."  If  holiness  is 
God's  highest  trait ;  if,  being  His  highest  trait,  it  becomes,  con- 
sequently. His  controlling  motive;  if  His  controlling  motive, 
therefore,  is  benevolence  and  a  love  to  holiness,  it  follows  that 
what  moved  Him  on  any  path  originally  was  these  two  prevail- 
ing loves,  a  love  for  the  welfare  and  a  love  for  the  holiness  of  a 
possible  universe,  when  it  should  have  been  created.  If  it  were 
possible,  accordingly,  to  conceive  of  Jehovah  without  holiness, 
it  would  be  natural  to  conceive  of  Him  also  without  a  universe ; 
for  His  only  motive  to  create  would  seem  to  be,  His  eternal 
holiness,  that  is,  His  eternal  longing  for  the  happiness  and  holi- 
ness of  exalted  creatures.  As  Wisdom,  therefore,  is  holiness 
(i  :  2,  3),  we  understand  her  doctrine;  "  Je/iovah  got  possession 

♦  Some  other  occasion  must  be  taken  to  prove  this. 


Chap.  VIII.]  COMMENTARY.  113 

of  me  as  the  first  of  His  way."  He  did  not  set  out  on  His  travels 
till  I  inspired  Him.  He  is  my  only  original  embodiment ;  and 
yet  we  are  coeternal.  He  made  me  in  the  sense  that  He  origi- 
nated me  in  all  other  beings,  but  yet  I  was  always  with  Him. 
I  was  a  motive  to  Him  in  His  earliest  act ;  "  the  first  of  His  way 
before  His  works  of  old."  Now,  reviewing  all  this,  and  giving  it 
its  last  touch  of  justness,  let  us  remember,  that  there  is  no  wis- 
dom but  in  God  (i  Tim.  i  :  17).  Had  He  not  been,  there 
would  be  no  such  light ;  I  mean  reflected  anywher^  or  seen  by 
any  being.  He  originally  conceived  it  (or  '■'got  possession  of 
it,"  as  our  sentence  reads)  ;  a  thing  which  He  did  not  do  in 
time,  but  from  all  eternity.  But  still  He  did  not  create  it  in 
the  sense  of  making  that  wise  which  He  found  wise,  or  of  mak- 
ing that  holy  which  rules  all  His  motives.  He  could  not  so 
have  shaped  it  by  His  will  as  to  have  made  profanity  wise,  or 
malice  the  eternal  right.  He  did  not  create  His  own  loveliness, 
or  His  own  duty  to  love  it.  But  He  found  these  things  eternal. 
He  declared  them  as  an  eternal  truth.  He  decreed  them  as 
an  eternal  norm,  and  He  took  them  as  the  beginning  of  His 
way,  and  the  moulding  motive  of  His  whole  creation.  V.  23,  "  I 
was  anointed;"  not  Christ,  but  Wisdom.  The  verb  is  a  diffi- 
cult one,  but  "  anointed"  is  the  favorite  translation.  I  was  made 
king.  I  was  made  the  sovereign  motive,  not  only  for  man  but 
God. 

There  remain  now  two  ideas ;  the  first,  not  only  that  holi- 
ness originated  the  universe,  but  shaped  it  afterwards,  and 
framed  all  its  Providences ;  and  second,  that  she  was  not  simply 
a  norm  and  a  rule,  but  herself  a  delight.  She  became  herself 
a  pleasure,  and  that  not  now  to  the  Almighty,  but  as  a  created 
delight  outside  of  Him  and  in  the  new-born  universe.  These 
are  the  ideas  that  finish  the  chapter : — 

24  When  there  were  no  deeps  I  was  brought 

forth ; 
when  there  were  no  fountains  heavy  with 
waters. 

25  Before  the  mountains  were  sunk  fast; 
before  the  hills  was  I  brought  forth. 

26  Even  when  He  had  not  made  the  land  or 

the  parts  beyond 
or  the  beginning  of  the  dust  of  the  world. 


24  When  there  ivere 
no  depths,  I  was 
brought  forth;  when 
there  were  no  fountains 
abounding  with  water. 

25  Before  the  mount- 
ains were  settled  ;  be- 
fore the  hills  was  I 
brought  forth  : 

26  While  as  yet  he 
had  not  made  the  earth, 
nor  the  fields,  nor  the 
highest  part  of  the  dust 
of  the  world. 


114 


PROVERBS. 


[Chap.  VIII. 


27  When  He  set  up  the  heavens  I  was  there; 
when  He  fixed  a  vault  over  the  face  of  the 

deep; 

28  when  He  strengthened  the  clouds  above ; 
when  He  settled  firmly  the  fountains  of  the 

deep ; 

29  when  He  gave  the  sea  her  decree, 

that  the  waters  should  not  run  over  her 

mouth ; 
when  He  decreed  foundations  for  the  earth. 

30  And  I  became  a  builder  at  His  side. 
And  I  became  a  deep  pleasure  day  by  day ; 
a  joy  in  His  sight  all  the  time ; 

31  a  joy  in  the  habitable  part  of  His  earth  ; 
and  my  deep  pleasures  were  for  the  sons 

of  man. 


27  When  he  prepared 
the  heavens,  I  was 
there  :  when  he  set  a 
compass  upon  the  face 
of  the  depth  : 

28  When  he  estab- 
lished the  cloudsabove: 
when  he  strengthened 
the  fountains  of  the 
deep. 

29  When  he  gave  to 
the  sea  his  decree,  that 
the  waters  should  not 
pass  his  commandment: 
when  he  appointed  the 
foundations  of  the 
earth  : 

30  Then  I  was  by 
him,  as  one  brought 
up  luith  him ;  and  I 
was  daily  his  delight, 
rejoicing  always  belore 
hiin  ; 

31  Rejoicing  in  the 
habitable  part  of  his 
earth  :  and  my  delights 
■were  with  the  sons  of 
men. 


*'  When  there  were  no  deeps  I  was  brought  forth,"  This  had 
to  be,  because  without  wisdom  nothing  would  have  been  created. 
Holiness,  which  is  the  same  thing,  was  God's  only  motive.  It 
had  to  be  ^''  brSught  forth  "  in  Him,  and  this  must  have  been 
from  everlasting,  like  the  generation  of  His  Son,  or  like  the  pro- 
cession of  His  Spirit;  or  He  would  have  dwelt  alone.  The 
love  of  others'  happiness,  and  the  love  of  universal  holiness, 
must  have  been  present,  or  His  creative  power  must  have  been 
but  a  sterile  possession.  V.  25,  "Before  the  mountains  were 
sunk  fast;"  as  though  like  some  mighty  monuments  they  had  to 
be  sunken  in  their  deep  foundations  into  the  soil.  V.  26,  "  Or  the 
parts  beyond;"  intentionally  vague,  no  doubt.  The  "eaxth" 
was  rather  the  "  /and,"  where  the  living  dwelt.  In  its  mighty 
plain,  as  it  then  appeared  to  thiem,  what  lay  beyond,  who  could 
characterize .''  It  is  only  globularly,  as  we  know  it,  that  we  can 
dispose  in  thought  of  its  exterior  reaches.  "  The  beginning," 
i.  e.,  the  first  atoms  of  that  myriad  dust  that  forms  our  planet, 
wherever  it  comes  under  our  tread.  V.  27,  "When  He  set  up 
the  heavens,"  which  to  an  untutored  eye  would  seem  vaulted 
like  the  ceiling  of  a  dome.  "  When  He  fiiied  a  vault,  etc. "  Like 
the  "  rising  "  and  the  "  setting  "  of  the  sun,  it  is  no  stain  on  in- 
spiration when  it  shapes  its  speech  intelligibly  to  the  thought 


Chap.  VIIL]  COMMENTARY.  115 

of  the  people.  V.  28,  "  When  He  strengthened  the  clouds  above," 
which  bred  wonder  among  men  as  to  how  they  could  hold  up 
such  mighty  irrigations.  They  imagined  a  '"''  firmament "  or  ex- 
panse as  the  Scripture  names  it  (Gen.  i  :  6),  and  imagined  win- 
dows in  its  roof,  through  which  the  floods  of  waters  could  be 
poured  down  (Gen.  7:11).  V.  29,  "  Run  over  hermouth."  ^^Fass 
his  ccmwiandment"  the  English  Version  has  it.  His  mouth  or  its 
mouth  either  is  grammatical.  In  the  former  understanding, 
God's  ''''commandment"  (E.  V.)  would  be  perfectly  well  chosen 
as  the  rendering.  But  the  sentence  would  be  less  tautological, 
and  more  simple  in  its  frame  if  we  imagine  with  the  ancients  a 
great  lip  to  the  fountains  of  the  deep,  and  God  as  giving  a  de- 
cree that  the  waters  are  not  to  pass  over  it.  V.  30,  "  I  became." 
''^  I  was,"  our  English  translation  has  it.  But  the  verb  to  be  is 
not  necessary  in  Hebrew ;  and  when  it  does  appear,  it  means 
more  than  n'as  (Gen,  i  :  3).  "A  builder."  Now  we  must  not 
forget  that  Wisdom  is  a  mere  quality.  It  is  not  even  a  power, 
or  a  function  of  a  being.  It  is  mere  light.  It  is  the  high  holi- 
ness of  the  Almighty.  Yet  as  gravitation  is  a  universal  system, 
that  shapes  the  whole  universal  frame,  so  holiness  is  the  norm 
of  the  grand  creation.  God  could  not  have  built  without  it. 
The  law  that  we  are  to  have  love  to  others,  and  that  we  are  to 
have  love  to  holiness,  is  the  gravitation  of  all  intelligences. 
Matter  need  not  be  created  except  for  mind ;  and  mind  must 
not  be  created  except  for  holiness ;  and,  therefore,  there  is  deep 
philosophy  in  Solomon  in  the  words,  "  /  became  a  builder  at  His 
side."  Mind  would  defy  any  plan  except  it  were  simply  this  : — 
that  the  whole  banded  life  be  framed  together  under  the  law  of 
holiness, — that  mutual  regard  between  God  and  His  works, 
which  holds  the  moral  elements  of  any  conceivable  creation  at 
peace  under  a  single  system.  "Deep  pleasures."  God  made 
conscious  happinesses  outside  of  Himself,  and  Wisdom  claims 
to  \)Q  facile  princeps.  "I  became  a  pleasure."  The  largest 
happiness  of  which  men  are  capable,  is  holiness;  and  the  only 
happiness  is  one  in  which  holiness,  and  that  in  a  perfect  degree, 
is  found  to  be  embodied.  She  is,  therefore,  "a  joy  in  {God's) 
sight;"  and  as  there  is  no  conceivable  felicity  without,  she  is  a 
joy  "aU  the  time."     Not,  indeed,  for  beasts;  for  they  can  be 


ii6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  VIII. 

happy  without;  not,  indeed,  for  God,  for  He  is  happy  of  Him- 
self. I  know  not  that  it  is  reverent  to  imagine  that  the  practice 
of  holiness  is  that  which  adds  bliss  to  His  exalted  nature.  But 
for  man,  Wisdom  is  the  grand  delight.  And,  therefore,  we  can 
understand  the  close  : — V.  31,  "A  joy  in  the  habitable  part  of 
His  earth;  and  my  deep  pleasures  were  for  the  sons  of  man." 
Not  as  with  the  English  Version,  that  Wisdom  herself  rejoices, 
and  has  delight ;  for  that  she  cannot  have,  except  in  the  person 
of  her  votaries ;  nor  that  God  delights  in  her ;  for  that  is  neither 
new  nor  pertinent;  but  that  she  came  to  be  outside  of  Him  the 
great  moral  joy.  She  not  only  served  as  the  only  norm  for  a 
creation,  but  as  the  grand  joy  of  it ;  for,  as  offered  in  the  glories 
of  the  Divinity,  she  will  be  the  feast  of  Heaven  through  all  the 
ages  of  its  Intelligence. 


32  Now,  therefore,  hearken   unto   me,  O  ye 
sons; 

and  blessed  are  they  that  watch  my  ways. 
12>  Hearken  to  discipline,  and  be  wise; 

and  do  not  ye  let  go. 

34  Blessed  is  the  man  who  hearkens  unto  me, 
so  as  to  lurk  at  my  gates  day  after  day ; 

so  as  to  watch  at  the  posts  of  my  doors  ; 

35  for  he  that  finds  me  has  found  me  life, 
and  is  bringing  out  favor  from  Jehovah. 

36  But  he  that  misses  me,  wrongs  himself. 
All  that  hate  me,  have  fallen  in  love  with 

death. 


32  Now  therefore 
hearken  unto  me,  O  ye 
children  :  for  blessed 
are  they  that  keep  my 
ways. 

33  Hear  instruction, 
and  be  wise,  and  refuse 
it  not. 

34  Blessed  is  the  man 
that  heareth  me,  watch- 
ing daily  at  my  gates, 
waiting  at  the  posts  of 
my  doors. 

35  For  whoso  findeth 
me  findeth  life,  and 
shall  obtain  favour  of 
the  Lord. 

36  But  he  that  sin- 
neth  against  me  wrong- 
eth  his  own  soul  :  all 
they  that  hate  me  love 
death. 


"  Now,  therefore,  etc. :"  the  same  concluding  formulary  as  in 
the  former  chapter,  though  Wisdom,  not  Solomon,  is  now  the 
speaker.  "  Watch,"  not  "  ketp"  (E.  V.).  Keep  comes  from  old 
Saxon  (like  capio)  meaning  take  ;  which  grew  to  mean  holding 
fast,  or  treasuring  away.  ^^ Keeping  God's  commandments"  has 
grown  to  mean  doing  them;  and  has  introduced  an  English 
idiom.  But  the  inspired  word  is  guard,  or  watch*  It  is  de- 
rived from  bristling  like  the  spear-heads  of  a  garrison.  To 
"  keep"  (E.  V.)  God's  commandments,  in  what  has  grown  to  be 

*  There  is  another  word  often  translated  keep  which  means  watch  also,— primarily,  to 
look  narrowly  at. 


Chap.  VIIL]  COMMENTARY,  ^  117 

the  English  idiom,  no  doubt  through  mistranslation',  means  to 
mount  guard  over  them,  so  as  to  watch  them.  And  the  ways 
of  Wisdom  are  offered  for  our  "  watch  "  so  that  we  may  look 
hard  at  them,  and  keep  our  feet  in  them  diligently  and  all  the 
time.  ^ .  ZZ-  "  Do  not  let  go."  There  is  no  accusative  here. 
Wisdom  muot  be  held  hard  to.  There  must  be  no  letting  go. 
The  sluggard  is  one  that  knows  enough,  as  we  all  do,  but  can- 
not be  persuaded  to  hold  on  with  the  requisite  exertion.  V.  34, 
"  So  as  to  lurk;"  the  lamedh  (3)  of  consequence.  Zockler  con- 
siders this  as  answered  to  by  the  present  participle ;  in  which 
he  is  mistaken ;  for  it  is  one  of  the  deepnesses  of  this  philo- 
sophic book  that  it  remembers  that  our  present  act  is  the  only 
thing  within  our  power.  "  Hearkens  so  as  to  lurk."  We  are  to 
do  the  present  thing,  and  then  we  will  form  the  habit.  ''Blessed 
is  the  man  who  hearkens  unto  me  so  as  to  lurk  at  my  gates  day  after 
day ;  so  as  to  watch  at  the  posts  of  my  doors."  Uriah  watched 
at  David's  gate  as  a  token  of  service  (2  Sam.  11:9).  Lazarus 
watched  at  Dives'  gate  as  a  token  of  dependence  (Luke  16  :  20)  ; 
courtiers  at  royal  entrances  for  smiles  of  favor.  Let  the  sinner 
do  all  these  things.  As  the  height  of  wisdom  let  him  get  wis- 
dom, and  by  means  of  all  his  gettings  let  him  get  discernment. 
V.  34.  "  Has  found  me,  etc. ;"  a  plain  pronominal  suffix  dis- 
turbed somewhat  by  various  readings.  Wisdom  is  herself  the 
life.  No  one  can  find  her  to  be  life  till  he  has  found  her,  and 
hasher  in  possession.  "Is  brmging  out;"  the  same  play  of 
tenses.  ''Found"  is  in  the  perfect,  as  we  find  Wisdom  once 
for  all.  "  Is  bringing  out  "  is  in  the  future,  to  show  that  Wis- 
dom, once  found,  is  bringing  out  favor  all  the  time.  V.  35. 
"  He  that  misses  me."  The  word  sin  in  the  Bible  has  fixed  itself 
upon  this  same  root.  "  He  that  sinneth  against  me  "  (E.  V.). 
Still  the  word  "miss"  is  the  primary,  and,  in  this  case,  the 
more  expressive  meaning.  The  mere  missing  is  a  cruel  suicide. 
The  lost  miss  Wisdom  eternally.  "  Death  and  hell  say,  we  have 
but  heard  the  fame  of  it  with  our  ears."  Doing  without  is  a 
stupid  misery ;  but  hating  it  is  an  insane  marvel.  "  All  that 
hate  me  have  fallen  in  love  with  death." 


ii8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IX. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


I  Wisdom  has  builded  her  house. 
She  has  hewed  out  her  seven  pillars. 


Wisdom  hath  build- 
ed her  house,  she  hath 
hewn  out  her  seven 
pillars  ; 


"  Wisdom ;"  the  plural,  as  in  chap,  i  :  20.  "  House,"  among  the 
Hebrews,  was  an  image  of  all  well  being  (Ex.  1:21).  It  would 
be  foolish,  therefore,  to  attempt  limiting  its  sense.  It  means 
shelter.  It  means  nurture.  It  means  repose.  It  means  the 
centre  of  all  provision.  It  means  the  home  of  all  convivial 
feasts.  If  Wisdom  has  built  such  a  shelter  for  the  lost,  it 
means  that  she  has  furnished  for  them  every  possible  necessity. 
An  Eastern  house  depended  upon  columns  that  were  around  a 
court.  Samson  put  his  hand  upon  such  interior  supports.  If 
Wisdom  "has  hewed  out  her  seven  pillars,"  it  means  that  the 
provision  she  has  made  for  the  saints  is  absolutely  secure.  The 
very  number  "  seven"  betokens  a  perfect  because  a  sacred  sup- 
port. And  we  have  but  to  ask  upon  what  the  gospel  rests  in 
its  eternal  promises  and  in  the  righteousness  of  its  Great  Head, 
to  settle  the  question  as  to  these  sacred  pillars. 


She  has  killed  her  killing. 
She  has  mingled  her  wine. 
She  has  also  spread  her  table. 
She  has  sent  forth  her  maidens. 
She  calls  on  the  tops  of  the  high  places  of 
the  city  : — 


2  She  hath  killed  her 
beasts  ;  she  hath  min- 
gled her  wine  ;  she 
nath  also  furnished  her 
table  ; 

3  She  hath  sent  forth 
her  maidens  ;  she  crieth 
upon  the  highest  pl.-»ces 
of  the  city, 


"She  has  killed  her  killing,"  viz.,  Christ.  "She  has 
mingled  her  wine,"  viz..  His  atoning  blood.  She  has,  in  every 
respect,  a  banquet ;  just  as  the  Strange  Woman  offered  her 
banquet.  "  She  has  also  spread  her  table."  Christ  and  his 
cross  not  being  efficient  unless  administered  to  men,  she  has 
established  churches  and  ordinances  as  the  mere  dishes  and 
seats  of  the  expected  banquet.  V.  3.  "  She  has  sent  forth  her 
maidens ;"  viz.,  sermons  and  Providential  strokes,  the  whole 
heraldry  of  the  doctrine  of  salvation. 


Chap  IX.]  COMMENTARY.  119 


4  Whoso  is  simple  let  him  turn  this  way. 

As  for  him  that  lacks  sense,  she  says  to 
him  : — 

5  Come  eat  of  my  food, 

and  drink  of  the  wine  that  I  have  min- 
gled. 

6  Forsake  the  simple  and  live ; 

and  go  straight  in  the  way  of  discernment. 


4  Whoso  is  simple, 
let  him  turn  in  hither  : 
as  for  )\\\r\  that  want- 
eth  understanding,  she 
saith  to  him, 

5  Come,  eat  of  my 
bread,  and  drink  of  the 
wine  which  I  have 
mingled. 

6  Forsake  the  foolish, 
and  live  ;  and  go  in  the 
■*i:\y  of  understanding. 


First,  the  call  balances  in  chief  respects  that  uttered  by  the 
Strange  Woman.  Second,  the  invitation  drops  much  that  is 
not  chief,  and  offers  simply  the  " food"  and  the  "  wine."  The  ap- 
peal goes  to  the  heart  of  the  gospel  dispensation.  And,  thirdly, 
as  the  hope  of  all  these  appeals,  they  are  exceeding  plain. 
The  "  simple "  in  their  own  devious  paths,  are  still  going 
straight  in  their  own  imagination  (Prov.  14:  12).  The  wise 
voice  implies  (v.  6)  that  in  their  own  innermost  convictions, 
nevertheless,  they  know  they  are  going  crooked.  There  is  a 
strange  mixture  in  these  respects.  "  They  flatter  themselves  in 
their  own  eyes  "  (Ps.  36  :  2),  and  yet  their  own  hearts  condemn 
them  (i  Jo.  3  :  20),  and  so  Wisdom  boldly  appeals  to  this  last 
conviction  : — ''  Forsake  the  simple,  and  live ;  and  go  straight  in 
the  way  of  discernment. "  Wisdom,  though  enthroned  over  the 
universe,  is  yet  so  plain,  that  it  only  requires  that  men  ''^  go 
straight  in  "  what  they  see  to  be  their  duty. 

Yet  under  the  very  brow  of  this  plainness,  she  goes  on  (v.  7) 
to  one  of  the  deepest  doctrines  of  religion.  There  is  no 
truth  more  profound  with  the  chiefest  of  the  apostles.  Though 
Wisdom  asks  nothing  but  that  a  man  may  follow  his  conscience, 
yet,  in  asking  that,  without  grace,  she  will  only  harden  him  : — 

7  He  that  disciplines  a  scorner  brings  down  I    ?  "^  ^^^^  reproveth 

'  ,  .       ^ ,  °  a    scorner    getteth     to 

upon  hun  shame  ;  himself  shame;  and  he 

and   he  that  reproves  a  wicked   man  his  ;,';f/J^]^/,2'ifim!e}f'a 
disgrace.  I^iot. 

This  turn  of  the  pronoun,  no  one  seems  to  have  discovered. 
The  English  version  says,  "  to  /limse//,"  though  all  the  passage 
(vs.  8,  9)  is  telling  the  consequences  to  the  poor  hardened 
man.  The  doctrine  is,  "He  that  disciplines  a  scorner"  just 
adds  to  him  shame.     And  the  philosophy   amounts  to  this  : 


I20  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IX. 

Man  is  not  like  a  thermometer,  raised  or  sunken  by  every 
breath,  but  he  is  the  subject  of  a  change  which  makes  a  differ- 
ence in  moral  influences.  Without  that  change,  instruction 
hardens  him.  With  that  change,  it  moves  him  and  makes  him 
better.  Without  the  change  the  thermometer  is  always  sinking. 
With  the  change,  it  is  rising  all  the  time.  This  teaching  is  had 
in  all  forms  in  the  New  Testament.  John  says  (i  Jo.  2  :  12), 
"  I  write  unto  you,  little  children,  because  your  sins  are  for- 
given you;"  his  plain  implication  being,  that  they  "walk  in 
darkness,  because  that  darkness  hath  blinded  (their)  eyes"  (v. 
11),  and  that  it  would  be  useless  to  write  except  for  the  grace 
of  forgiveness.  We  hear  of  "  the  savor  of  death  unto  death  ' 
(2  Cor.  2:16);  and  Christ  tells  (Jo.  15  :  24)  that  "  if  (he)  had 
not  come  among  them  and  done  the  works  that  none  other 
man  did,  they  had  not  had  sin,"  meaning,  comparatively.  This 
passage,  therefore,  teaches  that,  ''''He  that  disciplines  a  sconie?-, 
brings  vpon  him  (more)  shaine"  and  that,  "  hie  that  reproves  a 
wicked  man  "  just  deepens  upon  him  his  spot^  or  "  liis  disgrace." 
We  are  to  do  good  unto  "  all  men  "  (Gal.  6  :  10),  but,  in  view 
of  these  impossibilities  of  benefit  to  the  reckless,  we  are  especi- 
ally instructed  to  do  good  "  to  them  that  are  of  the  household 
of  faith." 


Reprove  not  a  scorner,  lest  he  hate  thee. 
Reprove  a  wise  man,  and  he  will  love  thee. 


8  Reprove  not  a 
scorner,  lest  he  hate 
thee  :  rebuke  a  wise 
man,  and  he  will  love 
thee. 


By  which  I  do  not  understand  that  we  are  forbidden  to 
preach  to  the  impenitent ;  but  that  we  are  to  contemplate  two 
facts  : — first,  that  unless  they  are  changed,  our  preaching  will 
make  them  worse ;  and,  therefore,  second,  that,  though  our 
preaching  is  a  chosen  instrument  of  the  change  itself,  yet,  if 
they  are  "  scorners,"  i.  e.,  if  they  are  what  our  Saviour  calls 
"  swine  "  (Matt.  7:6);  and  he  means  by  that,  specially  incor- 
rigible; we  are  not  to  scatter  our  "pearls"  to  them.  We  are 
not  to  intrude  religion  upon  scoffers.  We  are  to  withhold  the 
good  seed  to  some  extent,  (yet  with  infinite  compassion  for  all,) 
for  what  may  more  reasonably  be  hoped  to  be,  or,  at  least,  to 
come  to  be,  the  good  and  honest  ground  (Mar.  4  :  8). 


Chap.  IX.]  COMMENTARY.  121 


9  Give  instruction 
to  a  wise  vtan^  and  he 
will  be  yet  wiser  ;  teach 
a  just  man,  and  he  will 
increase  in  learning. 


9  Impart  to  a  wise  man,  and  he  will  be  yet 
wiser. 
Teach  a  righteous  man,  and  he  will  make 
still  higher  acquisitions. 

"Impart;"  literally  give.  A  very  good  plan,  to  make  it  in- 
definite. Give ;  and  the  idea  is,  that  it  makes  no  difference 
what  you  give.  Everything  will  bless  the  "  wise  man. "  "  Teach.  " 
him  anything.  It  will  mould  into  more  generous  "  acquisitions." 
Everything  hurts  the  wicked.  "  The  wicked  is  thrust  down 
even  by  his  troubles  "  (Prov.  14:32),  but  the  righteous  is  helped 
up  by  everything. 

And  now  the  whole  is  explained  at  a  stroke : — 

10  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  beginning  of  .  '°  "^^^u^T  ^'^  •''^ 

.    J  •'  00  Lord  zj  the  beginning 

Wisdom  ;  of    wisdom  ;    and     the 

knowledge  of  the  Holy 
is  understanding. 


and  the  knowledge  of  holy  things  is  dis- 
cernment. 


Men  can  not  begin  to  be  wise  except  in  holiness.  The  woman 
(6  :  13)  is  said  "  to  know  noiJiing  at  all."  The  impenitent  man 
discerns  not  a  ray  of  wisdom.  And,  therefore,  "  Reproz^e  not  a 
scorner"  because  he  cannot  begin  to  listen  without  "wisdom." 
Unless  it  begins  to  be  the  fact  that  God  is  teaching  him,  you 
can  not  teach  him.  "  The  fear  of  Jehovah,"  or  holiness,  or  faith, 
or  a  change  of  heart,  just  as  you  please  to  call  it,  "  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom ;"  and  that  word  is  not  tT'tlJiS^"!)  which  means,  also, 
chief  or  principal  thing,  but  a  word  purely  for  a  ''''  beginning." 
Do  not  preach  to  the  insane,  unless  there  be  a  reasonable  sign 
that  they  may  begin  to  be  enlightened.  That  light  must  be  a 
moral  change.  "  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  beginning  of  wis- 
dom ;  and  the  knowledge  of  holy  things;"  that  is,  not  of  The 
Holies,  viz.,  of  God  (pluralis  excellentiae)  (Bertheau  et  al.) ; 
not  of  holy  men ;  though  it  is  the  masculine  plural ;  not  of 
"  holy  things  "  to  the  exclusion  of  persons ;  but  more  expres- 
sively still  of  each  and  all  of  these ;  the  knowledge  of  the  holy 
(plural)  in  whatsoever  of  God  or  creature  it  may  have  an  ex- 
ample or  be  made  to  appear,  "is  discernment," 

1 1   For  by  me  thy  days  shall  become  great ;       j/;^  ^sh'aii^'be'^muiti!^ 
and  they  shall  make  thee  greater  through  plied,  and  the  years  of 
years  of  life.  ^^eVed!  ^'^"  '^  '"" 

6 


122  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IX. 

Not  "(^(?  multiplied"  (E.  V.),  as  we  have  already  explained 
(3  :  2).  The  days  of  a  good  man  are  not  necessarily  multiplied, 
but  sometimes  the  reverse.  The  verb  means  to  "  become  great  " 
oftener  than  it  means  to  \>t  multiplied.  Moreover,  "years  of 
life  "  is  feminine,  and  the  verb  shall  make,  etc.,  is  masculine. 
And,  most  important  of  all,  this  verb  is  active,  and  does  not 
mean  '■'' shall  be  increased''  (E.  V.).  The  resort,  too,  that  men 
have  had  to  making  it  impersonal,  so  as  to  read ,"  men  shall  add" 
meaning  "  there  shall  be  added"  all  shows,  that  there  is  some- 
thing unnatural  in  the  usual  arrangement.  The  sense  above 
given  is  infinitely  better.  "  If  thou  art  wise  thcu  art  wise  for 
thyself."  The  naked  fact  of  being  wise  shall  make  thy  days 
great.  All  life  will  "make  thee  greater."  It  is  not  a  promise 
that  thy  days  shall  be  long,  but  that  the  longest  of  thy  days 
shall  only  minister  to  thy  soul's  greatness.  "Through  yeai-s  of 
Ufe;"  a  frequent  meaning  of  the  accusative. 

Wisdom  is  a  thing  that  is  above  all  life  and  treasure.  It  is 
one's  own,  that  he  must  possess  inalienably : — 


12  If  thou  art  wise,  thou  art  wise  for  thyself; 
and  if  thou  scornest,  thou  alone  shalt  bear 
it. 


12  If  thou  be  wise, 
thou  shalt  be  wise  for 
thyself:  but  if  thou 
scornest,  thou  alone 
shalt  bear  it. 


"Scornest,"  As  we  are  not  aware  that  the  mass  of  the  im- 
penitent actually  scoff  at  religion,  we  must  look  at  this  word,  so 
often  selected  by  Solomon,  as  meaning  that  practical  scorn,  by 
which  men,  who  profess  to  respect  the  gospel,  show  it  the  prac- 
tical contempt  of  their  worldliness. 

It  The  Woman  of  Folly  is  clamorous.  f .  '3^  '"""''^'^  woman 

^     _,,        .        .         ,  ,  ,    -'  ,   .  ,  us  clamorous;    she    ts 

She  is  simple,  and  knows  nothmg  whatever,  simple,  and  knoweth 

I  nothing. 

The  commentators,  who,  through  all  the  previous  instances, 
stood  out  against  the  idea  that  the  "  Strange  Woman  "  was  the 
impersonation  of  Folly,  seem  to  yield  to  it  in  the  present  in- 
stance:  the  pictures  of  Wisdom  and  Folly  stand  so  nicely 
balanced.  The  Fathers  seized  all  as  allegories.  And  the  adop- 
tion of  what  is  tropical  in  one,  seems  greatly  to  sustain  all  the 
parabolic   interpretations.     "  The  "Woman  of  Folly. "      The  ex- 


Chap.  IX.]  COMMENTARY.  123 

pression,  it  is  true,  in  this  instance,  comes  nearer  a  mere  name 
for  Impenitence.  "Clamorous;"  that  is,  so  bustling  as  to  allow- 
no  time  for  repentance  (see  5:6);  like  Cardinal  Mazarin,  of 
whom  it  was  said,  that  the  devil  never  would  let  him  rest.  The 
sinner  is  so  hurried  along  in  the  changes  of  life,  as  apparently 
to  unsettle  any  attempted  reformation.  "  Knows  nothing  what- 
ever;" an  expression  grandly  doctrinal.  The  impenitent  is 
blankly  dark.  Ecclesiastes  (6:5)  represents  the  perishing  as 
like  an  untimely  birth.  "  He  hath  not  seen  the  sun,  nor  known 
anything."  "  The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God :  neither  can  he  know  them,  because  they  are 
spiritually  discerned  "  (i  Cor.  2:14).  '*  Where  can  Wisdom  be 
found.?"  says  the  inspired  man  (Job.  28  :  14,  22).  "  The  depth 
saith,  It  is  not  in  me;  and  the  sea  saith.  It  is  not  with  me." 
The  "  Woman  of  Folly  "  is  blankly  ignorant ;  for  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  the  beginning  of  Wisdom,  and  if  she  have  not  the  be- 
ginning, then  mental  light,  if  she  have  any,  must  be  but  as 
"  darkness  "  (Matt.  6  :  23). 

14  And  she  sits  at  the  door  of  her  house 
on  a  seat  in  the  high  places  of  the  city, 

15  to  call  those  who  are  passing  on  the  way, 
who  are  attempting  straight  paths  ; — 

"She  sits,  etc:"  the  same  publicity  and  thoroughness  as  in 
the  other  pictures.  "  Wisdom  "  and  the  "  Strange  Woman  "  are 
kept  poetically  balanced  in  the  modes  and  appliances  of  their 
diverse  solicitations.  "  Passing  on  the  way. "  All  men  are  on 
away.  At  no  given  hour  is  any  man  not  on  some  way  in  a  con- 
scious journey.  "Attempting  straight  paths."  This  is  a  fine 
stroke !  All  the  crowd  whom  she  addresses  think  they  are  go- 
ing right  in  some  shape.  Confessedly,  they  are  all  wrong.  But, 
at  the  moment,  they  seem  right;  doing  correct  business;  or 
providing  necessary  means ;  or  living  the  usual  life  !  So  that, 
literally,  the  Strange  Woman  seems  to  be  calling  to  men,  '■'at- 
tempting straight  paths." 

.    --T,  .        .         1      1     .    1   •        i  •      ■u'i.i .  I      16  Whoso  is  simple, 

16  Whoso  IS  smiple  let  him  turn  m  hither  ;      U^t  him  turn  in  hiiher: 
yea,  he  who  lacks  sense.    And  she  says  toUnd^-^'undlmand! 

him  : '  ing,  she  saith  to  him. 


14  For  she  sitteth  at 
the  door  of  her  house, 
on  a  seat  in  the  high 
places  of  the  city, 

15  To  call  passengers 
who  go  right  on  their 
ways  : 


124  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  IX. 


17  Stolen  waters  are  sweet; 

and  food  in  secret  is  pleasant. 

18  And  he  knows  not  that   the   shades   are 

there ; 
and  that  her  guests  are  in  the  depths  of 
Sheol, 


17  Stolen  waters  are 
sweet,  and  bread  eaten 
in  secret  is  pleasant. 

18  But  he  knoweth 
not  that  the  dead  are 
there ;  and  that  her 
guests  are  in  the 
depths  of  hell. 


"  Whoso  i3  simple. "  She  can  have  no  other  audience.  It 
does  not  mean  that  she  parades  their  simplicity,  though  really 
they  all  confess  it ;  but  that  such  is  the  interior  solicitation  of 
Impenitence.  It  is  a  solicitation  only  to  the  simple.  "  Yea,  he 
who  lacks  sense;"  literally,  heart ;  for  just  as  we  need  not  re- 
prove a  scorner  (Prov.  9  :  8)  because  it  will  only  harden  him, 
so  Folly  need  not  assail  the  wise.  It  will  only  quicken  them. 
Folly  is  so  gross  that  it  is  only  the  insane  that  could  be  brought 
to  listen  to  her.  V.  17,  "Stolen  waters  are  sweet  "  Such  are 
all  the  sweetnesses  of  the  Impenitent,  viz.,  ^'"stolen"  This  is  a 
common  thought  on  the  lips  of  our  Saviour.  All  life  is  stolen 
by  an  impenitent  sinner.  He  has  no  right  to  it.  It  is  "  another 
man's  "  (Luke  16:12).  It  is  the  "  Mammon  of  unrighteousness  " 
(Lu.  16  :  9).  It  is  that  a  man  robs  God  (Mai.  3  :  8).  It  is  only 
the  believer  that  can  look  upon  life  as  a  gift  (Eccles.  5  :  18,  19). 
A  sinner  always  feels  like  a  hound  secreting  some  stolen  dainty. 
It  is  "food  in  secret."  And  it  is  the  witching  sweetness  of  his 
desires,  that  leads  the  sinner  to  close  his  lips  upon  them  without 
asking  the  Almighty.  V.  18,  "The  shades;"  that  is,  the  dead; 
an  old  Pagan  phraseology;  an  emblem  of  the  damned;  just  as 
"  Sheol"  is  of  Gehenna  or  the  pit.  The  damned  are  in  her  very 
train.  Her  house  is  the  very  depth  of  hell.  There  is  nothing 
blacker  in  hell  than  this  "  JVoman  of  Folly  ;"  and  in  this  very 
world,  therefore,  men  are  stung  with  the  poisons  of  the  pit.  Of 
course  "he  knows  not."  If  the  sinner  only  knew  that  he  was 
already  dead,  he  might  wake  up  with  a  bound  to  the  work  of 
his  salvation. 


Chap.  X.]  COMMENTARY.  125 


CHAPTER  X. 

I  Proverbs  of  Solomon.  UJ"''  P'-o^"'''^  "f 

I  bolomon. 

This  is  the  heading  of  fifteen  chapters,  ending  with  chap.  25. 
It  marks  the  beginning  of  single  couplets  or  texts,  which,  with 
more  or  less  interconnection,  are  isolated  Proverbs.  We  may 
expect  a  gain  in  terseness,  with,  perhaps,  a  loss  in  tenderness 
and  poetic  grace.  Attempts  are  in  all  commentaries,  al- 
most, to  group  these  Proverbs ;  Hitzig  going  so  far  as  to  infer 
numeric  rules  for  the  size  of  the  divisions.  But  we  think  this 
fanciful.  He  has  to  resort  to  excision,  which  is  his  favorite 
fault.  We  have  no  doubt  that  there  is  great  progress  in  the 
texts  (see  Introd.  §  7),  but  it  is  easy  and  flowing  like  the 
changes  of  a  landscape.  The  first  Proverb,  for  example  (10  :  i), 
finds  a  reason  in  most  that  follow.  But  when  we  critically 
begin  to  divide  the  groups,  we  weary  the  eye,  and  divert  its 
glance  from  the  natural  and  self-developing  connections.  In 
fact,  there  may  be  different  connections,  all  legitimate,  for  dif- 
ferent and  differently  situated  interpreters  of  each  particular 
inspiration. 

Let  a  wise  son  make  a  glad  father ;       _  _  _    ^ j'^^heT:  "ufa  foof- 


and  let  a  foolish  son  be  the  grief  of  his 
mother. 


ish  son  is  the  heaviness 
of  his  mother. 


The  future,  as  we  all  know,  may  be  either  predictive  or  jus- 
sive. It  may  either  be  imperative  or  a  proper  future.  Guard- 
edly, I  would  like  to  think  that  it  might  be  both ;  that  is,  as  it 
lies  out  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit,  who,  of  course, 
knows  all  its  possible  meanings,  it  need  not  be  supposed  to  be 
constrained  to  either,  if  all  have  kindred  sense.  We  would 
have  no  quarrel,  therefore,  with  a  man  who  said  that  this  terse 
proverb  meant  both  that  piety  would  gladden  a  father,  and 
that  piety  should  gladden  a  father,  when  found  in  a  son. 
Either  and  both  are  true,  and  for  kindred  reasons.  As  to  the 
first,  it  applies  to  the  Almighty,  who  values  piety  more  in  His 


126  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  X. 

children  than  anything  besides.  As  to  the  second,  if  we  were 
obliged  to  choose,  we  would  prefer  it  greatly  to  the  other,  be- 
cause it  has  more  sense.  As  the  great  opening  Proverb  in  the 
list,  to  say  that  holiness  is  that  which  gladdens  parents,  is 
sometimes  not  true,  and,  in  cases  where  it  is  true,  viz.,  with 
good  parents,  is  baldly  obvious.  We  prefer,  therefore,  the 
view  of  the  imperative.  "Let  a  wise  son  make  a  glad  father." 
If  a  man  has  a  good  son,  let  it  be  his  one  all  sufficient  gratifi- 
cation. This  is,  ad  latguetti,  a  vital  sense.  Men  toil  for  their 
children,  and  give  themselves  pain  in  their  behalf  to  an  ex- 
tent altogether  heroic,  considering  how  they  abnegate  self;  but 
to  an  extent  altogether  disproportioned,  as  between  their  tem- 
poral and  eternal  welfare.  This  is  one  way  we  destroy  our 
children.  If  their  temporal  inheritance  is  threatened,  we  are 
all  on  thorns ;  but  if  they  are  doing  well  or  doing  ill  in  piety, 
we  give  it  but  little  notice.  The  verb,  therefore,  as  a  jussive, 
means  most.  "Let  a  foolish  son  be  the  g^ief  of  his  mother;" 
that  is,  an  unconverted  son.  He  may  be  all  smiles  and  amiablc- 
ness,  and  the  father's  business  may  be  doing  well,  but  if  he  is  a 
fool,  spiritually,  it  should  be  his  mother's  grief.  The  one  great 
effort  of  parents  should  be  to  bring  their  children  among  the 
wise. 

And  now,  reasons  : — 


2  Of  no  profit  are  treasures  of  wickedness  ; 
but  righteousness  delivers  from  death. 


2  Tre.isnrcs  of  wick- 
edness i)rofit  iiolliinc;  : 
but  rifjnteoiisness  de- 
livcrcth  from  death. 


Not  "  treasures  of  wickedness  "  in  the  sense  of  great  amounts 
of  it.  Of  course,  that  is  unprofitable.  Not  treasures  i!;ottcn  by 
wickedness  (Prov.  21:6).  The  sense  is  much  more  deep  and 
catholic.  The  Proverl)  means  the  treasures  of  an  unsaved  man. 
Let  a  wise  son  make  a  glad  father,  for  a  rich  son,  if  it  be  l)ut 
the  wealth  of  an  impenitent,  is  positively  without  j)rorit.  Do 
not  strive  for  the  worldly  estate  of  your  offspring;  for  if  they 
be  "  wise"  they  shall  have  as  much  substance  as  is  for  their 
good ;  and  if  they  arc  fools,  no  substance  at  all  is  better  than 
the  grandest  inheritance,  for,  for  this,  they  shall  be  forced  to 
give  account.     Notice  here,-again,  (as  in  14  :  11),  the  balancing 


Chap.  X.]  COMMENTARY.  127 

of  the  Proverb.  It  does  not  say,  "  Of  no  profit  are  ircasiires  of 
zvickediu'ss,'"  but  the  treasures  of  righteousness  shall  be  made 
effectual  to  blessing.  But  it  intensifies  in  the  second  clause. 
The  cases  are  numerous  (Prov.  19  :  4;  13:12;  11:23;  10:28; 
10  :  2,  3).  So  here  : — "  Of  no  profit  arc  treasures  of  wickedness^ 
but  righteousness  delivers  from  death,"  That  is,  the  highest 
opulence  of  the  dead  sinner  is  of  no  possible  profit :  but  the 
righteousness  of  the  saved  sinner,  even  without  any  opulence 
at  all,  is  a  fortune;  for,  like  the  "charm  of  the  lamp,"  it  wakes 
for  him  everlasting  blessedness. 


3  Jehovah  will  not  starve  the  righteous  ap- 
petite; 
but    the   craving   of  the   wicked  He  willi^)"'  he  casteth  away 

,  °  the   substance    of   the 

thrust  away.  I  wicked 


3  The  lyORn  will  not 
suffer  the  soul  of  the 
righteous     to    famish  : 


"  Let  a  wise  son  make  a  glad  father,"  for,  when  we  are  dead 
and  gone,  our  children,  if  wise,  will  never  have  an  ungratified 
desire.  If  they  are  wise,  they  will  never  want  what  is  not  for 
good,  and  nothing  else  will  ever  be  withholden  from  them.  If 
they  are  kings,  and  not  Christians,  their  desires  will  ultimately 
be  "thrust  away;"  but  if  they  are  peasants,  and  believe  in 
Christ,  they  shall  be  kings.  God  with  Christ  will  freely  give 
them  all  things  (Matt.  6  :  33).  So  then,  can  we  will  to  them 
anything  better.?  "Appetite;"  soul,  literally;  but  one  of  those 
cases  of  the  word  (see  7  :  23)  where  it  means  throat  or  "  appe- 
tite,'' as  is  partly  proved  by  the  antithetical  expression. 


4  He  is  poor  who  acts  with  a  languid  hand ; 
but  the  hand  of  the  diligent  makes  riches. 


4  He  becomcth  poor 
that  dealeth  ■n'itk  a 
slack  hand  :  but  the 
hand  of  the  diligent 
maketh  rich. 

Not  only  will  God  provide  for  the  wise,  but  wisdom  itself  is 
a  provision.  "  He  is  {ci)  poor  [man)  who  acts  [t/ie  sluggard.)" 
Even  if  you  leave  your  son  rich,  his  very  laziness  is  a  wretched 
poverty.  "The  hand  of  the  diUgent  makes  riches,"  even  if  it 
earn  little ;  the  meaning  being  that  active  work  is  itself  a 
treasure.  Or,  passing  into  the  realm  of  piety,  which  is  the  one 
intended  : —  He  is  a  poor  man  who  is  a  sluggard  in  his  soul's 
work,  and  a  rich  man  who  is  awake  and  active.  Our  treasure 
is  within.     "  My  meat  is,"  said  our  Great  Exemplar,  "  to  do 


128  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  X. 

the  will  of  him  that  sent  me."  And  on  our  dying  bed,  our 
money  will  be  of  small  account,  but  our  work  will  be  the  splen- 
did fortune  that  will  follow  the  believer  (Rev.  14  :  13).  Not 
^' he  becometh  poor"  therefore,  (E.  V.),  but  ''he  is  poor /'  and 
not''  maketh  rich"  {Y..  V.),  but  "is  rich"  or  "makes  riches." 
This  use  of  the  Hiphil  is  frequent  with  Solomon.  "  Labor  not 
to  be  rich  "  (23  :  4).  "  He  that  maketh  haste  to  be  rich  "  (28  : 
20).  In  David,  also,  "When  one  is  made  rich  "  (Ps.  49  :  16). 
It  would  require  counting  to  see  whether  the  cases  without  the 
causative  were  not  just  as  numerous  as  with  the  usual  Hiphil  sig- 
nification. It  is  not  true,  therefore,  that  "  the  hand  of  the 
diligent  maketh  rich"  in  a  worldly  sense ;  and  it  forgets  the 
supremacy  of  Jehovah's  *  disciplines.  "  Makes  riches."  There 
is,  no  doubt,  a  freshness  of  causative  expression  which  can  be 
thrown  into  all  these  passages  without  departing  essentially 
from  the  idea  "  is  rich." 

5  He  that  stores  in  summer,  is  a  prosperous 
son. 
He  that  snores  in  harvest,  is  a  son  to  bring 
shame. 


5  He  that  gathereth 
in  summer  is  a  wise 
son  :  but  he  that  sleep- 
eth  in  harvest  is  a  son 
that  causeth  shame. 


Which  reads  still  more  practically  than  the  last.  Good  habits 
are  themselves  prosperity.  The  good,  active  Christian  is 
necessarily  welldoing  in  the  world.  "Prosperous;"  literally, 
looking  out,  watching  sharp  ;  and  by  so  doing,  "prosperous"  or 
thrifty.  The  hard  working  Christian  is  a  rich  man,  se  ipso ; 
nay,  re  ipsa.  We  need  not  look  at  his  earnings.  He  is  "pros- 
perous" in  his  very  state.  Be  a  man  ever  so  rich;  and  let 
him  be  ever  so  active  in  temporal  affairs,  yet,  if  he  is  sleeping 
in  the  great  business  of  the  spirit,  the  Wise  Man  has  but  one 
sweeping  text: — He  "is  a  son  to  bring  shame."  "Snores." 
This  is  the  literal  Hebrew,  and  is  so  translated  by  Maurer. 


6  Blessings  are  upon 
the  head  of  the  just : 
but  violence  covereth 
the  mouth  of  the  wick- 
ed. 


6  Blessings  are  for  the  head  of  the  righteous 
man ; 
but  wrong  covers  the  mouth  of  the  wicked. 

"Blessmgs:"  not  simply  good  things,  but    good  things  be- 

*  "  He  raiseth  up  the  poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifteth  the  needy  out  of  the  dunghill.' 
(Ps.  113 :  7^. 


Chap.  X.]  COMMENTARY.  129 

stowed  by  another ;  not  simply  good  things  bestowed  by  an- 
other, but  divinely  bestowed  as  sacred  benedictions.  "  Blessings 
are  for  the  righteous"  exclusively  ;  that  is,  for  no  one  else. 
"For  the  head;"  not  the  mouth,  not  the  hand;  because  often 
without  either's  agency.  On  his  head ;  because  unconsciously, 
and  sometimes  even  when  asleep.  "But  wrong."  That  is 
doing  wrong.  "Covers."  That  is,  shuts  up  all  chance  for 
blessing.  "Covers  the  mouth:"  not  covers  the  '''head"  (ist 
clause),  as  though  against  unconscious  gifts,  but  "  covers  the 
mouth"  as  though  against  the  sinner's  wakening  desire  for 
blessing.  "  Covers  the  mouth  "  that  is,  shuts  up  all  chance 
either  of  feast  or  comfort.  The  total  fruition  of  impenitents  is 
evil,  and  that,  in  what  they  thought  not  evil  but  good. 
"  Wrong  "  being  wrong  doing,  it  makes  them  a  nuisance,  and, 
being  a  nuisance,  it  isolates  them,  and  makes  it  an  evil  that 
they  should  have  any  good.  "  No  evil  shall  happen  to  the 
righteous,  but  the  wicked  shall  be  filled  with  mischief."  Zock- 
ler  and  most  of  the  commentators  translate  : — "  the  tnouth  of  the 
wicked  hideth  violence."  But  this  grammatical  rendering  fails 
to  tally  with  the  first  clause,  and  also  forbids  the  beautiful 
translation  of  the  eleventh  verse,  where  the  same  second  clause 
occurs,  but  where,  as  directed  by  the  first  clause,  we  translate 
by  the  same  as  in  verse  6th,  but  with  a  strikingly  obverse  signi- 
fication : — "  A  well  of  life  is  a  righteous  mouth  ;"  that  is,  a  well 
of  life  to  others  ;  "  but  wrong  covers  the  mouth  of  the  wicked/* 
that  is,  keeps  it  from  dispensing  blessing.  In  the  sixth  verse 
good  is  shut  out.  In  the  eleventh  verse  it  is  shut  in. 
Meantime  the  language  is  the  same,  and  the  difference  is 
taught  by  each  earlier  clause.  A  foolish  son,  therefore,  should 
be  the  grief  of  a  mother  because  his  mouth  is  imperviously 
closed  against  either  blessing  or  being  bless,ed. 

7  The  memory  of  the   righteous   man  is  a|  .  7  The  memory  of  the 

11  •         /  °  just /J  blessed  :  but  the 

DieSSmg  ;  mame     of    the    wicked 

but  the  name  of  the  wicked  rots.  j  shall  rot. 

Not  what  he  remembers,  but  what  is  remembered  of  him. 
He  blesses  after  he   is   dead.     So  does  the  wicked,  but,  like 
most  other  growths  in  nature,  by  his  decay,     "Name;"  that 
6* 


I30  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  X. 

which  Is  known  of  a  man.  The  "  name  of  God"  is  what  may  be 
known  of  God.  "  The  memory  of  the  righteous,"  viz.,  of  the 
church  of  God,  is  that  which  propagates  her  and  causes  her  to 
hand  down  her  strength.  Our  walk  about  Zion,  our  telling  her 
towers,  our  marking  her  bulwarks  is  for  this  grand  aim  among 
the  rest  that  we  may  tell*  to  the  generation  following  (Ps.  48  : 
12,  13). 


8  He  of  the  wise  heart  shall  lift  away  the 
commandments ; 
and  he  of  the  foolish  lips  shall  be  the  one 
entangled. 


8  The  wise  in  heart 
will  receive  command- 
ments :  but  a  prating 
fool  shall  fall. 


The  English  Version,  "  The  wise  in  heart  shall  receive  com- 
mandments "  is  built  upon  the  idea  that  the  verb  means  to  take, 
or  to  receive.,  and  upon  the  obvious  sense  that  this  clause  would 
then  have  by  itself.  But  in  what  antithesis  would  it  be  to  the 
other  clause  ?  and  really  what  point  in  its  own  significance } 
The  word  usually  to  take.,  means  often  to  take  away  (Job  12  :  20 ; 
Gen.  27  :  35).  We  are  unauthorized  in  such  a  supposition,  but 
we  seize  upon  it  greedily  none  the  less,  and  wonder  that  in  the 
great  embarrassments  of  the  sentence,  recourse  has  not.  been 
sooner  had  to  this  full  unravelment.  "  He  of  the  wise  heart 
shall  lift  away  the  commandments."  ''^  Laws"  would  make  a 
good  translation.  The  word  usually  translated  *'  laics"  has  been 
seen  to  mean  "  directions"  (i  :  8).  The  word  "  commandments" 
(E.  V.)  might  often  be  translated  "  laws."  One  set  of  passages 
would  just  change  words  with  another.  The  word  translated 
^^  commandments"  vaediicis  ^xvcrnxWy  something  fixed.  It  answers 
to  the  New  Testament  *^ law"  (Rom.  8  :  3),  and  is  adapted  to 
the  reasonings  of  the  Apostles.  "  He  of  the  wise  heart "  means 
the  truly  wise.  If e  of  the  fool. heart  might  seem  good  for  the 
rest  of  the  sentence.  But  a  deep  philosophy  reminds  the  in- 
spired man,  that  men  are  not  such  fools  as  to  believe  in  sin,  as 
the  pardoned  Christian  does  in  holiness.  They  know  a  great 
deal  more  than  they  either  act  or  utter.  A  vast  deal  of  the 
worldliness  of  men  is  a  mere  lip  service,  like  that  to  the  Al- 

*  "  fi  "  is  in  Italics.     One  object  of  one  generation's  faith  is,  to  go  sounding  on  to  an- 
other. 


ChapX.]  commentary.  131 

mighty.  And,  knowing  that  the  lost  man  is  aware  of  his  per- 
dition, and  has  been  told  his  folly,  the  Proverb  does  ftot  ac- 
count him  a  fool  in  his  deep  sense,  so  much  as  superficially,  and 
in  the  mad  actings  of  his  folly.  In  his  ^^  heart"  he  knows  he 
is  deceived.  In  his  "  lips"  he  is  constantly  deceiving  himself. 
In  his  acts  he  keeps  up  a  fictitious  life.  In  his  picture  the  in- 
spired Solomon  declares  that  the  wise  in  heart  shall  take  away, 
that  is  lift  off  and  get  rid  of  judicial  guiltiness,  but  that  the 
fool,  or,  as  the  original  root  is,  the  turned  aside  or  crooked  in  his 
lips,  shall  be  the  one  that  shall  be  left  "entangled."  For  along 
while  this  last  verb  was  a  perfect  mystery.  It  occurs  but  four 
times  in  the  Hebrew ;  and  the  old  writers  have  translated  it  in 
almost  every  imaginable  way.  At  last  its  Arabic  cognate  was 
found  to  occur  often,  and  to  mean  undoubtedly,  io  fall  prostrate. 
This,  therefore,  became  the  later  rendering.  But  a  closer  in- 
spection of  the  facts  shows  that  the  Arabic  cognate  has  two 
meanings,  and  that  one  of  these  is,  to  be  ensfiared,  or  roped  in  j 
perhaps,  originally,  to  fall  into  a  trap.  This  is  the  meaning  we 
are  emboldened  to  propose.  It  begets  immediately  a  fine 
evangelic  sense.  It  achieves  an  entire  antithetical  balance. 
And  when  our  last  clause  reappears,  as  it  does  bodily  in  the 
eleventh,  it  completes  that  verse,  and  lifts  it  out  of  the  same 
embarrassments,  and  the  same  want  of  logical  completeness  as 
have  been  witnessed  in  the  present. 


9  He  that  walks  in  integrity,  walks  securely  ;  ^p^iJ^.l/l^lueThfu'l- 
but  he  that  makes  his  ways  crooked,  shall  ■      ■      •      ■ 
be  made  to  know  it 


ly  :  but  he  that  per- 
verteth  his  ways  shall 
be  known. 


"In  integrity."  i:hQxoo\.v(\e.3.ns  to  be  whole,  to  be  complete.  To 
walk  in  integrity  means  to  act  according  to  one  complete  scheme ; 
not  as  the  fool  does  (v.  8),  behaving  one  way,  and  believing  an- 
other. It  means  to  aim  for  ''something  stable"  (2:7);  and, 
hence,  of  course,  not  to  lay  our  plans  so  that  we  ourselves  know 
they  must  ultimately  fail.  ''He  that  walks  in  integrity,  walks  se- 
curely ;'  that  is,  must  certainly  succeed.  "  But  he  that  makes 
his  ways  crooked."  This  is  the  same  idea;  knotvs  the  straight, 
but  takes  the  crooked;  the  man  who  knowingly  takes  a  path  that 


132  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  X. 

does  not  seem  to  him  right.  The  well-pointed  prediction  seems 
to  be,  that  in  the  end  of  his  journey  his  folly  shall  be  forced 
upon  his  notice.  "Be  made  to  know."  It  is  the  Niphal. 
And  yet  it  is  not  "  be  knozvn "  (E.  V.).  It  is  to  be  rendered 
like  some  rare  Niphals  (see  Jer.  31  :  19),  where  the  oidinary 
passive  gives  way  to  a  causative  passive  in  the  form  we  have 
translated. 

10  He  of  the  lowering  eye  shall  give  sorrow,    !  ,-,  ^^^'^^^  ^J^^^f^ 
and  he  of  the  foolish  lips  shall  be  the  one  sorrow:  but  a  prating 

1     J  -^  fool  shall  fall. 

entangled.  j 

That  particular  closing  of  the  eyes  which  implies  deep 
thought,  and  which,  when  mixed  with  enmity,  implies  schemes 
of  vengeance,  is  plainly  the  thing  which  this  sentence  indicates. 
The  verb  occurs  but  five  times.  It  means  to  clip.  Once  it  is 
translated  literally  (Job.  Tfi  :  6),  "  I  also  am  clipped  (or  nipped, 
like  a  potter's  lump)  off  of  the  clay."  Once  it  is  applied  to  the 
lips  (Prov.  16:30),  "Clipping  (or  compressing)  his  lips,  he 
brings  evil  devices  to  pass."  The  other  three  times  it  is  applied 
to  the  eyes.  It  means  in  each  that  "  lowering  "  of  the  "  eye  " 
by  half  closing  or  corrugating  the  brow,  which  betokens  thought, 
and,  ?f  hostile,  patient  mischief.  "  Winking  with  the  eye  "  is  in 
our  English  version ;  but  that  is  more  cunning  and  less  terrible. 
"  Neither  let  them  wink  with  the  eye,  etc.,"  (E.V.)  (Ps.  35  :  19). 
'^  Zet  them  not  have  a  lowering  eye."  In  Prov.  6  :  13,  the  idea  of 
enmity  is  thrown  out.  '"''  He  has  i?ieaning  in  his  eye."  In  Prov. 
16  :  30,  as  already  said,  clipping  or  compressing  is  talked  of  as 
of  the  lips,  but  with  the  same  general  significance  ;  tight-lipped 
or  compressed  plotting  or  resolution  ;  with  this  peculiarity,  how- 
ever, that  eyes  are  also  used,  and  with  another  verb,  that  means 
also  to  close,  and  which  sheds  light,  therefore,  upon  this  other. 
"  Shutting  his  eyes  to  devise  upturning  things,  tightening  his 
lips,  he  accomplishes  evil."  The  Wise  Man,  therefore,  is  giving 
us  a  picture  of  the  Almighty.  He  was  speaking  in  the  last 
Proverb  of  men  finally  finding  out  their  folly,  and  now  he  in- 
troduces the  Most  High.  ^^  He  of  the  loiucring  eye  shall  give 
sorrow."  That  is,  there  is  One,  knitting  His  brow,  and  patiently 
scheming  His  vengeance  all  the  time.     The  righteous  will  know 


Chap.  X.]  COMMENTARY.  133 

how  to  eccape,  but  here,  as  in  the  eighth  verse,  "  he  of  the  foolish 
lips  shall  be  the  one  entangled." 

II  A  fountain  of  life  is  the  mouth  of  a  right-    ."  "^^^  ■"""^'^  "f^l 

o  narhteous  ;«rt« /j- a  well 


eous  man ; 
but  wrong  covers  the  mouth  of  the  wicked. 


o  f  life  :  but  violence 
covereth  the  mouth  of 
the  wicked. 


A  church  is  but  a  body  of  righteous  men.  What  would  the 
world  do  without  the  church  .?  The  influences  of  a  church,  and 
that  a  land  is  ruined  without  a  church,  and  that  one  generation 
hands  on  the  worship  of  God  to  another;  all  are  illustrations  on 
a  grand  scale  of  how  the  mouth  of  the  righteous  is  a  fountain  of 
life.  A  good  man  will  constantly  be  doing  good  to  others. 
And  this  introduces  that  clause  we  spoke  of  under  the  sixth 
verse  as  appearing  here  under  an  obverse  meaning.  The  clause 
is  literally  the  same;  but  in  the  sixth  verse  it  means,  "Wrong 
covers  the  mouth  of  the  wicked,"  so  that  he  can  taste  no  bless- 
ing ;  while  in  this  case  it  means  that  wrong  so  covers  his  mouth 
that  he  can  give  no  blessing;  so  keeps  him  from  any  possible 
usefulness,  that  he  cannot  utter  good,  or  make  his  mouth,  as  the 
righteous  can,  ''^  a  fountain  of  life"  to  all  about  him. 

12  Hatred  stirs  old  quarrels  ;  I  /.?  Hatred  stin-eth  up 

T^      .  '  Strifes:  but  love  cover- 

but  love  covers  all  SmS.  I  eth  all  sins. 

The  "  wrong  "  that  shuts  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  from  being 
^^  a  fountain  of  life"  opens  it  as  a  fountain  of  death.  A  merely 
"worthless  man,"  a  "sluggard,"  says  chap.  6  :  14,  is  "putting 
forth  causes  of  quarrel  all  the  time."  "  Hatred,"  which  is  some- 
thing more  positive,  but  which,  after  all,  is  but  the  absence  of 
holy  affection,  may,  therefore,  well  be  said  to  stir  up  old  quarrels, 
X\'i.txdi\Vj,''''  causes  of  strife."  These  things  widen  interminably. 
Only  one  agency  can  smother  their  growth.  A  pious  affection, 
called  in  the  language  of  this  text,  "  love,"  under  the  arrange- 
ments of  the  covenant  of  grace,  will  stifle  sin,  and  finally  utterly 
eradicate  it,  not  only  in  the  soul  where  it  begins,  but  in  many 
another  soul,  to  whom  it  may  be  a  fountain  of  blessing.  For, 
"  Brethren,  if  any  of  you  do  err  from  the  truth  and  one  convert 
him,  let  him  know  that  he  which  converteth  the  sinner  from  the 
error  of  his  way,  shall  save  a  soul  from  death,  and  shall  hide  a 


134  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  X. 

multitude  of  sins."     "  Quarrels  j"  chiefly  between  God  and  the 
soul. 


13  Through  the  lips  of  the  discerning  wisdom 
is  found ; 
but  a  rod  for  the  back  of  the  senseless 
man. 


13  In  the  lips  of  him 
that  hath  understand- 
ing wisdom  is  found  : 
but  a  rod  is  for  the  back 
of  him  that  is  void  of 
understanding. 


"  Through  the  lips  of  the  discerning,"  that  is,  of  the  Christian, 
other  men,  that  is  men  not  "  discerning,"  get  "  wisdom."  If  we 
will  think  a  moment,  men  get  it  in  no  other  way.  "  Faith 
Cometh  by  hearing"  (Rom.  10  :  17).  The  church  hands  itself 
down,  by  the  blessing  of  heaven,  from  lip  to  lip.  But  then 
from  the  same  lips  comes  "  a  rod,"  The  good  man,  not  listened 
to,  becomes  a  scourge.  Christ  himself  becomes  an  instrument 
of  death.  "  Through  the  lips  of  the  discerning  wisdom  is  found ; 
but  a  rod  for  the  back  of  the  senseless  man." 


14  The  wise  store  away  knowledge  ; 
but  the  mouth  of  the  fool  early  ruin. 


14  Wise  me?!  lay  iid 
knowledge :  but  the 
mouth  of  the  foolish  is 
near  destruction. 

"  The  wise,"  by  their  very  living  increase  their  light.  They 
"  store  "  it.  Each  several  wise  act  lays  up  a  higher  intelligence. 
Each  separate  bad  act  lays  up  a  more  thorough  "rviin."  "  Early ;" 
literally,  "near  "  (E.  V.). 

I  i.  The  wealth  of  the  rich  is  his  strong  city.      I    's  7^*?  V<;^  '"^"'^ 

J  .  .        ,       .    °  -^  wealth     IS    nis     strong 

The  destruction  of  the  poor  is  their  poverty,  city  :  the  destruction 

of  the  poor  is  their  pov- 
I  erty. 

"  The  wealth  of  the  rich  "  even  in  this  world  is  their  great 
capital.  Wealth  earns  wealth.  "The  destruction  of  the  poor" 
is  the  helplessness  and  friendlessness  and  creditlessness  and  lack 
of  instruments  incident  to  "poverty,"  In  the  spiritual  world 
the  distinction  is  entire.  The  rich  gets  richer,  the  poor  gets 
poorer,  and  both  by  inviolable  laws.  All  works  for  good  for 
one,  and  all  for  evil  for  the  other.  The  last  Proverb  explained 
it.  Wisdom,  by  its  very  nature,  grows,  and  so  does  folly.  All 
other  interests  vibrate ;  sometimes  worse,  and  sometimes  better. 
But  Wisdom,  like  the  God  that  cliose  it,  has  no  "  shadow  of 
turning."     If  it  begins  in  the  soul,  it  grows  forever.     If  it  does 


Chap.  X.]  COMMENTARY.  135 

not  begin,  it  grows  more  distant.  There  is  never  rest.  "  Wealth  " 
in  the  spiritual  world,  by  the  very  covenant,  must  continually 
heap  up;  and  poverty,  by  the  very  necessities  of  justice,  must 
increase  its  helplessness. 

The  next  verse  still  advances  the  idea : — 

16  The  labor  of  a  righteous  man  serves  as  life :  I  .  ^^  The  labour  of  the 

.",       ,  .  ^1.      .       'righteous    tendetk    to 

the  gams  of  a  wicked  man  as  a  sm-offermg.  life:  the  fruit  of  the 

I  wicked  to  sin. 

*  The  labor  of  a  righteous  man  serves  as  life ;"  (i)  because  it  is 
a  good  thing  in  itself;  (2)  because  it  procures  good,  each  stroke 
earning  its  pay ;  (3)  because  it  increases,  and  that  on  forever, 
making  us  holier  and  happier,  and  making  others  holier  and 
happier  through  the  endless  ages.  It  "  sen<es "  preeminently 
"  as  life"  therefore ;  literally,  "  is  for  (3)  life."'  But "  the  gains  of 
a  wicked  man  "  (and  we  must  not  fail  to  notice  the  ereseendo  in 
the  second  clause :  "  The  labor  of  a  righteous  man  " — "  the 
gains  of  a  wicked  man;"  the  righteous- still  toiling,  the  wicked 
having  made  his  harvest)  serve  "  as  a  sin  offering."  That  is, 
they  are  all  demanded  by  justice,  and  are  all  consumed  for  the 
expiation  of  his  sins.  Pious  acts  are  a  life.  Wicked  gains  go 
to  swell  what  our  great  Creditor  seizes.  ^''  Sin  offering;'  see 
13  :6. 


1 7  He  that  watches  admonition  is  a  path  to  life ; 
but  he  that  lets  go  reproof  puts  others  astray. 


17  He  is  in  the  way 
o  f  life  that  keepeth 
instruction  :  but  he 
that  refuseth  reproof 
erreth. 

This  is  the  idea  of  other  verses  (11,  13),  that  a  man,  going  to 
heaven,  blazes  a  path  for  others.  Not  "/«  the  way"  (E.  V.), 
but  is  a  way.  Others  travel  upon  him  in  his  prayers  and  in  his 
example :  while  the  last  clause  confirms  the  interpretation  by 
saying,  "  he  that  lets  go  reproof  puts  others  astray." 

18  He  that  hides  hatred  with  lying  lips  ^iLLli^^t^n^tl 

and   he    that    uttereth 
a  slander,  is  a  fool. 


but  puts  forth  slander,  is  himself  the  fool. 


We  have  found  it  hard  to  choose  between  two  meanings  : — 
one,  that,  while  concealing  hatred  is  a  lie,  gratifying  it  by 
slander  is  a  folly.      Then  the  reading  would  be : — "  He  thai 


136  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  X. 

hides  hatred  is  a  man  of  lying  lips,  but  he  that  sets  afloat  slander 
is  a  fool."  In  this  case  the  sentiment  is,  that  a  due  mean  lies 
in  neither  conduct.  But  the  grammar  as  to  *'/)'/>^o- //j*^,"  and 
the  whole  drift  of  the  sentence  marks  it  as  a  Proverb  of  but  one 
clause.  "He  that  hides  hatred  with  lying  lips,"  and  goes  to 
work  secretly  to  defame  and  villify,  is  double-paced  in  his  trans- 
gression. "Fool;"  not  the  word  that  means  crookcd,hwi  the 
word  that  means /c//,  and,  therefore,  stupid.  He  thinks  it  is  the 
victim  that  is  deceived ;  but  God  is  the  avenger  of  all  such ; 
and  it  is  "  himself"  that  is  "  the  fool."  "  He  that  hides  hatred" 
is,  perhaps,  not  a  sinner ;  and  this  may  be  another  reason  for 
the  second  sense.  But  "  he  that  hides  hatred  with  lying  lips"  is  a 
most  insidious  sinner;  and  the  sending  forth  "  that  which  creeps" 
Avhich  is  the  original  expression,  is  a  most  admirable  account  of 
these  fair-spoken  ministers  of  hate. 

In  this  close  connection,  Solomon  remembers  that  men  with- 
out malice  often  make  mischief:  v.  19 — "  In  a  multitude  of  words 
trespasses  never  cease, "  A  man  of  inordinate  talk,  runs  inordinate 
risk.  He  must  be  a  God  that  can  talk  all  the  time  and  never 
trespass.  And,  therefore,  as  blunders  "  come  home  to  roost," 
he  is  a  prosperous  man  who  reduces  the  volume  of  his  speech. 
The  verb  translated  "prospers,"  means  to  be  intelligent,  in 
many  places ;  but,  in  many  more,  it  grew  to  mean  to  prosper. 
As  in  Joshua  (1:8),  "  Then  shalt  thou  make  thy  way  prosper- 
ous, and  then  shalt  thou  have  great  success."  Therefore  we  do 
not  say  "  wise "  (E.  V.),  but  we  present  the  whole  sentence 
thus  : — 


19  In  a  multitude  of  words  trespasses  never 
cease ; 
but  he  that  restrains  his  lips,  prospers. 


19  In  the  multitude 
of  words  there  wanteth 
not  sin  :  but  he  that 
refraineth  his  lips  is 
wise. 


Still,  speech  is  a  great  blessing.  Wisdom,  like  a  posture- 
master,  must  balance  herself.  One  Proverb  is  poised  against 
another  (see  Prov.  26  :  5)  : — 


20  Choice  silver  is  the  tongue  of  a  righteous 
man. 
The  heart  of  the  wicked  is  as  a  scrap. 


20  The  tnnRiie  of  the 
just  iV  rtj  choice  silver : 
the  heart  of  the  wicked 
is  little  worth. 


Chap.  X.]  COMMENTARY.  137 


21  The  lips  of  a  wise  man  feed  many  ; 
but  fools  die  for  want  of  heart. 


21  The  lips  of  the 
righteous  feed  many  : 
but  fools  die  for  want 
of  wisdom. 


"  Choice  silver  is  the  tongue  of  a  righteous  man ;"  because  the 
whole  church  has  been  built  up  by  it.  It  is  the  great  instru- 
ment of  salvation.  "  The  heart  of  the  wicked  "  is  mentioned, 
and  not  the  tongue,  to  make  the  second  clause  more  intense. 
He  is  a  curse  throughout.  "  As  a  scrap ;"  we  translate  literally ; 
though  the  noun  is  so  uniformly  translated  "  little^''  that  it  has 
hid  the  primary  rendering.  To  a  Hebrew  eye  it  would  wear  its 
original  look  of  a  slight  chip  or  scraping  ;  and  becomes  here  most 
graphic  in  its  particular  text.  "  T/ie  tongue  of  a  righteous  man 
is  choice  silver ;  the  [whole)  heart  of  the  wicked  is  as  a  scrap." 
He  has  no  value  to  himself,  and  none  to  his  Maker,  except  as  a 
warning  against  the  waywardness  of  others.  There  follows  a 
Proverb  that  fits  on  to  this  idea  of  worthlessness.  "  The  lips  of 
a  wise  man  feed  many,"  but  they  can  not  feed  any  one  who  has 
no  heart.  "  Fools  die  for  want  of  heart."  We  have  seen  a  Pro- 
verb (v.  13)  going  farther  and  saying,  that,  while  "  through  the 
lips  of  the  discerning  wisdom  is  found,  a  rod  "  also  comes  from 
the  same  source  to  "  the  back,"  literally  *'  of  the  man  without 
heart."  The  letter  killeth  (2  Cor.  3  :  6).  The  tongue  of  the 
wise  is  not  a  blessing  in  itself. 

But  now  mark  a  power  that  is : — 


22  The  blessing  of  Jehovah  that  itself  makes 
wealth ; 
and  He  adds  no  sorrow  with  it. 


22  The  blessing  of 
the  Lord,  it  maketh 
rich,  and  he  addeth  no 
sorrow  with  it. 


"Blessing;"  i.  e.,  an  uttered  thing,  like  the  words  of  the  wise. 
But  while  the  tongue  of  the  wise  may  be  either  for  life  or  death, 
Jehovah  speaks  and  directly  gives  life.  *'  The  blessing  of  Jeho- 
vah itself  makes  wealth,"  and  (not  like  the  word  of  the  wise) 
"  He  adds  no  sorrow."  "  The  letter  killeth,  but  the  Spirit  giveth 
life."  The  preaching  of  the  truth  may  be  to  them  that  perish 
foolishness,  but  the  blessing  of  Jehovah  has  always  but  one  re- 
sult. The  first  blush  of  His  favor  carries  with  it  all  good  things. 
"  Makes  wealth  /'  one  of  those  mongrel  Hiphils  already  alluded 
to  (see  V.  4).     The  blessing  of  Jehovah  is  itself  the  ^^  wealth." 


133  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  X. 

23  As  a  jest  to  a  fool  is  the  execution  of  a',  -}  ^'  ",^  sport  to  a 

I  lool    to    do    mischief: 
purpose  5  but    a   man    of  under- 

but  it  is  Avisdom  to  a  discerning  man.  [standing  hath  wisdom. 

A  senator,  or  judge,  a  king,  full  of  the  cares  of  state,  might 
seem  to  have  a  grave  purpose.  But  ask  him  !  If  he  says  that  life 
is  a  cheat,  and  that  he  is  working  for  an  eternity  of  pain ;  then 
cannot  I  say,  that  it  is  a  life  of  jests.?  If  a  man  can  give  no 
good  account  of  his  business,  or  tell  where  its  profit  is,  then  "  as 
a  jest  is  the  execution  of  {his)  purpose."  The  difference  be- 
tween the  lost  and  the  saved  is,  that  to  one  it  is  but  trifling  to 
live;  to  the  other  it  is  the  gravest  "wisdom."  ^^  As  a  Jest"  ig 
thought  by  some  to  mean,  as  a  happiness,  as  a  thing  to  be  rejoicea 
in.  "  Purpose  "  would  then  mean  a  bad  purpose,  and  that  most 
generally  is  the  sense.  The  text  then  would  read,  "  To  a  foot 
the  execution  of  his  wickedness,  but  to  a  discer?iing  man,  wisdom,  is 
as  a  thing  of  joy."  Zockler  ordains  this  rendering;  but  it  is  less 
racy  in  its  sense,  and  no  stronger  on  the  whole  in  its  grammatic 
motive. 

What  the  wicked  knows  as  to  his  trifling,  he  knows  also  as  to 
his  guilt  and  danger.  He  has  fears,  therefore ;  and  the  Wise 
Man  announces  that : — 


24  The  fear  of  the 
wicked,  it  shall  come 
upon  him  :  but  the  de- 


24  What  the  wicked  man  dreads  comes  of  its 
own  nature  upon  him ; 

and   a  desire  of  righteous  men  shall   he  'haii  be  grantef.^"°"' 
gratify.  I 

"  What,  etc. ;»  literally,  "  the  fear  "  (E.V.),  i.  e.,  the  object  of  his 
fear.  "  Of  its  own  nature."  Such  is  the  force  of  the  emphatic  pro- 
noun. It  must  not  be  neglected.  A  farmer  may  fear  a  flood,  and  it 
may  never  come  ;  but  a  sinner  fears  wrath,  and  it  comes  past 
doubt.  It  travels  needfully,  and  as  ^' of  its  own  nature."  See 
another  strong  intensifying: — The  fear  of  the  "wicked"  comes 
upon  him  :  but  not  only  does  the  fear  of  the  righteous  not 
come  upon  him  ;  not  only  are  his  desires  granted ;  and  not  only 
do  they  take  the  place  of  his  fears;  but,  as  one  of  the  amazing 
and  awful  doctrines  of  the  word  of  God,  the  fear  of  the  wi-  ked 
coming  and  crushing  him,  shall  itself  fulfil  "  a  desire  of  righteous 
men."     Hell  shall  not  mar  the  joy  of  the  saints,  but  (alas!  sad 


Chap.  X.]  COMMENTARY. 


139 


doctrine !)  the  torture  men  endure  shall  seem  necessary  in  Heaven 
as  among  the  "  strange  works  "  (Is.  28  :  21)  of  the  Almighty. 

Then,  as  to  the  thing  which  the  sinner  fears,  the  Wise  Man 
describes  it : — 


25  There  is  as  the  coming  up  of  a  whirlwind, 
and  the  wicked  is  no  more  ; 
but  the  righteous  is  an  eternal  foundation. 


25  As  the  whirlwind 
passeth,  so  is  the  wick- 
ed no  more :  but  the 
righteous  is  an  ever- 
lasting foundation. 


Mark  in  this  the  suddenness^  the  thoroughness  and  the  helpless- 
ness of  the  sinner's  ruin.  The  righteous  may  be  poor,  and,  in 
his  sinful  state,  anything  but  a  stately  building  to  the  Lord,  but 
in  his  meanest  infancy  he  is  "a  foundation,"  Very  little  ap- 
pears above  the  surface.  But  he  is  the  basis  of  all  that  is  to 
be  built,  and  that  basis  is  to  be  "eternal."  Other  readings 
may  be  possible  : — "  As  the  whirhvind  comes  up  and  is  no  more, 
so  the  wicked ;  but  the  righteous,  etc.'"  Again,  "  When  the  whirl- 
wind passes,  the  wicked  is  no  more,  etc."  This  last  has  many 
advocates.  Our  own,  however,  is  more  regular  in  grammar,  and 
depicts  with  more  graphic  force  the  sudden  destruction  of  the 
ungodly  (Matt.  7  :  27). 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  God  should  thus  sweep  away 
the  slothful.     They  are  an  offence  to  Him : — 

26  As  vinegar  to  the  teeth  and  as  smoke  to!    26  As  vinegar  to  the 

,        '^  teeth,  and  as  smoke  to 

the    eyes,  the  eyes,  so  zV  the  slug- 

so  is  the  sluggard  to  them  that  send  him  g?;;f '° '^^"^ '''^' '^"'^ 
forth.  I 

"  Send  him  forth."  How  mad  it  would  seem  for  God  to  up- 
hold a  creature,  and  inspire  the  motions  of  his  life  day  by  day, 
when,  like  "  smoke  to  the  eyes,"  he  is  an  abomination. 

That  the  wicked,  therefore,  should  be  hurried  off  the  earth, 
is  not  wonderful,  and  might  seem  to  favor  the  English  Version 
in  what  follows  : — 


27  The  fear  of  Jehovah  makes  great  days ; 
but  the  years  of  the  wicked  shall  be  made 
little. 


27  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  prolongeth  days  : 
but  the  years  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  short- 
ened. 


But  the  Wise  Man  modifies  the  Proverb  to  suit  the  facts. 


I40  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  X. 

**  The  fear  of  Jehovah  "  is  not  certain  to  prolong  a  man's  "  days," 
and  sometimes  shortens  them,  as  in  the  instance  of  Christ  him- 
self. And  when  they  have  been  laid  in  the  grave,  the  righteous 
and  the  wicked  have  the  same  eternity.  But  the  righteous 
days  are  "  great  "  and  noble,  and  the  wicked's  days  are  mean  and 
small.  And  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  Proverb.  "  Made  little," 
literally,  ^''shortened''''  (E.  V.).  We  thought  at  first  that  this  was 
decisive  against  our  sense,  and  against  our  rendering  of  all  the 
verses  expounded  in  chapter  third  (2  :  16).  Our  thought  of 
this  was  increased  by  Job  14  :  i,  and  by  all  the  expositions. 
But  when  we  turned  to  Ps.  102  :  23,  our  own  sense  was  won- 
derfully confirmed.  That  verse  reads  (E.  V.),  "  He  weakened 
my  strength  in  the  way;  He  shortened  my  days:"  where 
"  shortened  "  must  have  a  sense  coincident  with  continued  liv- 
ing. And  what  that  sense  is,  such  passages  as  these  : — "  Is  my 
hand  shortened .?"  (Is.  50:2);  "The  soul  of  the  people  was 
shortened,"  (Num.  21:4;  see  also  Mi.  2:7;  Judg.  16  :  16  ; 
Job  21:4);  "  The  days  of  his  youth  hast  thou  shortened,"  (Ps. 
89  :  45),  and  nearly  all  the  other  instances  strikingly  confirm. 
The  meaning  is.  Wisdom  makes  our  days  grander  and  grander, 
and  Impenitence  makes  them  weaker,  and  always  of  less  ac- 
count. 

This  is  so,  even  if  the  righteous  is  a  feeble  man,  and  the 
wicked  one  bold  and  confident  :-x"  The  hope ;"  literally,  the  pain- 
fttl,  patient  7vaiting,  the  being  in  pain,  like  a  woman  in  travail : — ■ 


28  The  hope  of  the^righteous  turns  to  joy ;       |  rigtJouLtF/Vjkd! 

ness  : 
tion  o: 
perish 


while  the  confidence   of  the  wicked  per-  ness :  but  the  expecta- 

•   ,  tion  of  the  wicked  shall 

ishes. 


The  Proverb  means  this  literally.  "  The  hope  of  the  righteous 
{itself)  turns  to  joy."  Faith  is  the  beginning  of  felicity.  "  The 
confidence  of  the  wicked;"  as,  for  example,  in  getting  ri*  h,  or 
rising  high  :  the  assurance  of  the  impenitent  man,  even  if  he 
finds  it  well  placed,  "perishes,"  as  of  its  very  nature.  "The 
world  passes  away  and  the  desire  thereof."  The  lost  may  have 
had  all  he  wished,  but  his  very  wishes  perish  at  the  last  day 
(John  2:17)! 


Chap.  X.]  COMMENTARY.  .     141 


29  The  way  of  Jehovah  is  a  fortress  to  the 
upright, 
but  ruin  to  the  workers  of  iniquity. 


29  The  way  of  the 
Lord  j'j  strength  to  the 
upright:  but  destruc- 
tion shall  be  to  the 
workers  of  iniquity. 


The  English  Version  misses  everything  here,  and  in  the 
second  clause  gives  us  an  instance  of  a  rendering  that  ought  to 
have  disproved  itself  by  its  useless  and  unmeaning  truism.  A 
Proverb,  we  may  be  sure,  is  a  shrewd  speech.  This  Proverb  is 
an  exceedingly  sagacious  one.  "The  way  of  Jehovah;"  not 
the  way  He  marks  for  us,  but  the  way  He  personally  walks  in ; 
(as,  for  example.  His  way  of  justice).  "  Is  a  fortress  to  the  up- 
right." To  Gabriel,  for  instance,  it  is  the  arch  that  shelters  him 
forever  ;  to  the  poor  saint  it  is  a  sworn  certainty  of  defence ;  but 
to  the  wicked  it  is  an  eternal  vengeance.  The  way  of  mercy ; 
that  is,  in  the  cross  of  Christ ;  is  life  unto  life  to  the  saint,  and 
death  unto  death  to  the  rebellious  sinner.  Elihu  pictures  this 
in  the  outward  creation  (Job  36  :  31).  "  For  by  them"  (that  is, 
by  the  same  elements  of  nature)  "  judgeth  He  the  people;  He 
giveth  meat  in  abundance."  The  same  showers  fertilize  the 
fields,  or  tear  to  pieces  with  a  deluge. 

It  is  foolish  to  make  a  matter  of  faith  of  anything  but  par- 
tially revealed,  and  that,  because  slenderly  important.  Where 
the  righteous  are  to  live  after  the  resurrection,  is  an  affair  of 
matter,  and  not  an  affair  of  momentous  faith.  It  may  be  in 
some  other  system.  But  this  next  Proverb,  and  many  another 
verse  of  the  Holy  Word,  seems  to  indicate  this  "  earth"  as  being 
heaven ;  that  is,  this  earth,  when  finally  restored : — 


30  The  righteous  man  shall  not  be  moved  for- 
ever : 
but  the  wicked  shall  not  inhabit  the  earth. 


30  The  righteous 
shall  never  be  remov- 
ed :  but  the  wicked 
shall  not  inhabit  the 
earth. 


"  Moved,"  not  "  removed  "  (E.  V.),  but  shaken  :  shall  not  be 
seriously  disturbed. 

31  The  mouth  of  the  righteous  blooms  forth  L  3^  Th|--^|?/^^';f 

wisdom  :  dom:  but  the  froward 

but  the  upturning  tongue  shall  be  cut  out.  |  tongue  shall  be  cut  out. 
The  figure  here  is  of  a  sprout,  or  seedling  which  has  the 


142  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XI. 

capacity  to  grow  forever.  "  "Wisdom"  is  such  a  tree.  It  grows 
from  "the  mouth"  of  the  good  man,  and  will  grow  forever; 
that  is,  the  good  man  will  incessantly  spread  abroad  wisdom. 
God,  who  is  invisible,  spreads  abroad  wisdom  only  through  the 
creature.  But  the  ungodly  "  tongue,"  overturning  everything, 
and,  in  this  world,  being  the  great  instrument  for  leading  others 
astray,  will  be  put  in  a  condition  to  be  foiled  of  such  an  in- 
fluence :  as  the  inspired  sentence  expresses  it,  will  "be  cut  out." 


32  The  lips  of  the  righteous  man  are  instinct 
with  kindness  : 
but  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  with  subver- 
sive things. 


32  The  lips  of  the 
righteous  know  what  is 
acceptable :  b  u  t  t  h  e 
mouth  of  the  wicked 
speaketh  frowardness. 


"Are  instinct  with;"  literally,  "  kno7v :''  meaning  that  they 
live  in  that  thought,  and  are  moulded  by  it  in  all  they  do.  The 
last  word  in  the  sentence  is  the  same  as  in  the  text  before. 
"  The  tongue  of  iipturnings"  (v.  31) ;  i.  e.,  the  tongue  that  would 
disturb  and  overthrow.  The  tongue  of  every  impenitent  is  in- 
stinct with  influences  of  ruin.  Solomon  affects  such  sentences 
as  express  as  intrinsically  as  possible  the  essential  conditions 
of  our  living. 


A  FAi.STE  balance  is 
abomination  to  the 
Lord:  but  a  just 
weight  is  his  delight. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

I  False  balances  are  an  abomination  to  Je- 
hovah : 
but  a  full  stone  is  His  delight. 

This  is  repeated,  with  varied  language,  three  times  (16  :  11  ; 
20  :  10,  23).  The  tendency  of  all  the  commentators  is  to  treat 
it  as  descriptive  of  men.  It  seems  conspicuously  to  be  as- 
serted of  the  Almighty.  Sentences  like  chap.  10  :  29,  "  The 
way  of  Jehovah,"  i.e..  His  mercy  and  His  gospel  tenderness,  are 
"  ruin  to  the  workers  of  iniquity,"  make  the  doctrine  a  very 
timely  one,  that  God  is  in  His  very  essence  just;  that  He  takes 
no  liberties  of  an  arbitrary  nature  ;  that  He  is  the  administrator, 
not  at  all  of  fate,  for  this  is  blind  and  unreasoning,  but  of 
eternal  rectitude ;  that  we  need  give  ourselves  no  care  of  our 


Chap.  XL]  COMMENTARY.  143 

government,  for  that  He  has  no  temptation  to  do  us  wrong  : 
because  "  false  balances  are  an  abomination  to  Jehovah,  but  a 
full  stone  is  His  delight."  "  Stone  ;"  a  very  ancient  material  for 
weights,  which  gave  its  name  to  the  class  long  after  it  ceased  to 
be  employed.  It  is  still  a  weight  in  Britain.  "  A  tail  stone  " 
means  an  honest  weight.  Stone,  not  rusting,  was  not  change- 
able. "Delight."  This  is  rather  a  strong  version.  It  only 
means,  that  the  Almighty  has  the  eternal  desire  to  be  absolutely 
just.  Omniscience,  omnipotence  and  this  desire  vcin?,i  make  an 
immaculate  administration.  It  is  enough  for  the  wicked  to  be 
"  a  smoke  to  "  God's  "  eyes  "  (10  :  26).  He  will  not,  by  a  false 
balance,  become  an  abomination  to  Himself. 


2  Has  pride  entered  ?  then  enters  shame  ; 
but  with  the  lowly  is  wisdom. 


2  IVhen  pride  com- 
e  t  h  ,  then  c  o  m  e  t  h 
shame  :  but  with  the 
lowly  is  wisdom. 


Gabriel  is  the  prince  he  is,  solely  from  the  Spirit.  It  is  be- 
cause God  gave  him  the  Spirit,  that  he  remained  in  grace ;  and 
it  was  because  God  took  the  Spirit,  that  Satan  fell  into  apos- 
tacy.  "  Pride,"  therefore,  is  a  mad  vanity.  If  false  balances 
are  an  abomination  to  God,  He  would  not  be  apt  to  let  ''pride  " 
flourish.  And  yet  pride  does  flourish  in  worldly  things.  The 
"  shame  "  here  must  mean  that  spiritual  contempt  which  looks  to 
the  whole  eternity.  It  is  only  (i)  out  of  contempt  for  him, 
that  God  lets  a  man  be  proud  ;  and  it  is  only  (2)  contempt  and 
"  s/ia;ne  "  that  can  follow -upon  the  proud  thought.  Pride  itself 
is  an  evidence  of  God's  contempt.  And  being  "  humble  "  not 
only  (i)  invites  "Wisdom,"  and  makes  her  feel  at  home;  not 
only  (2)  flows  from  Wisdom,  because  she  is  at  home,  but  (3) 
actually  "is  msdom."  The  word  "with"  is  a  very  intimate 
one  It  would  not  do  to  say,  Has  humility  entered?  There  also 
enters  wisdom;  for  humility  is  Wisdom,  and  could  not  exist 
unless  Wisdom  had  entered  already. 

•    1       1        J      il,  •  T   The   integrity   o  f 

■z  The  integrity  of  the  upright  leads  tnem  .      ^j,^  upright  shall  guide 
but  the  slipperiness  of  the  spoilers  makes  ^h-:jut^^the^p^er^- 

themselves  also  a  spoil.  ors  shall  destroy  them. 

A  man,  to  be  led,  must  have  a  way;  and,  to  have  a  way,  he 


144  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XI. 

must  have  an  end  at  which  he  is  aiming.  The  end  of  the  "  up- 
right" man  is  righteousness  itself.  If  the  great  joy  of  heaven  is 
uprightness,  and  the  price  of  wisdom  is  above  rubies,  of  course, 
"  integrity  "  is  the  best  guide  in  the  world,  because,  of  course, 
righteousness  is  the  best  guide  to  righteousness ;  and,  poor  or 
rich,  the  righteous  man  is  always  advancing  in  his  treasure. 
Righteousness  is  also  the  best  guide  to  happiness,  for  no  good 
thing  shall  be  withholden  from  them  that  walk  uprightly.  Sin, 
on  the  other  hand,  by  increasing  itself,  is  itself  its  own  seducer. 
It  may  be  boastfully  rich ;  but  the  wiles  "  of  the  spoilers  make 
themselves  the  spoU."  Poverty  and  wealth  make  not  the  dif- 
ference, but  our  intrinsic  state; — that  is  our  wealth  or  ruin. 
"Also."  The  particle  and  ox  also  has  given  trouble,  and  led  to 
a  various  reading;  but  such  particles  are,  no  doubt,  seldom 
mistakes,  and  "  aAi?  "  in  this  instance  connects  the  '"''spoilers" 
with  their  victims.  The  "  slippertness  of  the  spoilers  "  may  do 
mischief,  but  rest  assured,  says  the  Wise  Man,  it  "  mahes  a  spoil 
also,  of  themselves." 

"Wealth,"  therefore,  is  not  the  question: — 


4  Wealth  profits  not  in  the  day  of  wrath  : 
but  righteousness  delivers  from  death. 


4  Riches  profit  not  in 
the  day  of  wrath  :  but 
righteuusness  deliver- 
eth  from  death. 


How  badly  led  those  are  who  are  not  righteous,  appears  in 
this  : — that  while  "  righteousness  "  does  everything  for  a  man  in 
journeying  to  his  end,  "  wealth "  does  nothing  for  him. 
"  Wealth"  which  seems  to  be  the  great  guide  of  the  human 
family,  not  only  cannot  dehver,  but  cannot  profit  in  the  crisis 
of  fate.  While  "  righteousness"  all  covered  with  stains,  lets  no 
day  go  to  waste ;  lets  no  mile  be  utterly  lost ;  lets  no  fear  ever 
be  realized ;  still  grapples  ^a  man's  hand ;  and  still  guides  a 
man's  tread,  till  he  steps  at  last  into  the  regions  of  safety. 


5  The  righteousness  of  the  man  of  integrity 
levels  his  way  : 
but  the  wicked  shall  fall  by  his  wickedness. 


5  The  righteousness 
of  the  perfect  shall  di- 
rect his  way  :  but  the 
wicked  shall  fall  by  his 
own  wickedness. 


"  The  righteousness  of  the  man  of  integrity  "  is  perfect  only  in 
heaven,  and  how  it  "levels  his  way,"  appears  best  by  the  per- 


Chap.  XI.]  COMMENTARY. 


145 


feet  facility  of  walking  in  that  bright  abode.  It  will  be  no 
trouble  there  to  travel  forward.  While  more  work  will  be  done 
in  heaven  than  here,  yet  there  it  is  done  so  easily  that  it  is 
called  a  "  Rest."  The  paths  of  this  world  are  not  only  difticult, 
but  deadly.  "The  wicked"  will  not  only  struggle,  but  "fall" 
in  them ;  and  the  roughnesses  at  which  he  stumbles,  are  not  ever 
in  the  paths  themselves,  but  really  in  his  own  "wickedness," 

6  The  righteousness  of  the  upright  delivers 
them  : 
but  by  desire  are  the  treacherous  taken. 


6  The  righteousness 
of  the  upright  shall  de- 
liver them  :  but  trans- 
gressors shall  be  taken 
in  their  own  naughti- 


Men  are  made  by  their  desires.  "  The  righteousness  of  the 
upright  delivers  them;"  literally,  draws  thet?i  or  snatches  them 
away.  Life  finds  us  in  a  deadly  land,  and  "  righteousness^^ 
which  is  a  matter  of  "  desire,''  draws  us,  and,  step  by  step,  leads 
us  out,  and  lands  us  on  a  better  soil.  The  "  desire  "  of  the 
wicked  not  merely  fixes  where  it  is,  but  leads  on  deeper.  The 
"  desire  "  of  the  lost  is  the  bait  that  ruins  him.  However  mis- 
leading to  others,  he  is  specially  "  treacherous "  to  himself 
"  Desire  "  after  the  poor  things  of  life  becomes  the  bait  to  trap 
him  into  ruin,  just  as  piety  is  drawing  away  from  it  the  regen- 
erated man. 

7  By  the  death  of  a  wicked  man  hope  is  lost ; 
and  the  expectation  of  sorrowing  ones  is 
lost  already. 


7  When  a  vicked 
man  dieth,  his  expecta- 
tion shall  perish  ;  and 
the  hope  of  unjust  tnen 
perisheth. 


It  is  sad  to  be  drawn  into  ruin  by  ''''desire  "  (last  verse)  ;  be- 
cause it  breeds  only  "hope,"  and  that  is  sure  to  perish.  "The 
world  passes  away,  and  the  desire  of  it"  (i  Jo.  2  :  17).  "By 
death,"  the  stately  sinner,  who  has  succeeded  everywhere,  must 
part  with  his  "hope;"  and  before  death  the  "sorrowing  ones," 
who  are  left  nothing  but  a  desire  ;  that  large  class  of  men  whose 
life  is  negative,  and  whose  joy  has  gone  out  in  bitter  disappoint- 
ment, are  well  characterized  by  our  Proverb  as  those  whose 
"  expectation  is  lost  already."  "  Already  "  is  expressed  by  the 
perfect  tense.     The  first  clause  had  the  future. 

8  The  righteous  is  delivered  from  distress  :     L  f ,  j^/,  ^'f '.^^  Jf 
and  the  wicked  comes  into  his  room.  jtroubie,  and  the  wick- 

7 


led  Cometh  in  his  stead. 


146  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XL 

"Delivered."  The  original  is,  ^^  dra^vn  out,'"  or  ^^  drmun 
away."  It  is  well  to  keep  this  in  mind.  "The  righteous," 
whether  suddenly  or  gradually,  beyond  all  doubt,  eventually, 
is  drawji  out  of  strait ness,  or  "distress;"  "and  the  wicked," 
gradually,  or  suddenly,  enters  in. 


9    By  the  mouth  the  ungodly  destroys  hi- 
neighbour : 
but  by    knowledge  the  righteous  are   de- 
livered. 


9  An  hypocrite  with 
his  mouth  destroyeth 
h  i  s  neighbour  :  but 
through  knowledge 
shall  the  just  be  deliv- 
ered. 


"The  mouth"  may  stand  for  all  mutual  influences.  "The 
ungodly,"  by  his  influence,  "destroys"  others.  "But  by 
knowledge."  No  word  could  be  better  chosen.  By  light,  i.  e., 
by  one  spiritual  ray,  temptation  takes  a  new  place  with  us.  Be- 
fore, temptation  hurt  us ;  afterward,  it  works  with  other  things 
for  our  good.  When  God  converts  a  soul.  He  gives  it  light. 
That  light  makes  it  invulnerable.  All  things  afterward  help  it. 
"Virtue  may  be  assailed,  but  never  hurt."  Satan  is  one  of  the 
blessings  of  a  Christian.  "  By  the  mouth  the  u7igodly  destroys  his 
neighbor,  but  by  knowledge  the  righteous  are  delivered."  Though 
the  speech  of  one  sinner  destroys  another,  the  righteous,  by  the 
knowledge  that  is  born  within  them,  are  drawn  out.  "  All  that 
is  born  of  God  overcometh  the  world  "  (i  Jo.  5  :  4).  Light, 
which  is  the  sum  of  the  new  birth,  bespeaks  every  grace  and 
delivers  from  all  danger. 


10  By  the  good  of  the  righteous  a  city  exults  : 
and  by  the  perishing  of  the  wicked  there 
is  a  cry  of  joy. 


10  When  it  goeth 
well  with  the  righteous, 
the  city  rejoicelh  ;  and 
when  the  wicked  per- 
ish, there  is  shouting. 


"  By  the  good  ;"  not  "  in  the  good"  (Zockler)  ;  not  "  when  it 
goeth  tvelV  (E.  V.).  "By  the  perishing  of  the  wicked;"  not 
''^  when  the  wicked  perish."  A  city  is  very  far  from  exulting  in 
the  good  of  the  righteous,  or  in  the  destruction  of  the  wicked. 
But  "  by  "  or  "  by  means  of,"  as  the  unacknowledged  cause, 
there  comes  the  exulting  and  the  shouting.  That  is,  a  city  is 
blessed  by  the  prosperity  of  righteous  men.  "Good,"  This 
word  cannot  be  translated.  It  means  both  good  and  goodness. 
If  we  say  "good,"  the  "  good  of  the  righteous  "  will  mean  their 


C.iAP.  XL]  COMMENTARY.  i47 

welfare.  If  we  say  ''goodness;'  it  will  mean  their  piety.  The 
word  in  the  Hebrew  means  both.  The  text,  to  be  complete, 
must  confine  itself  to  neither.  Our  translation  is  necessarily 
ambiguous.  The  city  is  not  only  blessed  by  the  good  that 
characterizes  the  righteous,  but  by  the  good  that  happens  to 
them.  How  glorious  this  becomes  when  "  the  righteous  "  mean 
the  Church  !  The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  have  been 
glad  for  Her.  It  is  true  of  all  the  universe.  As  the  history  of 
Heaven  and  Hell,  the  '' good  of  the  righteous  "  and  the  '' perish- 
ing of  the  wicked"  will  breed  universal  benefit.  It  was  such 
texts  as  these  that  moved  the  Papists  to  realize  the  good  by 
actually  slaughtering  the  wicked  out  of  the  land. 

II  By  the  blessing  of  the  righteous  a  city  isLfVhe^ight  the'cky 

'•'•1  is   exalted:    but    it    is 


lifted  up  : 

but  by  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  pulled 
down. 


overthrown     by     the 
mouth  of  the  wicked. 


12  He  that  is  void  of 
wisdom  despiseth  his 
neighbour :  but  a  man 
of  understanding  hold- 
eth  his  peace. 


Piety  is  in  proportion  to  usefulness.  If  a  Christian  does  not 
bless  his  city,  it  is  a  mark  against  him.  Bless  means  to^  i?ivoke 
good.  The  English  means  to  do  good  in  any  way;  but  i^^ He- 
brew there  is  more  confinement  to  what  is  primary.  "The 
mouth  of  the  wicked"  pulls  down  a  neighborhood  by  every  form 
of  teaching.  "The  righteous"  builds  it,  and  especially  by 
prayer. 

12  A  heartless  man   is  contemptuous   to   his 
neighbor : 
but  a  man  of  discernment  is  silent. 

"  A  heartless  man;"  a  wa«  destitute  of  heart.  All  such  are 
titles  of  the  unsaved  man.  "  Is  contemptuous  to  his  neighbor." 
The  same  negative  state,  i.  e.,  a  want  of  the  Spirit,  and  hence  a 
want  of  benevolence,  not  only  keeps  men  from  blessmg  their 
city  (v.  ii),  but  makes  them  "  contemptuous:'  Others'  mterests 
do  not  weigh  a  feather.  See  a  fine  description  of  this  in  i  Cor. 
13,  where  men  are  supposed  even  to  "behave  unseemly"  from 
this  high  theologic  fact.  They  do  not  care  for  their  neighbors, 
and,  therefore,  do  not  care  to  behave  well.  If  a  neighbor  is 
disgraced,  they  are  too  "  contemptuous"  to  care  for  its  effect. 


148  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XL 

They  are  reckless  in  their  talk  of  his  disgrace ;  while  "  a  man  of 
discernment  is  silent." 

This  is  more  fully  exhibited  in  case  of  positive  secrets.  An 
unsanctified  man  rips  them  cruelly  open.  A  man  "  of  a  faithful 
spirit  "  does  the  very  opposite.  He  tries  to  cover  them,  when 
they  have  begun  to  come  abroad.  The  unsanctified  man 
(lacking  benevolence)  loves  the  slight  gratification  of  a  prurient 
scandal  better  than  his  neighbor's  peace.  Hence  what  fol- 
lows : — 

13  He  who  goes  tale-bearing  lays  open  secret 
counsels: 
but  he  who  is  of  a  faithful  spirit  covers  up 
a  matter. 


13  A  talebearer  re- 
vealeth  secrets  :  but  he 
that  is  of  a  faithful 
spirit  concealeth  the 
matter. 


*'  "WTio  goes  tale  bearing."  The  expression  comes  from  trad- 
ing. He  who  gads  about  to  indulge  in  gossiping,  will  gratify 
his  taste  by  scandals  that  he  did  not  intend  to  divulge.  "  Se- 
cret counsels  ;"  that  formal  divan,  where  purest  privacy  is  the 
thing  that  has  been  expected.  It  is  these  slight  lusts,  as  we 
think  them,  that  divulge  character.  It  is  a  lack  of  love  (i  Cor. 
13).  The  man  that  is  born  again,  will  be  ''''  of  a  faithful  spirit,'* 
and  will  scorn  to  gratify  scandal  at  a  neighbor's  cost. 

Such  a  man  speaks,  however,  where  speaking  will  do  good : — 


14  Where  there  is  no  helmsmanship  a  people 
fall: 
but  by  the  greatness  of  a  counsellor  there 
is  salvation. 


14  Where  no  counsel 
is,  the  people  fall  :  but 
in  the  multitude  of 
counsellors  there  is 
safety. 


Care  seems  to  be  taken  after  a  Proverb  lauding  silence,  al- 
ways to  put  in  a  eulogy  of  speech  (see  10  :  20,  21).  Secrets 
are  not  to  be  hid  until  the  whole  community  is  one  covered 
over  wickedness.  The  same  faithfulness  that  conceals  a  secret, 
intrudes  counsel,  and  grasps  control,  and  saves  the  people  by 
that  leadership  that  the  pious  alone  are  intended  to  achieve. 
"Helmsmanship;"  from  a  root  meaning  a  cord;  hence  the 
tackling  of  the  helm  ;  and,  now,  that  princely  guidance,  which 
piety  in  the  world  (though  the  world  does  not  think  so)  does 
actually  bestow.  "Salvation."  The  inspired  sentence-maker 
is  always  managing  what  the  music  men  would  call  a  crescetuiOy 


Chap.  XL]  COMMENTAR  Y.  149 

for  the  second  clause.  The  first  clause  speaks  of  the  people  as 
falling,  the  second  clause  not  only  as  not  fallings  but,  though 
fallen,  as  actually  raised.  "  Where  there  is  no  helmsinanship  a 
people  fall ^  but  by  the  greatness  of  a  counsellor  there  is  salva- 
tion," ''By  the  greatness  of  a  counsellor. "  Nothing  is  so  strong 
as  that  "poor  wise  man"  (Ec.  9  :  15),  that  delivers  the  city. 
Above  all,  nothing  is  so  strong  as  that  Mighty  Counsellor  vf\iO 
is,  perhaps,  more  than  hinted  at  in  the  words  of  our  text. 
For  : — 

15  The  evil  man  does  ill  because  he  is  surety 
for  a  stranger  : 
but  a  hater  of  sureties  is  the  believer. 


15  He  that  is  surety 
for  a  stranger  shall 
smart  J'oy  it  ;  and  he 
that  hateth  suretiship 
is  sure. 


See  our  treatment  of  these  passages,  chap.  6.  "The  evil 
man  does  ill ;"  that  is,  the  impenitent  sinner  may  trace  all  his 
evils  to  a  sad  case  of  suretyship.  The  Hebrew  is  so  plain  that 
different  intensive  readings  would  not  have  been  invented  for 
it,  if  this  doctrinal  sense  had  been  one  sooner  to  be  main- 
tained. "  The  evil  man;"  literally,  the  masculine  adjective.  It 
means  "  evil "  in  all  senses,  even  down  to  unfortunate  j  the 
hapless  man.  "  Does  ill ;'  i.  e.,  does  ill  in  all  senses.  "Shall  smart 
for  it"  (E.  V.)  ;  a  grasping  after  an  intensive  force  where  one 
is  let  slip  that  is  much  more  obvious.  Taking  the  greatness  of 
the  "  Counsellor"  as  it  has  gone  before,  and  the  "  Woman  of 
Grace,"  as  immediately  after,  and  there  are  sufficient  hints  in 
the  context  to  give  all  the  most  doctrinal  interpretation.  All 
evils  of  the  evil  sufferers  spring  from  one  implication  with 
Adam;  a  suretyship  that  we  may  renounce  at  pleasure;  a 
liability,  in  which  we  stand  to  a  Friend  (6:1);  a  liability, 
therefore,  which  we  should  importune  Him  out  of,  as  our  im- 
mediate care ;  giving  neither  sleep  to  our  eyes  nor  slumber  to  our 
eyelids  (6:4):  for,  a  "  believer,"  that  is,  one  who  trusts  this 
great  Friend,  and  casts  himself  upon  His  clemency,  is  one  who 
hates  this  ancient  curse,  and  will  deliver  himself  out  of  it  by 
every  importunity  in  his  power.  This  is,  if  anything,  a  little 
too  advanced ;  and  we  paused  long  before  we  discarded  the 
wording,  "  He  who  hates  sureties  feels  secure."  Doubtless  such 
an  idea  is  meant  to  be  included.     Moreover,  "  believer'  is  not 


I50  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XL 

an  Old  Testament  word,  and  we  cannot  match  the  Hebrew  in 
exactly  so  advanced  a  sense  (though  see  Ps.  21:8;  32:10). 
But  the  most  advanced  sense,  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  if  just,  is, 
doubtless,  the  most  just,  because  it  is  most  exhaustive  of  all  the 
significance  of  the  passage.  The  clause,  as  we  give  it,  contains 
all  senses  up  to  the  most  extreme. 


16  Grace  gets  hold  of  glory; 

and  the  violent  get  hold  of  riches. 


16  A  gracious  woman 
retaineth  honour ;  and 
strong  7nen  retain 
riches. 


"  Grace ;  "  literally,  "  The  Woman  of  Grace."  It  sheds  a 
strong  light  upon  the  "  Woman  of  Folly  "  (9  :  13).  If  that 
could  be  translated  simply  "  Follj,"  this  could  be  translated 
simply  "  Grace."  The  "  JFoman  of  Grace"  therefore,  is 
'"''grace "  personified.  And  "  Grace  getting  hold  of  glory " 
means  that  we  arrive  at  glory  after  all  that  surety  (v.  15)  under 
the  curse,  simply  by  the  ^^ grace"  of  Christ.  "The  violent  get 
hold  of  riches."  Our  Saviour  repeats  the  thought  (Matt. 
II  :  12).  Men  without  law  break  in  by  "  Gra^e"  not  by  right. 
"  The  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence."  "  Grace  gets 
hold  of  glory,  and  the  violent  get  hold  of  riches  "  for,  as  our 
Saviour  expresses  it  in  the  same  verse  of  the  evangelist, — "•  The 
violent  take  it  by  force." 

And  yet  it  is  no  violence  to  others,  but  a  great  blessing : — 


17  He  who  manages  for  his  own  soul  is  a  man 
of  mercy  : 
and  he  who  afflicts  his  own  flesh  is  cruel. 


17  The  merciful  man 
doeth  eood  to  his  own 
soul  :  out  he  that  is 
cruel  troubleth  his  own 
flesh. 


The  best  thing  a  man  can  do  for  the  universe  is  to  get  him- 
self off  from  the  curse  of  Adam  ;  and  the  crudest  infliction  upon 
his  race  is  to  leave  "his  own  flesh  "  in  chains.  God  will  over- 
rule everything,  and  will  make  even  hell  a  blessing.  But  we 
are  speaking  of  things  direct.  "  The  tender  mercies  of  the 
wicked  are  cruel."  Their  mere  life  breeds  death.  Their  most 
admirable  courtesies,  on  that  very  account  of  their  moral  love- 
liness, breed  ruin;  and,  like  the  walking  pestilence,  tliey  carry 
it  wherever  they  may  journey.  "Manages  for;"  literally,  deals 
for,  whether  well  or  ill.     In  cases  like  the  present,  ivcll  is  im- 


Chap.  XI.]  COMMENTARY.  151 

plied.  The  majority  of  commentators  invert  the  order, — "  A 
merciful  ftian  manages  tvell  for  his  own  soul,  etc."  But  this  is 
not  the  order  of  the  Hebrew,  and  is  not  the  most  important 
sense. 


18  A  wicked  man  doing  a  deceiving  work,  }^  The  wicked  work- 

_    -  -  R    -  o   _         .  '  eth   a  deceitful   work : 

but  to  him  that  soweth 
righteousness  shall  be 
a  sure  reward. 


and  he  who  sows  righteousness  having  a 
true  reward, 


"Work;"  the  whole  life-work.  "Deceiving."  It  pretends 
to  be  of  value,  but  is  an  injury.  "And  he  who  sows  righteous- 
ness ;"  he  who  makes  all  of  life  a  seed-time,  and  lets  the  seed 
sown  be  ^''righteousness/'  "having  a  true  reward;"  not  only  a 
real  reward,  but  a  reward  accurately  measured;  just  as  much 
reward  as  he  sows  righteousness ;  the  whole  of  an  impenitent 
man's  life  being  a  mistake  ;  the  whole  of  a  righteous  man's  life 
being  a  seed-time,  because  the  seed  is  righteousness,  and  it  has 
a  real  and  an  exact  reward ; — 

On  this  principle — "  thus  :  " — 

19  thus  righteousness  is  unto  life,  I,  '?•  As  righteousness 

•^  ,°,  ...  ',,,,     \tendeth   to  life;  so  he 

but  he  that  chases  evil  does  so  to  his  death,  that  pursueth  evil, 

pursueth  it  to  his  own 
i death. 

It  has  been  a  fault  to  overlook  the  participles  (v.  18).  It  is 
not  often  that  two  verses  are  united  in  this  part  of  the  book. 
The  former  of  the  two  (v.  18)  has  a  very  rich  and  independent 
sense,  and  it  is  not  wonderful  that  its  grammatical  incomplete- 
ness should  not  have  been  noticed.  It  hands  over  its  copious 
significance  to  the  present  text;  for  by  the  "13,  "thus,"  the  pur- 
pose of  the  participles  is  thoroughly  brought  within  our  vision. 
If  righteousness  is  a  seed,  and  is  sown,  and  has  a  certain  crop, 
then,  in  this  way,  "  righteousness  is  unto  life  ;  but  he  that  chases 
evil  does  so  to  his  death;"  i.  e.,  he  grows  in  spiritual  corruption, 
and,  that,  eternally. 

He  grows  in  spiritual  corruption,  not  because  creatures  are 
self-subsistent,  and  advance  by  laws  implanted  in  themselves ; 
but  because  sin  is  the  punishment  of  sin,  and  advances  by  laws 
implanted  in  the  Almighty.     Eternal  justice  declares  that  sin 


152  FR'O VERBS.  [Chap.  XI. 

must  be  given  up  to  an  advance  in  sinning,  and  that,  because  it 
is  a  festering  ill,  abominable  in  the  universe : — 


An    abomination    to    Jehovah    are    men 

crooked  in  heart : 
but  men  of  integrity  in  their  way  are  His 

delight. 


20  They  that  are  of  a 
froward  heart  are  ab- 
omination to  the  Lord  : 
but  suck  as  arc  up- 
right in  their  way  are 
his  delight. 


A  "  ground  of  quarrel  "  in  the  universe  (6  :  19)  and  "  aai  abomi- 
nation to  Jehovali,"  are  things  identical  with  each  other.  The 
universe  is  but  the  thought  of  God,  and  God  is  then  the  norm 
of  the  universe.  "^;z  aboviination  to  Jehovah,"'  as  taught  in 
this  book,  (6  :  16)  is  a  thing  so  radically  full  of  mischief  that  it 
must  be  forced  out  of  the  way  some  day,  by  the  very  necessities 
of  the  universe  : — 

21  When  hand  to  hand  the  wicked  shall  not  I  .'^\   Though   hand 

.   ,       ,  join    \x\    hand,    the 

go  unpunished:  jwicked    shall     not    be 

but  the   seed  of  the   righteous    shall    be  "e?d"  of  tt""  „'ghteo'uI 

let   off.  (shall  be  delivered. 

Two  combatants  may  manceuvre  in  ways  painless  to  each 
other,  but,  "when  hand  to  hand,"  the  weaker  must  go  to  the 
wall.  God  chooses  to  manoeuvre  His  force  through  years  of 
trial.  "  When  hand  to  hand,  the  wicked  shall  not  go  unp\in- 
ished."  The  hint  from  the  English,  commentators  seem  not  to 
have  taken.  There  is  no  like  idiom  frequent  in  the  Hebrew. 
Still,  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  sense.  "  Though  hand 
join  in  hand"  (E.  V.)  is  neither  as  grammatical,  or  significant, 
or  agreeable  to  the  analogies  of  speech.  There  is  such  a  time; 
when  Jehovah  will  meet  the  sinner  ^^ hand  To  hand."  He  will 
by  no  means  clear  the  guilty  (Ex.  34  :  7).  "  But  the  seed  of  the 
righteous;"  not  simply  the  ^^  seed"  of  righteous  people,  because  it 
includes  the  parents  themselves;  not  simply  the  parents,  because 
it  includes  the  children ;  not  both  parents  and  children,  because 
many  children  perish;  but  the  ^^  seed  of  the  righteous"  in  the 
sense  (i)  that  righteousness  runs  in  lines  ;  (there  is  a  "  genera- 
tion of  them  that  seek  Him")  (Ps.  24:6);  and  (2)  that  the 
righteous,  as  far  forth  as  they  are  righteous  in  the  parental  re- 
lation, will   have   godly  children   (Gen.   18:19;    Titus  1:6). 


Chap.  XL]  COMMENTARY.  153 

Righteousness  itself  (by  its  fidelities)  has  its  offspring  in  Chris- 
tian families.  This  is  the  favorite  method  of  the  church's 
growth.  As  to  the  expression  "let  off,"  it  is  very  doctrinal. 
The  primary  meaning  is,  to  smooth  over,  and,  in  this  Niphal 
form,  to  be  stnoothed  over,  or  to  be  made  slippery,  so  as  to  slip  or 
glide  away.  We  were  all  under  bonds  (v.  15),  but  the  seed  of 
the  righteous  shall  slip  out. 

Next  comes  a  very  incisive  word  as  to  who  are  '"'' wicked'' 
(v.  21).  Men  may  be  very  adorned  in  station,  and  yet  be 
brutish  in  the  eyes  of  God.  Many  may  be  very  adorned  in 
character,  and  yet,  as  amiable  impenitents,  may  be  abomin- 
able in  the  sight  of  Heaven.  The  quality  of  being  "  tasteless  " 
(see  next  verse)  belongs  to  all  who  are  without  the  relish  of  the 
gospel.  Be  life  ever  so  much  adorned,  it  is  the  lowest  brutish- 
ness,  in  that  case,  in  the  eyes  of  its  Creator.  This  is  all  shut 
up  in  what  follows : — 


22  A  gold  ring  in  a  swine's  snout ; 
a  fair  and  tasteless  woman. 


22  ^.f  a  jewel  of  gold 
in  a  swine's  snout,  so  is 
a  fair  woman  which  is 
without  discretion. 


For  a  Proverb,  the  sentence  has  links  enough.  The  "  woman," 
as  in  many  another  passage,  will  answer  for  all  humanity  (see 
I  Tim.  5:6).  To  the  Almighty,  a  loathsome  "  swine  "  is"  as  the 
fairest  of  unsanctified  intelligence.  Of  course  all  lower  senses, 
as,  for  example,  a  literal  "-woman"  with  a  very  weak  or  a  very 
impure  beauty,  a  fortiori,  may  be  marked  as  counted  in. 

23  A  wish  of  the  righteous^ is  only  good :  righ'teTus%voniy.good! 

but  the  expectation  of 
the  wicked  is  wrath. 


an  assurance  of  the  wicked  is  wrath. 


Here  we  are  to  contrast  "  a  wish  "  and  "  an  assvirance,"  like 
that  class  of  passages  already  alluded  to  (11  :  4),  where  such 
expressions  as  house  and  tent,  house  and  revenue,  great  man  and 
mean  man,  (14  :  1 1 ;  15  :  6),  make  the  last  clause  intensive.  The 
mere  "wish  of  the  righteous  is"  {an  intrinsic)  "good;"  either, 
first,  because  all  actings  of  his  heart,  whether  wise  or  unwise, 
will  exercise  him  (Ps.  84  :  7),  and  will  speed  him  to  his  celestial 
state ;  or  secondly,  because  the  wish  of  a  righteous  man,  quoad 
a  righteous  man,  will  be  a  righte'ous  wish,  and,  therefore,  will 
7* 


154  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XI. 

be  good  in  itself,  and  will  be  sure  to  be  gratified.  The  wish  of 
a  righteous  man,  like  the  spongelets  of  a  tree,  is  that  which 
goes  searching  for  God's  gifts,  and  is  sure  in  the  end  to  attain 
them.  Therefore,  emphasizing  "  only,"  the  wish  of  a  righteous 
man  will  be  made  altogether  to  work  for  his  good,  however  dis- 
appointed, and  however  kept  low  and  troubled  in  the  difficulties 
of  the  present  life.  But  "an  assurance  of  the  wicked;"  that  is, 
a  thing  so  grasped  and  reached  as  to  be  no  longer  a  "  wish," 
but  a  certainty ;  wealth,  when  it  is  made  his,  or  honor,  when  it 
is  actually  grasped,  will  not  only  be  lost ;  will  not  only  be  fol- 
lowed by  "wrath;"  will  not  only  be  ^^ wrath"  in  the  sense  of 
actually  bringing  it ;  but  "  is  wrath  "  in  the  sense  of  being  sent 
as  punishment,  and  in  the  further  sense  that  the  sinner  knew  it 
all  the  time ;  and  that  his  "  assurance,"  though  it  seemed  to  be  a 
certainty  of  joy,  was,  lower  down,  a  certainty  of  punishment ;  we 
mean  by  that,  an  "  assurance  "  (which  he  would  confess  if  he 
were  asked)  that  all  his  properties  could  end  only  in  increasing 
retribution. 

Therefore,  building  up  assured  things  for  ourselves,  is  not 
really  the  best  way  to  get  on.  Building  up  assurances  even  of 
heaven  is  not  the  best  way  to  attain  to  good  : — 


24  There  is  that  scatters  and  is  yet  increased  : 
and  there  is  that  keeps  more  than  is  right 

only  unto  want. 

25  The  soul  that  blesses  shall  be  made  fat : 
and  he  who  gives  to  drink  shall  himself 

also  have  drink  given. 


24  There  is  that  scat- 
tereth,  and  yet  increas- 
eth  ;  and  there  is  that 
withholdeth  more  than 
is  meet,  but  //  tendeih. 
to  poverty. 

25  The  liberal  soul 
shall  be  made  fat  ;  and 
he  that  watereth  shall 
be  watered  also  him- 
self. 


Give  and  thou  shalt  receive.  John  Howard,  when  he  grew 
sad  about  his  piety,  put  on  his  hat  and  went  about  among  the 
poor.  He  came  back  a  gainer.  He  diverted  his  mind  from 
his  own  interests,  and  yet  promoted  them  in  a  higher  assurance. 
Religion  being  benevolence,  as  well  as  a  love  of  holiness,  doing 
good  to  others,  is  a  philosophic  way  of  ripening  it  in  ourselves. 
Verse  24th  has  its  Poor  Richard  phase  as  well  as  a  higher  one. 
Being  "  penny  wise  and  pound  foolish  "  is  understood  even  in 
our  shops.     But  the  grand  sense  is  evangelical.     '■''  Itiserviendo 


CHAr.  XI.]  COMMENTARY.  155 

aliis  consumor  "  may  be  true  of  poor  impenitents,  but  a  candle 
is  no  emblem  for  a  Christian.  He  is  a  glorious  sun  who  by- 
some  strange  alchemy  brightens  by  shining.  V.  25.  ^'' Water etJi" 
(E.  V.)  refers  to  the  ground,  or  to  animals.  Giving  plenty  "  to 
drink  "  is  the  meaning  of  the  verb  as  applied  to  men. 
A  more  practical  bearing  is  given  to  the  next  verse : — 


26  Him  that  hoards  corn  the  people  curse  : 
but  blessing  is  for  the  head  of  him  that 
sells. 


26  He  thatwithhold- 
eth  corn,  the  people 
shall  curse  him  :  but 
blessing  shall  be  upon 
the  head  of  him  that 
selleth  it. 


When  Christ  tells  us  (Matt.  5  :  42)  to  give  to  him  that  asks 
us,  he  by  no  means  instructs  us  to  give  or  lend  money  at  the 
beck  of  every  applicant ;  any  more  than  literally  to  turn  our 
left  cheek  (Matt.  5  :  39); "but  he  means  to  indicate  a  general 
attribute  of  benevolence.  So,  hoarding  corn,  when  it  is  taken 
off  of  a  glutted  market,  and  returned  to  a  straitened  one,  is  so  far 
from  being  wrong,  that  God  directed  it  in  Egypt.  It  is  a  favor 
both  to  the  farmer  and  to  men  at  large.  But  the  cruelties  of 
these  things  are  undoubtedly  aimed  at,  as  in  usuries  (Ps.  15:5), 
and  the  exacting  of  debts  (Matt.  6:12). 


27  He  that  diligently 
seeketh  good  procureth 
favour  :  but  he  that 
seeketh  mischief,  it 
shall  come  unto  him. 


27  He  who  is  eager  for  what  is  good,  hunts  up 

favor : 
but  he  who  goes  in  quest  of  evil,  it  shall 

come  to  him. 

From  the  last  Proverbs  it  has  appeared  that  going  directly 
after  our  selfish  gain,  is  really  going  after  evil.  Joy  is  innocent 
in  itself;  and  yet,  gone  after  absorbingly,  it  is  an  evil  end. 
"Whosoever  shall  seek  to  save  his  life  shall  lose  it  "  (Luke  17  : 
2i'^.  Solomon,  therefore,  utters  a  most  philosophic  truth,  when 
he  says  : — "  He  tliat  is  eager  for  what  is  good ;"  that  is,  who 
forgets  himself,  and  is  early  (for  that  is  the  original  sense)  after 
what  is  intrinsically  right  and  holy,  that  man  is  really  the  per- 
son who  is  hunting  up  favor.  That  is,  if  he  could  really  gain 
it  by  hunting  it  up  directly,  and  for  his  selfish  good,  he  could 
not  gain  it  more  directly  than  by  forgetting  it,  and  striving,  for 
what  is  pure.  "  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you  " 


156  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XI. 

(Matt.  6  :  33).  Then  follows  the  antithesis.  "  He  that  goes  in 
quest  of  evil,"  as  one  is  conscious  that  he  does  when  he  turns 
his  heart  selfishly  even  after  innocent  joys,  "it,"  i.  e.,  <?Z77"  shall 
come  to  him."  Nothing  can  exceed  the  sharp  simplicity  of  the 
passage.  He  that  goes  after  what  in  itself  may  be  innocent ;  like 
money;  or  like  the  support  of  life;  in  a  way  that  to  his  own 
conscience  makes  it  confessedly  evil,  shall  have  it  "  come  to  Jiiiir 
at  the  end  of  his  course,  infallibly  as  evil.  The  grandest  wealth 
shall  be  a  torment  to  him  in  the  day  of  misery. 

There  is  a  distinction,  therefore,  between  a  man  and  his  wealth. 
The  wealth  may  flourish,  and  the  man  may  decay : — 

28  He  that  trusts  in  his  riches  shall  fall  him-l.  f ■"■%'''='' .'Tf^n'' 

in  his  nches  shall  fall  : 
self  ;  but  the  righteous  shall 


but  like  a  leaf  shall  the  righteous  put  forth. 


flourish  as  a  branch. 


A  Proverb  may  be  lost  by  neglecting  a  particle.  This,  in 
the  English  Version,  is  a  barren  text ;  and  solely  because  the 
pronoun,  which  is  rarely  introduced,  appears  in  this  Proverb, 
and  is  not  noticed.  Our  Version  says,  "  shall  fall .'^  The  He- 
brew has  it  "  shall  fall  himself."  "  He  that  trusts  in  his  riches," 
may  trust  in  that  which  may  not  disappoint  him.  That  is,  it 
may  remain  great,  and  may  follow  him  to  the  grave.  But  while 
his  riches  are  piling  up,  he  ''''himself''  is  shrivelling  away.  It 
is  not  the  rich,  but  they  that  trust  in  riches,  a  distinction  which 
our  Saviour  borrows  (Mark  10  :  24).  He  takes  much  from 
these  Proverbs  (comp.  v.  25,  and  Luke  6  :  38).  The  truly  im- 
portant thing  is  the  man  "  himself  /'  and  while  the  unregenerate 
^  falls"  or  decays,  the  righteous,  even  without  money,  prospers. 
He  grows  from  v.'ithin.  That  is,  he  grows,  and  not  his  money. 
He  "  puts  forth,"  very  feebly,  it  may  be,  in  the  beginning  ;  but  it 
is  his  own  eternal  nature.  While  the  worldling  "  himself  "  de- 
cays, "like  a  leaf  shall  the  righteous  put  forth." 


29  He   that   troubles  his  own  house,  inherits 
the  wind  ; 
and  a  fool  is  servant  to  the  wise  in  heart. 


29  He  that  troubleth 
his  own  house  shall  in- 
herit thewind  ;  and  the 
fool  s/tiiil  be  servant  to 
the  wise  of  heart. 


The  lower  and  the  higher  meaning  which  we  have  traced  in 


Chap.  XL]  COMMENTARY.  157 

the  Strange  Woman,  and  in  the  texts  on  suretyship,  and  which 
appear  in  histories  and  prophecies  all  through  the  Bible  (be- 
cause all  teach  the  gospel)  are  beautifully  discriminate  in  the 
present  text.  "  He  that  troubles  his  own  house,"  as  most  am- 
bitious men  do  by  grindings  of  sfelf-denial,  that  reach  on  past 
the  time  of  any  enjoyment,  shall  forget  the  end  in  the  means, 
and,  stumbling  into  the  grave,  shall  inherit  nothing  but  "  the 
■wind,"  The  wealth  of  such  a  man  shall  go  to  make  others 
happy;  for  "  a  fool  is  servant  to  the  wise  in  heart."  But  "//^ 
that  ti'otibles  his  own  house  "  in  any  form  of  impenitence  ;  he 
that  takes  the  trouble  to  live  without  the  gospel ;  he  that 
chases  wealth,  when  he  admits  that  it  will  breed  him  ven- 
geance ;  he  that  goes  through  the  self-denials  of  the  world,  to 
accumulate  worldly  benefits  which  he  knows  are  mischiefs  to 
his  soul ;  not  only  "  inherits  the  windy'  but  is  absolutely  ^^fool" 
enough  to  be  the  "  servant,"  in  all  these  trials,  and  that  through 
eternal  ages,  of  wiser  and  better  creatures. 

This  service  which  the  lost  render,  against  their  will,   the 
righteous  render  by  their  very  nature  : — 


30  The  fruit  of  a  righteous  man  is  as  of  a  tree 
of  life : 
and  one  who  catches  souls  is  the  wise  man. 


30  The  fruit  of  the 
righteous  is  a  tree  of 
life  ;  and  he  that  win- 
neth  souls  is  wise. 


He  may  begin  as  a  "  leaf"  (v.  28),  but  he  ends  as  a  "  tree.'' 
Nay,  he  has  "  fruit"  from  the  very  beginning,  and  that  "  is  as  of 
a  tree  of  life."  The  English  Version  in  speaking  of  the  ^^  fruit  " 
as  the  "  tree,"  confounds  the  metaphor  a  little,  but  has  a  sim- 
pler grammar,  and  an  equal  sense.  The  tree  of  life  made  the 
partaker  of  it  immortal.  "  The  fruit  of  the  righteous  "  is  im-* 
mortal  life  to  many  a  poor  sinner.  The  winner  of  "  souls  is  the 
Wiseman."  This  might  read  in  either  way: — The  winner  of 
souls  is  zvise,  or  the  wise  is  a  winner  of  souls.  It  doubtless  should 
be  read  in  both.  The  grand  "  tree  of  life"  on  earth  is  the  man 
converted  already.  The  man  converted  already  will  be  a  "  tree 
of  life."  Both  doctrines  are  true.  Either  is  consistent  with 
the  text.  Both  are  consistent  with  each  other.  Neither  can 
be  asserted  as  exclusively  the  sense.  And,  therefore,  in  so 
terse  a  passage,  I  see  no  recourse  but  to  understand  the  He- 


iS8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XL 

brew  as  pregnant  of  both.  It  is  of  the  very  essence  of  wisdom 
to  be  benevolent ;  and  it  is  the  very  height  of  benevolence  to 
catch  the  souls  of  the  impenitent.  Moreover,  no  soul  is 
caught  but  by  the  wise. 

There  follows  a  motive  for  this  catching,  of  a  double  sort,  the 
reward  of  the  "righteous,"  and  the  reward  of  the  "wicked."  A 
man  who  is  wise  feels  the  impulse  of  both.  The  former  of  these 
rewards,  viz.,  the  reward  of  the  righteous,  is  very  peculiar  ;  for 
"  all  our  righteousnesses  are  as  filthy  rags  "  (Is.  64  :  6).  No 
man,  however  Christian  in  his  spirit,  does  anything  but  sin, 
"  There  is  not  a  just  man  "  (and  we  may  say.  There  is  not  a 
just  act)  "  upon  earth  that  doeth  good  and  sinneth  not  "  (Ec. 
7  :  20).  To  talk  of  rewarding  the  righteous  is,  therefore,  an 
anomaly  in  court;  for,  strictly  speaking,  it  is  rewarding  a  man 
for  sin.  Strictly  speaking,  it  is  not  reivarditig  a  man  at  all ;  for, 
judicially,  it  is  not  paying  back  an  agent  so  much  happiness 
for  so  much  service,  like  Gabriel';  but  rather  making  the  broken 
beginnings  of  reform,  grade,  for  the  regenerate  man,  his  bliss 
hereafter.  The  reform  of  the  saint  is  not  really  holiness,  but 
an  approach  to  it.  And  so  the  reward  of  the  saint  is  not  strictly 
a  reward,  but  a  promise — a  promised  measure  of  good.  And 
that  is  what  is  meant  by  what  follows  : — 


31  Behold,  the  man  righteous  on  earth  shall 
be  recompensed; 
because  also  the  wicked  and  the  sinner. 


31  Behold,  the  right- 
eous shall  be  recom- 
pensed in  the  earth  ; 
much  more  the  wicked 
and  the  sinner. 


Not  "  recompensed  in  the  earth  "  (E.  V.)  ;  for  that  is  not  true. 
Above  all  would  the  second  clause  not  be  true,  for  Solomon 
takes  care  to  tell  (Ec.  9  :  2)  that  "  there  is  one  event  unto  all." 
It  is  not  true  that  the  wicked  are  punished  "  on  eaxth  "  "  Much 
more  "  (E.  V.)  or  much  less  than  any  other  class;  or  that  their 
punishment  in  this  world  bears  any  relation  whatever  to  any- 
thing you  may  choose  to  mention.  "  On  earth  "  has  such  a  lo- 
cation as  to  be  placed  with  either  word,  and  the  sense  directs 
that  it  mark  the  arena  of  trial  and  not  of  the  reward.  "  Because 
also."  Because  the  righteous  are  not  strictly  rewarded  in  a 
judicial  sense  except  as  for  the  obedience  of  their  Redeemer, 
that  does  not  prevent  their  rewards,  such  as  they  are,  being 


Chap.  XII.]  COMMENTARY.  159 

given  for  great  ends  of  justice,  just  as  in  the  instance  of  the 
wicked.  Why  these  words  should  be  translated  "  much  more  " 
(E.  V.)  as  they  are,  we  could  never  imagine.  It  mars  many  a 
passage  (see  Class  XLIV).  They  are  very  simple ;  both,  very 
significant;  and  neither,  difficult  to  translate;  and  why  they  are 
not  oftener  rendered  "  because  also"  just  as  they  mean,  we  are 
at  a  loss  to  fathom.  The  meaning  is,  Those  "  righteous  on 
earth  shaU  be  recompensed,"  not  strictly,  indeed,  but  for  the 
same  general  reasons  as  "  the  wicked  and  the  sinner,"  viz.,  the 
ends  of  government.  The  Septuagint  very  oddly  branches 
quite  away,  and  makes  a  text  that  St.  Peter  repeats  :— "  If  the 
righteous  scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the  ungodly  and  the 
sinner  appear  ?"     (See  for  these  discrepancies  25  :  22). 


CHAPTER  XII. 

I  He  that  loves  discipline,  loves  knowledge  ; 
and  he  that  hates  reproof,  is  brutish. 


Whoso  loveth  i  n  - 
struction  loveth  knowl- 
edge :  but  he  that  hat- 
eth  reproof  is  brutish. 


This  is  a  great  text.  We  may  expect  great  texts  where  there 
is  a  look  of  common-place.  The  thought  raises  itself  two 
stories  at  least  in  the  respect  of  doctrine.  "  He  that  loves  dis- 
cipline;" that  is,  he  that,  instead  of  fretting  at  that  mysterious 
Providence  of  God  which  we  call  evil,  enters  into  its  deep  ex- 
periences, and  learns  to  value  it  as  precious  to  his  soul ;  that 
man  "loves"  light,  or  ^^j/^/ " knowledge. "  That  is  the  first 
story.  But,  now,  he  who  takes  a  much  wider  yiew,  and  looks 
at  all  the  gains  from  evil  to  the  universe ;  how  impossible  would 
be  high  forms  of  knowledge— how  utterly  unconceived  by  any 
one  n'^ot  Infinite,  without  the  foil  of  either  observed  or  expe- 
rienced misery ;  that  man  acquiesces  in  all  the  evils  that  are 
seen  in  the  creation  ;  loving  discipline  because  he  loves  knoivledge  ; 
and  acquiescing  even  in  hell  itself,  because  he  suspects  its  ab- 
solute necessity  in  the  providential  system.  "Brutish;"  de- 
rived from  a  root  meaning  cattle.  Mourning  over  our  griefs, 
which  seems  to  be  the  work  often  of  a  refined  and  delicate  na- 


i6o  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XII. 

ture,  is  here  asserted  to  be  ''''  brutish .''  He  is  but  a  Hottentot 
in  the  ways  of  the  Almighty,  who  does  not  see  that  the  crush- 
ing of  his  hopes  has  been  one  of  the  tenderest  methods  of  his 
redemption. 

Let  blind  reason  condemn  God.     He  who  has  gospel  light, 
will  see  Him  as  One  out  of  whom  he  can  draw  favor: — 

2  A  good  man  draws  out  favor  from  Jehovah  ;|  ^^^^^^■^  ^fawur^'o^  "h^ 
but  a  man  of  mere   intellect  pronounces  lokd  :  but  a  man  of 

H-i.  wicked  devices  will  he 

im  guilty.  I  condemn. 

That  is,  we  awake  to  consciousness  in  a  froward,  or  lost 
state.  Now,  the  Bible  confesses  that  to  the  froward  God  shows 
himself  froward  (Ps.  i8  :  26).  The  natural  man,  therefore,  com- 
ing under  such  disciplines  as  are  alluded  to  in  verse  ist,  when 
he  follows  his  "  mere  intellect  "  (literally,  vieditafio/i,  or  deep  re- 
flection),  is  very  apt  to  find  fault  with  God,  or  to  pronounce 
Him  guilty.  But  the  "good  man;"  that  is,  the  man  not  only 
pure  himself,  but  doing  good  to  others;  looks  upon  God  as  a 
fountain  of  blessing;  knows  that  His  judgments  only  conceal 
His  mercies ;  and  learns,  by  spiritual  light,  to  draia  out  from 
Him  living  ^^  favor  "  ^^  Pronounces  guilty.''  All  commenta- 
tors either  understand  this  as  of  God  pronouncing  the  man 
guilty  (E.  v.),  or  (sinking  the  Hiphil)  of  man  as  being  guilty, 
or  appearing  so,  on  account  of  '"'' loickcd devices"  (E.  V.).  But 
the  sense  is  much  finer,  as  given  above.  " Devices"  or  medita- 
tions are  not  necessarily  wicked  devices  (see  Class  XXXIII); 
and  though  "  Him  "  does  not  actually  appear  in  the  text,  yet  it  is 
most  legitimately  understood  ;  and  the  sentence,  in  grammatical 
ease,  is  altogether  advanced  by  our  interpretation.  When 
judgments  press,  mere  "  intellect  "  condemns  God  ;  but  a  man, 
who  is  good  himself,  will  see,  under  the  judgments,  opportuni- 
ties of  abundant  favor. 


3  A  man  shall  not  be  set  firm  by  wickedness  : 
while  the  root  of  the  righteous  shall  not  be 
shaken. 


3  A  man  shall  not  be 
established  by  wicked- 
ness :  but  the  root  of 
the  righteous  shall  not 
be  moved. 


To  ^'''pronounce"  God  ^^  guilty"  is  foolish;  for  what  can  a  man 


Chap.  XII.]  COMMENTARY.  i6i 

expect  but  '■'■  disciplined  (v.  i.)  "Wherefore  doth  a  living 
man  complain  .?  a  man  for  the  punishment  of  his  sins  "  (Sam. 
3  :  39)  ?  "  A  man  shall  not  be  set  firm  by  wickedness  :"  and  a 
man,  being  wicked,  how  shall  he, expect  anything  except  that 
he  shall  be  disturbed  1  While  the  saint,  though  "  shaken  "  in 
leaf  and  bough,  and  storm-tossed,  and,  perhaps,  broken  in  his 
branches,  yet  "shall  not  be  shaken". in  his  "  root.'"  The  vindi- 
cation of  our  great  Lord  is  then  perfect.  The  wicked,  in  the 
very  nature  of  things,  must  fall.  The  "  righteous,"  though 
swept  by  chastisements,  has  his  roots  deep  struck,  and  they 
cannot  be  "  shaken." 

A  man,  too,  must  expect  trouble  if  he  have  mad  alliances. 
Does  he  link  himself  with  evil,  he  must  partake  of  the  storms 
that  buffet  it : — 

4  A  capable  woman  is  her  husband's  crown  :  I  .  ^  a  virtuous  woman 

J    ^  .      ,   .     ,  .  \7s  a.  crown  to  her  hus- 

and  as  rottenness  m  his  bones  is  one  that  band:  but  she  that 

/-oncoc  cVm-.To  maketh  ashamed  is  as 

causes  Sname.  I  rottenness  in  his  bones. 

"Capable;"  sometimes  ^^ virtuous /'  literally  strong.  "It  is 
well  observed  by  Michaelis  (Suppl.  No.  719),  that  in  the  early 
stages  of  society,  when  the  government  and  the  laws  had  little 
influence,  fortitude  was  the  first  and  most  necessary  virtue; 
and  might,  therefore,  naturally  give  its  name  to  the  other  vir- 
tues. Hence  virtus  in  Latin  and  apsTTi  in  Greek,  which,  ac- 
cording to  their  etymology,  denote  mainly  strength  and  forti- 
tude, came,  at  length,  to  signify  virtue  in  general  {Holden)." 
"Crown;"  that  is  (i)  ornament  and  (2)  source  of  power.  A 
virtuous  "  woman  "  is  both  to  her  husband.  But  "  as  rottenness 
in  his  bones."  A  spendthrift,  drunken,  or  adulterous  wife  is  so 
entrenched  in  our  being,  that  our  very  bones,  that  is,  our  very 
dearest  interests  (Ps.  35  :  10  ;  Jo.  19  :  36),  are  rotten,  when  these 
qualities  begin  their  influence.  A  man,  linked  with  such  dis- 
orders, can  not  complain  of  his  inevitable  '''' reproof "  (v.  i). 
Women,  however,  in  all  this  book  seem  to  be  types  of  qualities ; 
— of  Grace  (11  :  16);  of  Wisdom  (14:  i);  of  Folly  (9:  13). 
See  also  Class  L,  The  "  Capable  Woman  "  has  not  stood  be- 
fore us  in  all  her  true  light,  till  she  stands  as  Wisdom  ;  nor  "  One 
that  causes  shame,"  till  we  make  her  Impenitency.     The  "  Ca- 


5  The  thoughts  of 
the  righteous  are  right: 
bii(  the  counsels  of  the 
wicked  arc  deceit. 


162  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XII. 

pable  Woman"  is  our  '■^  cro7vn  •"  for,  with  faith,  all  things  are 
ours;  and  her  Great  Rival  is  our  shame,  for,  with  unbelief,  there 
is  "  rottenness  "  in  our  very  "  bones"  This  disposition  always  to 
see  a  figure  must  not  be  set  down  as  fanciful,  till  the  Woman  of 
Grace  and  the  Woman  of  Wisdom  and  the  Woman  of  Folly  and 
other  still  more  artificial  cases  (Rev,  12:1)  have  been  thor- 
oughly considered. 

But  v/hy  are  "the  righteous"  allowed  to  mate  with  evil? — 

5  The  plans  of  the  righteous  are  a  judgment : 
thehelmsmanships  of  the  wicked  are  a  de- 
ceit. 

"Judgment."  This  word,  which  is  very  common  in  the 
Bible,  means  a  judicial  decision.  The  ^^ Judgment"  of  the 
wicked  is  a  verdict  of  the  Almighty  consigning  them  to  hell. 
The  '"''judgment"  of  the  righteous,  by  what  Christ  has  wrought 
out,  is  a  verdict  of  eternal  reward.  A  bad  management, 
therefore,  is  a  reward.  I  mean  by  that,  it  is  a  part  of  an  eter- 
nal blessing.  "  The  plans  of  the  righteous,"  however  disastrous 
tliey  may  seem,  "  are  a  judgment."  And  as  the  ^^ judgment  "  of 
tTie  righteous  is  in  his  favor,  his  plans,  however  bad,  are  shaped 
in  him  for  his  good.  Whatsoever  storms  they  may  lead  to, 
they  are  from  a  most  prosperous  verdict ;  and  have  been  allowed 
to  supervene,  for  his  highest,  and  well-graduated  good.  Mark 
now  the  climax  (as  in  14  :  11).  It  says,  "  the  plans  of  the  7-ight- 
eous"  leaving  us  to  suppose  they  might  be  very  wretched.  It 
says,  now,  "  the  helmsmanships  of  the  tvicked"  leaving  us  to 
suppose  they  are  very  shrewd.  The  keenest  calculations  of  the 
wicked,  where  a  cool  eye  is  at  the  hel/n,  and  where,  instead  of 
marrying  a  foolish  wife  (v.  4),  he  has  built  grandly  for  the 
world;  still,  as  '''' a  judgment  "  I  mean  by  that,  as  the  whole 
verdict  in  his  case;  his  very  ^^ hel/ns?nanships  are  a  deceit."  (i) 
His  own  wisdom  cheats  him  in  ordering  his  life;  and  (2)  God 
Himself,  as  a  part  of  His  award,  takes  care  that  he  be  deceived 
as  to  his  total  well-being. 

The  whole  toil  of  the  impenitent,  therefore,  is  a  trap  to  him  : — 

6  The  words  of  the  wicked  are  a  lying-in- 

wait  for  blood  : 
but  the  mouth  of  the  upright  shall  deliver 
them. 


6  The  words  of  the 
wicked  are  to  lie  in 
w.-»it  for  blood  :  but  the 
mouth  of  the  upright 
shall  deliver  them. 


Chap  XIL]  COMMENTARY.  163 

"The  -words."  Speech  is  the  great  instrument  of  man. 
Talking  is  his  trade.  Wall  Street  and  Lombard  Street  make  their 
fortunes  by  the  tongue.  "  The  words  of  the  wicked  "  are,  there- 
fore, their  highest  activities ;  and  our  Proverb  declares  that  these 
high  acts  are  but  "a  lying  in  wait  for  blood."  We  would  not 
deny  that  this  may  include  the  blood  of  others ;  but,  in  the  light 
of  the  last  verse,  the  grand  victim  is  themselves  (1:18).  If 
^''  the  helmsmanships  of  the  wicked  are  a  deceit,''  then  the  head- 
way that  follows,  is  biit  "  a  lying  in  wait  for  bloods  Each  order 
on  Change  is  for  a  man's  last  discomfiture ;  while  a  saint  may 
make  bad  marriages,  and  sail  awfully  on  the  earthly  sea,  yet,  as 
part  of  his  '•'■judgment''  (v.  5),  shall  come  out  right.  His  very 
orders,  though  insane,  shall  be  so  overruled,  that  his  "mouth" 
shall,  in  one  way,  "  deliver  "  him. 

Say  not,  the  wicked  are  often  so  obviously  better  off.  That 
is  but  in  this  world  : — 


7  Be  there  overthrow  to  the  wicked,  there  is 
nothing  of  them  left : 
but  the  house  of  the  righteous  shall  stand. 


7  The  wicked  are 
overthrown,  and  are 
not :  but  the  house  of 
the  righteous  shall 
stand. 


Eventually,  there  must  be  "overthrow;"  even  if  it  be  no 
"  overthrow  "  but  death.  When  "the  wicked  "  do  fall,  "there 
is,"  positively,  "nothing  of  them  left."  While  in  the  deepest 
disasters  of  the  "righteous,"  nothing  is  not  'Weft."  "His 
house;"  and  by  that  is  meant  every  possible,  real  interest  (i 
Sam.  2  :  35),  "shall  stand"  forever. 

According,  then,  even  to  worldly  principle,  why  ought  not 
the  righteous  man  to  have  the  credit  ? — 

8  In  exact  proportion  to  his  shrewdness  is  a  J^^^^^^^  ,S>| 

to  his  wisdom  :  but  he 
that  is  of  a  perverse 
heart  shall  be  despised. 


man  applauded 
'but  a  man  of  crooked  sense  is  a  subject  of 
contempt. 


"In  exact  proportion;"  such  is  the  meaning  of  the  Hebrew; 
literally,  at  the  mouth  or  direction  of.  A  man  is  more  applauded 
for  good  sense,  than,  perhaps,  any  thing  else.  "Shrewdness;" 
that  attribute  that  leads  to  success.  Therefore  it  sometimes 
means  success.  (2  Kings  18  :  7).     Successful  '''shrewdness"  is  a 


i64  'PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XII. 

very  positive  sort.  Such  is  the  shrewdness  of  the  righteous 
man  (v.  7).  "Crooked  sense;"  X\\.Qx:i\\y  crooked  heart ;  though 
heart  (Hebraice)  contains  more  of  sense  {\>qvc;')  than  we  ascribe 
to  it.  If  a  man  whose  mind  works  crookedly  every  time,  be- 
comes an  object  of  "  contempt,"  why  ought  not  the  wicked  to  be- 
come so,  whose  very  '' hclmsfnanship  are  a  deceit"  (v.  5). 

The  self-glorification  of  worldly  things  ought  but  to  increase 
their  contemptibleness ;   for  how  is  it  again  in  worldly  matters  } 

9  A  man  that  is  little  noticed,  but  is  a  servant!    9  He  that  is  despis- 

.„  1  • ir    •     1-    ..i  ed,  and  hath  a  servant, 

to  himself,   is  better  />  {setter  than   he  that 

than  he  who  sets  himself  up  for  something,  {"^X^rbread"'^'^' ''"'* 
and  is  without  food.  J 

"Little  noticed;"  made  light  of;  from  the  verb  to  be  light. 
^^  And  hath  a  servant"  (E.  V.).  The  sense  would  be  alike,  and 
equally  grammatical.  "  A  man  that  is  little  noticed  and  hath  a 
servatit ;"  that  is,  has  the  solids  of  life ;  or,  better,  "  is  a  servant 
to  himself}"  that  is,  is  not  caring  so  much  for  what  people 
think,  as  for  his  own  solid  good ;  that  man,  is  better  than  "  thou, 
(that)  sayesty  I  am  rich  and  increased  with  goods,  and  have  need 
of  nothing ;  and  knowest  not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and  miser- 
able, and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked  "  (Rev.  3:17). 

The  worldly  care  of  a  high  prosperous  man  may  seem  very 
tender  to  those  dependant  on  him,  and  towards  others ;  but  the 
very  tenderness  of  an  impenitent  example  is  the  higher  snare : — 

10  The  righteous  takes  thought  for  the  life  of  I    '°  :^  .^^'j.'^rr^  ??•" 

^   •  ■,  °  regardeth  the  hfeof  his 

his  very  beast  :  beast:   but  the  tender 

but  the  tender  mercies  of  the  wicked  are  ~uei°^ ''^"  ""'"^^^ 
cruel.  I 

Religion  has  no  austerities  that  make  a  true  saint  careless  of 
the  "  life  "  or  feelings  even  of  "his  beast."  On  the  contrary, 
it  breeds  the  most  pervading  tenderness;  whereas  the  wise 
worldling,  however  careful  of  his  home,  and  tender  toward  all 
who  have  any  claim  upon  his  care,  yet,  in  admitting  that  there 
is  a  hell,  and  neglecting  all  prayer  for  his  household,  and  all  ex- 
ample, except  one  that  braves  the  worst,  breeds  children  simply 


Chap.  XIL]  COMMENTARY.  165 

to  destroy  them.  The  wealth  he  gives  them  may  seem  a  tender 
provision,  but  this  tenderness  will  sink  them  the  deeper.  The 
good  man  cares  even  for  his  beast ;  "  but  the  tender  mercies  of 
the  wicked  are  "  themselves  a  cruelty. 

It  may  do  in  worldly  matters  to  speculate,  and  get  clear  of 
actual  labor ;  but  it  Avill  not  do  in  religion.  A  man  must  work 
the  very  soil  of  his  soul,  or  he  can  get  no  harvest : — 


He  that  works  his  own  land  shall  be  satis- 
fied with  food  : 

but  he  that  follows  after  empty  people  is 
void  of  heart. 


II  He  that  tilleth  his 
land  shall  be  satisfied 
with  bread  :  but  he  that 
follovveth  vain  persons 
is  void  of  understand- 
ing. 


"  Empty  people  ;" — most  signally  the  impenitent ;  for  we  have 
seen  that  they  are  empty  of  all  good.  "  That  follows  after  empty 
/i?(^/^y"  a  fine  characteristic  of  the  impenitent  man's  decline. 
He  is  not  following  after  the  "  empty  "  only  in  doing  as  they  do ; 
but  he  is  absolutely  following  them.  Following  others  is  the 
commonest  influence  to  destroy  the  soul. 

Solomon  goes  further: — 

12  The  wicked  longs  for  the  prey  of  evil  men  ;  I  .  ^^  The  wicked  de- 

.  .  Isiretn    the   net   01   evil 

but  the  root  of  the  righteous  gives  to  others.  we«.;  but  the  root  of 

(the  righteous  yield  the 
J'ruzi. 

The  impenitent  does  not  prefer  to  work  the  soil  of  his  soul, 
as  in  the  last  verse,  but  is  in  hopes  to  gain  by  something 
easier ;  he  likes  to  seize  as  in  the  chase,  or  as  robbers  do.  He 
likes  to  seize  without  having  produced  or  earned.  "  The 
wicked  longs  for  the  prey"  (that  is,  something  hunted  or  trapped, 
not  got  by  digging) ; — the  common  spoils,  (as  "  evil  men  "  rob), 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  without  the  pain  of  being  a  Christian. 
"But  the  root  of  the  righteous,"  not  only  goes  through  solid 
processes  of  piety,  but  (another  intensive  second  clause,  14  :  11), 
earns  for  others,  as  well  as  for  itself.  While  impenitence  would 
take  heaven  as  in  a  net,  religion  works  for  it,  and,  in  so  doing, 
"  gives  ;"  ("  to  others  "  is  not  in  the  Hebrew)  ;  that  is,  '^ gives  to 
others,"  as  well  as  to  herself 

On  the  other  hand,  the  wicked,  instead  of  trapping  the  king- 
dom, trap  their  own  souls  : — 


i66  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XII. 


13  In  the  transgression  of  the  lips  is  an  evil 
snare : 
but  the  righteous  gets  out  of  the  strait. 


13  The  wicked  i  3 
snared  by  the  trans- 
gressions of  his  lips  : 
but  the  just  shall  come 
out  of  trouble. 


All  human  conduct  is  represented  by  the  "  lips  "  (v.  6  and 
14  :  3).  The  tongue  is  a  foremost  business  agent.  The  im- 
penitent, though  he  may  stand  out  very  clear,  and  see  no  to- 
kens of  a  net,  yet,  as  his  life  is  false,  literally,  rebellious  ;  for  the 
original  means  "  rehellio7i  of  the  lips  y"  his  not  seeing  the"  snare  " 
shows  only  how  more  insidiously  he  may  be  tangled  in !  What 
can  a  man  hope  for,  Deo  Jiidice^  if  he  be  rebellions  ?  While 
*'  the  righteous,"  though  he  may  be  born  to  the  "  snare  /'  orig- 
inally condemned  ;  and  though  he  may  be  caught  in  the  toils 
of  great  worldly  evil,  yea,  of  sin  itself;  yet  out  of  the  very 
"  strait,"  i.  e.,  out  of  the  very  jaw  of  the  trap  where  he  may 
have  foolishly  entered,  he  will  in  the  end  be  helped  to  get  out. 

And  while  the  righteous,  both  for  this  world  and  another,  is 
willing  to  do  fair  work  (v.  12),  and  to  earn  life  solidly  and  at 
serious  cost,  he  is  on  that  very  account  fair  to  others  : — 


14  With  the  earnings  of  the  mouth  of  a  man 
of  the  better  sort,  the  good  man  will  be 
satisfied  : 
and  the  reward  of  the  hands  of  a  laboring 
man  he  will  render  to  him. 


14  A  man  shall  be 
satisfied  with  good  by 
the  fruit  of  /n's  mouth  ; 
and  the  recompence  of 
a  man's  hands  shall  be 
rendered  unto  him. 


This  is  the  whole  question  of  capital  and  labor  put  in  a  nut- 
shell, y^// is  not  to  be  claimed  by  the  "hands;"  for  there  is 
the"niouth"  that  directs  and  orders.  As  much  is  not  to  be 
claimed  by  the  "  /lands  ;"  for  the  Bible  is  a  good  truthful  book, 
and  it  claims  for  the  mind  more  than  for  the  muscle.  (See 
this  distinction  in  Ec.  10  :  10).  "A  man  of  the  better  sort," 
with  his  education,  and  expensive  capital,  earns  more,  accord- 
ing to  the  inspired  Solomon,  than  the  "laboring  man,"  What 
he  demands  of  the  Christian  gentleman  is,  that  he  shall  make 
an  estimate  of  all  this,  and,  while  he  keeps,  himself,  "  the  earnings 
of  the  mouth  0/  a  7iian  of  the  better  sort,''  he  render  carefully  to 
the  laborer  the  wages  of  his  "-hands"  We  have  no  authority 
for  this  interpretation.  We  present  it  as  unquestionably  just. 
The  translation  it  Avould  be  hard  to  give  literally.     The  words 


Chap.  XII.]  COMMENTARY.  167 

are  about  thus  :— "  Frojn  the  fruit  of  the  mouth  of  an  12J-iN^  (or 
man  of  the  better  class)  a  good  man  will  be  satisfied ;  and  the 
wage  (literally,  the  work)  of  the  hands  of  an  t]'li<  (or  common 
man)  he  will  render  (literally,  return)  to  him  ;  {return,  in  the 
sense  of  giving  back  what  really  has  gone  into  the  affair).  This 
fair,  calculating  spirit  in  all  questions  between  man  and  man, 
not  bending  to  communism  on  the  one  hand,  and  not  yieldmg 
to  tyranny  on  the  other,  is  the  true  spirit  of  the  inspired  gogpel. 
As  a  step  further  in  being  just,  the  good  man  will  listen  to 
others : — 
15  The  way  of  a  fool  is  right  in  his  o^yn  eyes  :     ./s.Th^ ^'[,1°^  o  wn 

eyes :  but  he  that 
hearkeneth  unto  coun- 
sel is  wise. 


but  he  who  listens  to  counsel  is  wise. 


All  through  our  lost  nature  the  truth  of  this  Proverb  is  visible. 
A  man  may  be  on  the  road  to  hell,  but  think  that  he  is  fair  for 
heaven.  A  man  may  build  by  rapine,  but  think  that  he  is  the 
pink  of  fair  dealing.  A  man  is  not  a  judge  about  himself.  A 
Christian,  therefore,  will  feel  this ;  and,  while  the  impenitent  is 
hard  as  to  his  own  right,  the  Christian  will  be  humble,  and  will 
be  glad,  in  reasonable  ways,  to  leave  his  duties  to  be  advised 
upon  by  others. 

So  thoroughly  true  is  it  that  "a  fool"  is  wise  in  his  own  eyes, 
that,  when  he  becomes  foolish  in  his  own  eyes,  he  is  no  longer 
a  fool : — 

16  A  fool,  in  the  day  that  he  is  made  to  know 

his  provocation, 
also  covers  over  his  shame,  a  wise  man. 

''Made  to  know;"  a  Niphal,  usually  meaning  is  known,  but 
here,  as  in  10  :  9  and  in  Jer.  31  :  19,  a  causative  passive,  and 
meaning  "  made  to  know:'  The  moment  a  sinner  is  made  to 
know  how  he  has  offended,  he  "  covers"  up  "liis  shame,"  and 
becomes  a  "  wise  "  believer. 

17  He   that   breathes   forth   truth,   publishes  trut^h^hete^th^fr^t'h 

nVhl-eonsneSS  •  righteousness  :    but     a 

rignieOUbUCbb  .    ^  ,    ,       •  false  witness  deceit. 

but  the  deceived  witness,  delusion. 
This  Proverb  is  in  two  respects  an  advance  upon  the  one  that 


16  A  fool's  wrath  is 
presently  known  :  but 
a  prudent  man  cover- 
eth  shame. 


i68  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XII. 

precedes  it.  First,  he  who  is  "  7tiade  to  know  his  provocation,''  is 
made  to  know  all  things.  "  Falsus  in  uno,  falsiis  in  omnibus^ 
He  who  knows  all  things,  being  born  again,  and  brought  to  a 
spiritual  discernment  of  "  truth,"  "  mutters  it  forth"  i.  e., 
"breathes"  it  like  his  breath,  unconsciously  and  instinctively 
(S  :  7).  And  now,  secondly,  he  who  does  this,  not  simply  covers 
over  sJianie  (v.  16),  but  causes  others  to;  for  he  advertises 
"righteousness,"  i.  e.,  "publishes"  it.  This,  therefore,  is  the 
me^Ining  of  the  sentence:  "Zr<?  that  breathes  forth' truth,  pub- 
lishes righteousness,"  i.  e.,  saving  righteousness ;  and  does  it  like 
uttering  forth  his  "  breath."  While  "  the  deceived  witness ;"  liter- 
ally the  witness  of  falsehood  ;  a  phrase  which  is  ambiguous,  because 
it  might  mean  a  witness  to  falsehood  (see  6  :  19) — "///^  deceived 
witness,"  i.  e.,  the  man  Avho  sees  or  witnesses  falsehood  instead 
of  \x\x\\\,  publishes  (understood)  "delusion;"  i.  e.,  is  a  constant 
fountain  of  deceit  to  other  men.  This  sense  of  the  witjiess  of 
falsehood  is  necessary  to  many  Proverbs  (14  :  5),  and  saves  a 
number  from  tautological  or  truistic  interpretations. 

The  mischief  of  "  the  deceived  witness  "  is  often  visible  in  his 
very  speech.  It  wounds  and  jars,  as  compared  with  healthful 
piety  :— 

18  There  is  that  babbles  like  the  piercings  of 
a  sword : 
but  the  tongue  of  the  wise  is  healing. 


18  T  h  e  r  e  i  s  that 
speaketh  like  the 
piercings  of  a  sword  : 
but  the  tongue  of  the 
wise  is  health. 


"  Babbles ;"  like  the  babbling  of  the  insane ;  yet  with  this 
difference  ; — that  the  tongue  of  the  insane  is  innocent,  while  the 
babble  of  the  fool  is  deadly.  "Like  the  piercings  of  a  sword," 
Speech  stands  for  all  agency.  The  verse  is  intensive,  like  so 
many  in  Solomon.  While  the  speech  of  the  lost  stabs  "  like  the 
tiercings  of  a  sword,  "the  tongue  of  the  wise,"  not  only  does 
not  pierce,  but  heals,  where  the  wound  has  already  been  in- 
flicted. 

Of  the  two,  which  ought  to  perish,  the  wounding  or  tlie  "  heal- 
ing "  agency  ?     The  AVise  Man  makes  answer : — 

10  The  lip  of  truth  shall  be  kept  up  forever :      , "?,  7*"-"  ''';,"!"  'W' '' 

-'  '  .  •    1       1  shall  be  cstaliiislied  lor 

but  only  while  I  wink  the  tongue  of  false-  ever:  but  a  lying 

1         J  tongue  is  but  for  a  mo- 

nOOd.  ment. 


Chap.  XII.]  COMMENTARY.  169 

"  Kept  up ;"  literally  be  made  to  standi  or  be  set  firm  (see  v.  3)  ; 
but  neither  of  these  figures  applies  very  well  to  the  "lip." 
Therefore  we  say  ''''kept  up."  The  Christian  shall  utter  forever 
just  the  things  that  he  utters  on  earth.  "  WMle  I  wink;"  an 
old  Hebraism,  very  expressive,  and  as  well  to  be  retained. 
"  Kept  up"  not  by  itself,  but  by  Another. 

Though  the  deceiving  "  Up  "  is  so  deadly,  the  spring  of  the 
deception  of  others  must  be  in  a  deadlier  deception  for  our- 
selves.    This  the  next  verse  adverts  to : — 

20  Delusion  is  in  the  heart  of  them  that  plot  I ,  =°,^AT'  ".i!".-''^ 

•■^  heart  ot  them  that  im- 

evil  '.  agine  evil  :  but  to  the 

t      ,    r       .t  Ti  r  1    •      •  counsellors  of  peace  2J 

but  for  the  counsellors  of  good  is  joy.  |joy. 

The  17th  verse  puts  "delusion"  in  contrast  with  ''''righteous- 
ness." One  man  spreads  ^''righteousness  "  in  its  judicial  sense; 
the  other  man,  mistake.  Holy  acts  disseminate  one ;  mere 
blindness  the  other.  Advancing  upon  the  20th  verse, — "  delu- 
sion" then,  is  the  only  thing  that  can  delude.  Hence  the  man 
who  is  the  most  active  to  deceive,  is  himself  always  his  chiefest 
dupe;  and  hence  men  who  are  "counsellors  of  good,"  become 
themselves,  therefore,  also,  its  main  inheritors. 

Both  states,  too,  are  total ;  that  is,  they  are  on  all  sides  com- 
plete. The  good  have  nothing  but  good,  and  the  lost,  even  in 
this  world,  only  mischief: — 

21  No  calamity  happens  to  the  righteous:  _      ,evnha^tenVthejusu 
but  the  wicked  have  been  filled  with  evil,    but  the  wicked  shaii  be 

I  filled  with  mischief. 

"  No  calamity ;"  literally  nothing  worthless  or  einpty.  The  root 
means  nothingness,  entire  vacuity.  The  expression,  too,  is  pe- 
culiar. "  There  shall  not  happen  to  the  righteous  man  any  noth- 
ingness at  all."  But  as  several  of  the  nouns  that  mean  evil, 
through  a  deep  philosophy,  trace  to  the  same  kind  of  root, 
"  calamity  "  or  actual  evil  is  the  proper  translated  sense.  No 
event  that  turns  out  an  actual  "  calajnity"  can  ever  happen  to 
the  saint.  And  if  any  one  points  to  their  tremendous  agonies, 
it  is  well  enough  to  go  back  to  the  root,  nothingness.  Nothing 
worthless  j  that  is,  nothing  that  proves  not  so  useful  as  to  be 
8 


I70  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XII. 

better  than  present  joy;  nothing  not  actually  precious.  In  the 
whole  course  of  their  lives,  each  is  "  filled  with  "  their  own  pro- 
per lot.  "The  wicked,"  if  he  have  joys,  will  find  them  sorrows; 
and  the  righteous,  if  he  have  sorrows,  will  find  them,  not  noth- 
ings^ but  for  his  eternal  joy.  "Have  been  filled"  (preterite); 
i.  e.,  never  were  in  any  other  case.  This  is  a  very  precious 
text.  Why  is  it  not  more  quoted  1  It  tells  boldly  that  no  evil 
shall  happen  to  the  righteous ;  and  then  announces  the  fact  of 
total  evil,  precisely  akin  to  total  depravity,  as  the  fact  for  the 
wicked.  The  lost  are  not  totally  depraved  in  the  sense  of  being 
as  bad  as  they  can  be ;  for  they  shall  be  worse.  So  the  lost  are 
not  totally  under  evil,  in  the  sense  of  having  as  much  of  it  as 
there  can  be;  for  they  shall  have  more.  But,  as  a  man  is  totally 
depraved,  in  the  sense  of  having  every  trait  and  every  act  bad ; 
so  a  man  is  ^''  filled  with  evil,"  in  the  sense  of  having  it  springing 
from  every  influence. 

Now,  as  in  other  passages  after  sweeping  texts  (20:  22,  23), 
there  comes  this  general  reason  : — 


22  An  abomination   of  Jehovah   are  lips  of 
falsehood : 
but  they  that  practise  truth  are  His  delight. 


22  Lying  lips  are 
abomination  to  the 
Lord  :  but  they  that 
deal  truly  are  his  de- 
light. 


The  lip  of  "truth"  is  to  last,  and  of  "falsehood"  not  (v. 
19),  because  the  one  is  not,  and  the  other  is,  "an  abomination 
of  Jehovah."  Quoad  the  laws  of  nature  there  must  be  no 
"  quarrel"  {6:19;  17  :  20)  ;  and  quoad  the  Lord  of  nature  there 
must  be  no  '''' abomination."  That  which  amounts  to  either 
must  necessarily  go  to  the  wall. 

Folly  is  apt  to  be  more  conspicuous  than  wisdom.  For  the 
wise^  thinking  his  wisdom  folly,  is  too  humble  to  parade  it. 
And  the  fool,  thinking  his  folly  Avisdom,  is  uttering  it  all  the 
time  : — 


23  A  subtle  man  conceals  knowledge  : 

but  the  heart  of  the  stupid  promulges  fool- 
ishness. 


23  A  prudent  man 
concealeth  knowledge: 
but  the  heart  of  fools 
proclaimeth  foolish- 
ness. 


"Subtle;"  from  a  root  meaning  crafty,  cunning ;  opposed  to 
"stupid;"  literally  fat,  crass.     The  saint  has  the  highest  craft 


Chap.  XII.]  COMMENTARY.  171 

and  the  lost  are  more  fat  of  mind  than  even  the  beasts  around 
them. 

24  The  hand  of  the  diligent  bears  rule  : 
but  sloth  shall  be  under  tribute. 


24  The  hand  of  the 
diligent  shall  bear  rule  : 
but  the  slothful  shall 
be  under  tribute. 


25  Heaviness  in  the 
heart  of  man  maketh  it 
stoop:  but  a  good  word 
maketh  it  glad. 


"  Diligent ;"  from  a  root  meaning  to  cut.  Hence  the  sense  of 
something  incisive  or  decided.  The  primary  idea  is  promptness 
or  determinatioji.  "Sloth;"  primarily  remissness,  or  what  is  in- 
decisive. In  this  world,  "  diligetrce"  puts  a  man  at  the  lead.  In 
the  eternal  world,  it  will  have  made  a  man  a  king,  and  made  all 
hell,  and  of  course  all  "  sloth,  under  tribute  "  to  him. 

We  ought  to  begin  this  king-character  in  this  world : — 

25  Is  there  anxiety  in  the  heart  of  a  man,  let 
him  subdue  it : 
and  let  a  good  word  cheer  it  away. 

Not  ''heaviness"  (E.  V.),  but  "anxiety."  This  last  is  the 
fashion  of  most  griefs.  We  are  bound  to  conquer  it.  The 
detertJiined  man  is  just  the  character  to  do  it,  ''Anxiety"  dis- 
credits faith.  "A  good  word;"  and  such  words  are  plenty  in 
this  very  book,  should  gladden  it,  as  the  expression  is ;  or,  as  a 
freer  translation,  "cheer  it  away."  It  is  a  sin  for  men  to  be 
dejected.  It  is  a  great  folly,  too;  for  it  broods  oyer  half  their 
lives.  Our  passage  tells  all  this,  and  tells  the  mode  to  dissipate 
it..  It  was  the  mode  of  Christ,  when  He  quelled  the  foul  fiend. 
The  sword  of  the  Spirit  is  the  "  7vord"  of  God  (Eph.  6:17). 

A  righteous  man  will  not  only  do  this  for  himself,  but  for  his 
neighbor;    and  help  him,  not  only  by  "  word"  but  act : — 

I  26  The  righteous  is 
more  excellent  than  his 
neighbour  :  but  the 
way  of  the  wicked  se- 
duceth  them. 


26  A  righteous  man  guides  his  neighbour: 
but  the  way  of  the  wicked  leads  their  own 
selves  astray. 


Another  meaning,  strangely  balanced  in  its  probability,  we 
should  decidedly  prefer,  but  for  the  agreement  of  this  with  the 
last  clause.  The  English  gives  us  some  inkling  of  it.  "  The 
righteous  is  more  excellent  than  his  neighbor."  There  are,  m 
fact,  two  verbs,  neither  of  which  would  be  exactly  in  shape,  and 
either  of  which  would  make  sense.     Both  of  them  have  been 


172  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XII. 

adopted  respectively  by  different  commentators.  One  of  them 
would  mean  in  this  text  to  be  inoi-e  excellent  than  (E.  V.),  or  to 
jnake  gain  from,  according  as  we  might  prefer  the  sense.  The 
other  would  mean  to  guide,  just  as  we  have  above  translated. 
We  were  struck  with  the  former  meaning  : — "  The  righteous  mati 
makes  gain  of  his  neighbor  /'  supposing  it  to  be  illustrated  by 
the  24th  verse,  and  supposing  it  to  embosom  that  fearful  doc- 
trine, that  the  lost  are -for  the  saved;  or,  rather,  that  if  we  are 
Christ's,  all  things  are  ours,  and  that  the  righteous  man  gains 
by  his  neighbor,  whether  that  neighbor  be  lost  or  saved,  or 
whatever  be  the  style  of  the  peculiar  benefit.  The  last  clause, 
however,  which  seems  to  allude  to  guidance,  appears  to  favor 
the  other  rendering.  In  that  view  there  will  be  the  same  climax 
we  have  often  noticed  (n  :  23).  The  "righteous  man  guides 
his  neighbor;"  the  "wicked"  man,  not  only  does  not  guide  his 
neighbor,  but  does  not  guide  himself;  and  not  only  so,  but,  in- 
stead of  guiding  himself,  actually  "leads"  himself  "astray." 
The  ambiguity  of  the  verse  is  greatly  increased  by  the  inciden- 
tal fact,  that  the  spelling,  that  brings  out  the  translation,  "  his 
neighbor"  which  appears  above,  will  bring  out  equally  well  the 
translation  ''''from  his  neighbor  "  (or  than  his  neighbor,  E.  V.), 
according  as  one  noun  or  another  may  be  imagined  to  be  pre- 
sent. 


27  One  cannot  roast  laziness  as  something  he 
has  taken  in  the  chase : 
but  a  precious  treasure  of  a  man  is  a  dili- 
gent one. 


27  The  slothful  }nan 
roasteth  not  that  which 
he  took  in  hunting: 
but  the  substance  of  a 
diligent  man  is  pre- 
cious. 


The  impenitent,  who  wait  for  something  to  turn  up,  are  the 
same  type  of  lazy  people  as  love  hunting  and  fishing  better  than 
more  regular  labor.  The  Wise  Man  goes  to  the  root  and  says, 
There  are  no  such  hunting  gains  in  the  spiritual  world.  He 
goes  further.  He  seems  to  remind  his  reader  that  character  is 
all  that  will  be  left  for  a  man  at  the  last.  He  seems  to  imply 
that  man  will  bring  home  from  his  hunt  nothing  but  "his  lazi- 
ness," and  would  ask  wlielher  one  can  "  roast "  that  like  a  quail 
or  a  duck.  And  though  we  start  at  such  horrible  absurdity, 
yet  it  brings  out  in  keen  light  a  very  different  possibility  for 


Chap.  XII.]  COMMENTARY.  173 

diligence.  Diligence  can  be  roasted.  It  earns  for  us  an  eternal 
heaven,  and  yet,  for  all  it  gets,  it  is  itself  our  richest  dainty. 
"  One  cannot  roast  laziness  as  sonietliing  he  has  taken  in  the 
chase ;  but  a  precious  treasure  of  a  man  is  a  diligent  one."  It  is 
tantalizing  to  come  so  near  other  and  nearly  as  important  ren- 
derings. Many  see  very  plausibly  a  meaning  like  this  : — "  The 
slothful  man  roasteth  not  that  which  he  took  in  hunting  ;"  (so  far 
the  E.  v.),  meaning  that  he  is  wasteful,  and  suffers  what  he  has 
actually  now,  to  run  to  loss ;  "  but  the  substance  of  a  conwion 
man''  (making  the  distinction  as  in  v.  14)  "/>  precious"  (that 
is,  is  made  account  of  and  kept)  ''''  by  a  man  of  diligence.'"  A 
sinner  throws  away  treasures ;  a  saint  values  the  very  smallest. 
This  would  be  a  fine  sense  if  the  verse  before  meant  that  the 
saint  gains  frotn  his  neighbor.  Per  contra,  though,  there  are 
difficulties.  "  The  slothful  man  "  (E.  V.),  in  the  Hebrew,  is  the 
sloth  or  "  laziness  "  itself.  And  that  word  is  feminine,  and  must 
be  the  object  rather  than  the  subject  of  the  verb.  The  mean- 
ing is,  that  sloth  cannot  be  roasted  and  eaten,  but  diligence 
can.  Sloth  is  itself  an  evil :  diligence  is  a  good :  the  diligent 
man  is  himself  a  treasure  (see  10:4);  and  the  next  verse  strikes 
upon  the  same  thought  less  quaintly,  and  carries  it  further: — 

28  In  the  way  of 
righteousness  is  life ; 
and  in  the  pathway 
thereof  there  is  no 
death. 


28  In  the  path  of  righteousness  is  life  : 
and  the  way  is  a  path,  not  a  death. 


"  Life  ;  "  of  course  eternal  life.  It  begins  in  this  world,  and 
in  the  very  "path"  of  the  righteous  man.  "Righteousness," 
which  is  the  very  path  of  the  righteous  man,  is  itself  eternal 
life.  All  men  have  a  "  way ;"  and  this  implies  that  all  men 
have  an  end.  All  have  an  object  before  them,  which  they  are 
pushing  after  in  one  great  journey.  The  Psalmist  had  before 
announced  (Ps.  i  :  6)  that  "  the  way  of  the  ungodly  shall 
perish ;"  that  is,  not  only  shall  they  not  reach  their  end,  but 
their  very  way  shall  die  down,  and  perish.  They  shall  cease 
to  take  an  interest  in  it.  But  this  passage  goes  deeper.  It 
says,  the  path  of  the  righteous  is  life  itself;  and  then,  contrast- 
ing them  with  the  wicked,  it  says,  "  their  way  is  a  path"  i.  e.,  it 
leads  somewhere ;    and  then  implies,  that  all  other  ways  are  "  a 


174  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIII. 

death."  These  are  striking  truths.  Immortality  is  a  "-path." 
It  travels  the  ages.  It  begins  among  believers.  It  is  itself  its 
destiny.  Impenitence  is  "  a  death."  It  travels  nowhere.  The 
very  mind  of  the  impenitent  can  announce  no  terminus  for  his 
way-worn  tread. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

I  A  wise  son  has  listened  to  a  father's  dis- 
cipline : 
but  a  scorner  to  no  rebuke. 


A  WISE  son  hearetk 
his  father's  instruction  : 
but  a  scorner  heareth 
not  rebuke. 


Piety  is  the  fruit  of  training.  If  a  man  is  a  believer,  it  is  a 
sign  he  has  had  believing  nurture;  and,  if  "a  scorner,"  it  is  a 
sign  he  has  had  "no  rebuke."  This  is  a  text  that  expounds  in- 
fant baptism,  and  reiterates  the  promise  made  to  the  training 
of  a  child.  To  treat  it  as  in  our  English  Version,  is  simply  to 
evolve  the  truism,  that  a  luisc  soji  7vill  hear  instruction ;  and 
might  do  very  well,  grammatically,  if  the  verb  were  future,  and 
not  perfect.  The  idea  is,  "  a  wise  son  has  hstened  to  a  father's 
discipline;"  and  embraces  the  solemn  lesson,  that  Christians  are 
not  to  be  made  without  training.  Of  course,  as  the  grammar 
of  the  case,  the  heard,  or  "  has  listened  to"  which  is  in  the 
second  clause,  after  a  known  Hebrew  fashion  is  to  be  under- 
stood in  the  first. 


2  Out  of  the  fair  earnings  of  the  mouth  of  a 
man  a  good  man  will  get  his  food ; 
but  the  appetite  of  the  faithless  out  of  rob- 
bery. 


2  A  man  shall  eat 
good  by  the  fruit  oi  his 
mouth  :  but  the  soul 
of  the  transgressors 
shall  eat  violence. 


"  The  mouth  of  a  man  "  in  that  viva  voce  country,  as  formerly 
in  our  Southern  States,  was  the  great  instrument  of  a  business 
man.  He  lived  by  giving  orders.  The  mail  conducts  our 
business  in  our  days.  K  false  lip  stood  for  all  sorts  of  bad  ac- 
tivity (Ec.  lo  :  12).  A  good  man  will  be  satisfied  to  earn  his 
living.  The  bad  man,  in  some  way  or  other,  wants  to  steal  it. 
But  a-pace  with  this  secular  meaning,  is  one  that  concerns  the 
saints.     The  good  man  expects  to  fight  for  heaven;  the  lost 


Chap.  XIII.]-  COMMENTARY.  175 

man  to  get  heaven  by  deceit.  It  is  true,  the  tendencies  might 
seem  reversed.  The  good  man  hails  a  work  done  for  him,  and 
expects  a  ransom  without  money  and  without  price.  The  bad 
man  would  intersperse  some  struggles  of  his  own.  But,  in  fact, 
the  Christian,  though  saved  by  grace,  works  the  more  for  it. 
And,  in  fact,  the  sinner,  rejecting  grace,  and  interposing  his  own 
works,  is  just  the  man  expecting  blessing  without  cost,  and 
without  any  earnest  toil.  Not  ''eat  good''  (E.  V.),  but  "a 
good  man  ■will  ra/ "("  get  his  food.")  Several  texts  (see  Class 
VII.)  are  cleared  by  such  an  inversion.  "Fair  earnings;" 
literally, /;7«V  (E.  V.).  "Appetite;"  literally,  ''soul"  (E.  V.) 
(but  see  27  :  9).    "  Out  of"  in  the  second  clause,  requires  ^~i5)2 

of  the  first  clause  to  be  understood.  "  The  earnings  of  the  mouth." 
No  one  can  go  into  a  great  city  now,  without  noticing  how  much 
of  men's  money  they  make  by  their  mouth.  The  gainful  mer- 
chants are  talking  all  day  long.  No  man  can  buy  salvation ;  but 
he  reaches  it  by  hard  labor ;  and  partly  by  earnest  speech. 

Speech,  though  our  great  activity,  gives  us  more  toil  in 
holding  it  back,  than  in  actually  employing  it.  So  activity, 
which  it  typically  represents,  is  harder  to  hold,  than  to  pro- 
mote : — 


He  that  sets  watch  over  his  mouth,  stands 

guard  over  his  soul : 
but  he  that  sets  wide  his  lips,  ii  is  ruin  to 

him. 


3  He  that  keepeth 
his  mouth  keepeth  his 
life  :  but  he  that  open- 
eth  wide  his  lips  shall 
have  destruction. 


Religion  is  an  every  day  battle.  He  that  is  not  conscious  of 
it,  has  no  true  religion.  "  Whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  cross, 
and  come  after  me,  cannot  be  my  disciple  "  (Luke  14  :  27). 
He  that  resists  sin,  is  both  proving  and  increasing  his  principle 
of  grace.  Whereas  "  lie  that  sets  wide  his  lips,"  which  means 
in  Eastern  imagery,  he  that  gives  loose  to  his  vagrant  acts,  is 
not  only  not  guarding  his  soul,  but  is  actually  creating  "  ruin." 

"  The  soul,"  therefore,  is  the  thing  to  be  considered.  "  The 
sluggard,"  in  a  spiritual  sense,  may  be  a  great  man  of  business. 
Nay,  a  "  sluggard"  in  any  sense,  may  stumble  upon  wealth. 
But,  as  to  the  soul,  the  picture  is  altogether  different : — 


176  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIII. 


4  The  sluggard  longs,  but  as  to  his  soul  has 
nothing; 
but  the  soul  of  the  diligent  shall  be  made 
fat. 


4  The  sou!  of  the 
sluggard  desireth,  and 
//rt/A  nothing  :  but  the 
soul  of  the  diligent 
shall  be  made  fat. 


Doddridge  says,  Most  people  perish  by  laziness.  Laziness 
is  the  attribute  of  a  man,  who  desires  an  object,  but  will  not 
work  for  it.  The  impenitent  desires  heaven,  nay  longs  for  it — 
yea,  confidently  expects  it  (just  as  many  a  sluggard  expects 
wealth),  but  religion  never  "turns  up;"  it  never  comes  like 
game  taken  in  the  chase  (12:27):  it  is  a  solid  product:  we 
must  stir  up  ourselves  to  take  hold  on  God  (Is.  64  :  7).  With 
no  exceptions,  such  as  are  on  'Change,  it  is  the  "  diligent  soul" 
that  "shall  be  made  fat;"  and  the  yearning  sluggard,  at  the 
very  last,  "  has  nothing." 

Though,  therefore,  the  darkness  hates  the  light,  (Jo.  3  :  20), 
and  this  spiritual  sluggardism  hates  the  spiritually  diligent,  yet, 
in  the  end,  the  shame  and  the  aversion  shall  turn  the  other 
way : — 


5  A  deceiving  business  hates  the  righteous 
man, 
but  also  shames  and  disgraces  the  wicked. 


S  A  righteous  man 
hateth  lying  :  b  u  t  a 
wicked  jiiait  is  loath- 
some, and  Cometh  to 
shame. 


Building  up  wealth  and — having  nothing  (vs.  2,  4)  is  certainly 
"  a  deceiving  business."  Such  a  business  "hates  the  idghteous 
man ;"  not  in  himself,  but  because  he  reproves  it.  The  dark- 
ness hates  the  light,  not  in  itself,  but  "  lest  its  deeds  should  be 
reproved  "  (Jo.  3  :  20),  "  So  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
God,"  not  in  Himself,  but  "  because  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law 
of  God,  neither  indeed,  can  be"  (Rom.  8:7;  see  also  Jo.  7  :  7), 
But  a  deceiving  business,  when  it  comes  to  an  eternal  destiny, 
hate  what  it  may  in  its  earthly  lot,  must,  in  the  end,  turn  its 
hate  upon  itself.  It  may  /late  the  righteous  man ;  but  will  also 
shame  and  disgrace  the  wicked. 


6  Righteousness  keeps  guard  over  him  that 
is  of  integrity  in  his  way  : 
but  wickedness  subverts  the  Sin-Offering. 


6Righteousness 
kecpeth  hivi  that  I'i 
upright  in  the  way  : 
but  wickedness  over- 
throweth  the  sinner. 


"  Righteousness ;"  that  good  claim  in  law  which  merit  gives 


Chap.  XIII.]  COMMENTARY.  177 

some  of  the  creatures.  Our  "  righteousness"  comes  to  us  as  the 
merit  of  Christ.  The  condition  of  our  being  held  righteous  is 
faith  and  new  obedience.  Therefore,  if  one  is  obedient,  or  as 
this  verse  expresses  it,  "  is  of  integprity  in  his  way,"  "  righteous- 
ness keeps  guard  over  him."  Once  righteous,  always  righteous. 
Having  the  proof  of  our  righteousness  now,  that  righteousness 
or  good  standing  in  the  law  shall  ^^ guard"  us  forever;  while 
sin,  becoming  equally  perpetual,  does  not  only  not  "  guard"  us, 
but  (another  intensive  second  clause)  rejects  what  guard  we 
have  ;  that  is,  as  it  is  most  evangelically  expressed,  "  subverts," 
or  overturns,  "the  Sin-Offering!"  This  word  '"''  sin-offering" 
instead  of  allowing  such  an  interpretation,  has  it  in  all  preced- 
ing books.  "  Sin  "  (E.  V.)  is  the  rare  rendering.  Some  of  the 
most  beautiful  Scriptures,  that  are  Messianic  in  their  cast 
(Gen.  4 :  7),  are  ruined  by  the  translation  "  sifi"  (E.  V.), 
Leviticus  never  has  the  translation  "  sin  "  even  in  the  English 
Version.  And  this  book,  "  Proverbs,"  scarce  ever  ought  to 
have  it  (see  Class  XLIIL),  as  will  be  seen  as  we  advance  in  its 
discoveries. 

If  "  wickedness  subverts  the  Sin-Offering"  a  man  may  be  in  for- 
tune, "rich,"  but,  "  in  soul"  (vs.  2,  4)  exceeding  "poor  "  : — 

7  There  is  that  makes  himself  rich,  and  is  all     7  T'?^''^'?  thatmak- 

,   .  '  eth    himselt    rich,   yet 

nothmg  


There  is  that  makes  himself  poor,  and  is  a 
great  treasure. 


hath  nothing  :  there  is 
that  maketh  himself 
poor,  yet  hath  great 
riches. 


The  text  is  terse  beyond  expression.  Such  are  all  these 
Proverbs.  We  cannot  translate  them.  Making  oneself  rich 
may  be  itself  the  poverty,  and  making  oneself  poor  may  be  it- 
self the  wealth ;  inasmuch  as  these  acts  may  have  been  sins  or 
graces  of  the  soul,  which  enter  by  the  Providence  of  Heaven 
into  the  very  condition  of  the  spirit.  The  meaning  is,  that 
outward  circumstances  are  nothing  in  the  question.  A  saint  is 
poor  or  rich,  as  is  most  useful  for  him.  The  treasure  is  himself. 
"  There  is  that  makes  himself  rich,  and  is  all  nothing  ;"  because 
himself,  not  the  wealth,  is  the  important  matter.  On  the  other 
hand,  "  There  is  that  makes  himself  poor,"  and  not  only  "  hath 
qreat  riches,"  which  is  the  imperfect  translation  of  our  Bibles, 


178  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIII. 

but  "  is  a  great  treasure."     He  himself,  bereft  of  wealth,  is  all 
the  greater  for  what  God  may  have  assigned. 

Solomon,  moreover,  now  expounds  more  specially  : — 


8  The  ransom  of  a  man's  soul  is  his  wealth ; 
and  a  poor  man  is  he  who  has  not  listened 
to  rebuke. 


8  The  ransom  of  a 
man's  life  are  his  rich- 
es :  but  the  poor  hear- 
eth  not  rebuke. 


"  Ransom  ;"  covering  j  i.  e.,  the  covering  of  his  guilt.  Property 
is  a  mere  incident.  A  man's  true  opulence  is  his  eternal  re- 
demption. He  is  not  "  poor"  who  is  pinched  by  want,  but  he 
"  who  has  not  listened  to  rebuke  ;"  which  is  the  account  the  first 
verse  gives  of  the  man  never  converted. 

Wealth,  however,  is  not  the  best  figure  of  righteousness.  It 
is  a  "light."  Wickedness  may  have  a  "lamp,"  and  may  feed 
its  rays  with  temporary  provision,  that  it  may  cheat.  But  per- 
manently, how  great  the  difference  ! — 


9  The  light  of  the  righteous  shall  rejoice ; 
but  the  lamp  of  the  wicked  shall  be  put  out. 


9  The  light  of  the 
righteous  rejoiceth  : 
but  the  lamp  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  put  out. 


They  may  not  always  "rejoice,"  but  their  "//>///"  will.  "The 
lamp  of  the  wicked  "  shines  upon  its  own  transitoriness.  They 
never  say  that  it  will  last.  They  know  that  it  "  shall  be  put 
out."  This  is  rather  a  dismal  provision  for  its  being  very 
cheerful.  But  "  the  light  of  the  righteous,"  however  much 
they  look  at  it,  "  shall  rejoice."  The  more  they  try  it,  the  more 
it  burns.  It  does  not  shine  upon  its  own  lack  of  oil.  And, 
though  they  are  not  self-luminous,  yet  their  "  light"  is ;  for  it 
is  the  light  of  the  Spirit,  and  it  shines  more  and  more  through 
eternal  ages. 

If  we  recognized  these  things  there  would  be  no  strife  with 
our  Maker : — 


lo  Only  by  pride  comes  quarrel ; 

but  with  those  that  take  advice  is  wisdom. 


lo  Only  by  pride 
Cometh  contention; 
but  with  the  well-ad- 
vised is  wisdom. 


If  men,  when  injured,  paused,  and  took  advice,  and  digested 
the  apparent  difficulties,  how  many  quarrels  need  really  take 
place  in  the  world.''     And  as  to  the  great  '''"quarrel"  with  God, 


Chap.  XIII.]  COMMENTARY.  179 

which  needs  the  *iS3  ("  ransoju"  v.  8),  and  which  is  mended 
byi  the  npnil  ("  righteousness"  v.  6),  how  long  would  that  last, 

't  t    : 

if  we  abandoned  "pride?"  He  that  has  learned  his  guilt,  and 
has  accepted  Counsel,  need  have  no  fear  of  a  "  quarrel "  with 
his  Maker. 

The  "  wealth,"  however,  that  this  chapter  has  described 
(v.  7),  will  not'  bear  hoarding.  Few  properties  of  any  kind 
that  will ! — 


II  Wealth  dwindles  faster  than  the  breath; 
but  he   that  keeps  gathering  on  the  hand 
increases. 


II  Wealth  goite7i  by 
vanity  shall  be  dimin- 
ished :  but  he  that 
gathereth  by  labour 
shall  increase. 


"  It  is  easier  to  make  a  fortune  than  to  keep  it."  So  say  the 
worldly.  Specially  forbidden  is  the  keeping  of  the  bread  of 
heaven  (Ex.  16  :  19).  It  was  to  be  gathered  every  morning.  A 
man  who  "  keeps  gathering  on  the  hand,"  is  the  man  to  stay  rich. 
But  the  saint,  who  hoards  up  the  past,  and  lives  upon  the  fortune 
that  he  had,  is  the  Israelite  who  kept  the  manna,  and  who  found 
that  it  "bred  worms  and  stank."  Even  happiness  is  not  pro- 
moted by  over-guard.  "  Things  won  are  done  ;  joy's  soul  lies  in 
the  doing."  "  Not  that  I  had  already  attained,  or  were  already 
perfect ;  but  I  follow  after,  if  so  be  I  may  apprehend  that,  for 
which  also  I  am  apprehended  of  Jesus  Christ"  (Phil.  3  :  12). 
Continuing  to  work  not  .only  keeps  wealth,  but  "  increases  "  it ; 
most  particularly  spiritual  wealth.  "  He  which  soweth  spar- 
ingly, shall  reap  also  sparingly."  We  are  to  work  all  the  time; 
for  so  ".an  entrance  shall  be  ministered  unto  you  abundantly 
into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ"  (2  Peter  i  :  11). 

But  not  only  depending  upon  the  past  is  to  be  avoided.  De- 
pending upon  the  future  is  just  as  fatal : — 


12  Protracted  delay  enfeebles  the  heart; 
but  the  desire  arrived  at  is  a  tree  of  life. 


12  Hope  deferred 
maketh  the  heart  sick  : 
but  tuhen  the  desire 
Cometh,  it  is  a  tree  of 
life. 


"  Protracted ; "  drawn  out,  and,  therefore,  prolonged.    "  Delay. " 
The  verb  primarily,  perhaps,  means,  to  turn  round ;  then,  to 


i8o  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIII 

twist ;  then,  to  twist  or  writhe  with  pain  ;  then,  to  wait  or  "  de- 
lay "  finally,  to  hope  or  expect.  In  this  text,  it  means  that  pro- 
crastination or  "  delay"  which  involves  hope,  and  breeds  the  ex- 
pectation that  we  will  set  to  work  hereafter.  "Enfeebles;"  pri- 
marily, smoothes,  polishes,  or  wears  down  j  hence,  to  weaken ; 
hence,  to  disease  or  make  sick.  The  Proverb  means  that  a  ''''pro- 
tracted delay  "  of  an  intended  purpose  weakens  or  exhausts  "  the 
heart;"  but  that  "the  desire  arrived  at  is  a  tree  of  hfe."  The 
fourth  verse  has  said  that,  "  the  sluggard  longs  (or  desires  j  this 
very  word),  but,  as  to  his  soul,  has  nothing."  This  verse  de- 
clares, that  that  longing,  accompanied  with  procrastination, 
'''' enfeebles  the  heart j'  but  that  a  bold  plunging  after  the  good, 
and  attaining  it,  is  a  tree  of  life.  This,  dimly,  is  true  in  worldly 
affairs.  A  man  who  desires  some  earthly  good  and  wavers,  en- 
feebles his  heart  j  but  he  who  will  dash  boldly  in,  strengthens 
it.  "  Tree  of  life  "  that  which,  partaken  of,  breeds  immor- 
tality. The  least  taste  of  arrived  at  desire,  in  the  spiritual  world, 
like  the  apples  of  Eden,  breeds  "///>."  The  soul  will  go  on 
after  that  eternally. 

Such  are  the  views  of  procrastination  found  in  the  nature  of 
things.  But  the  nature  of  things  is  nothing  more  than  the 
nature  of  the  Almighty.  The  fact  that  "  delay  enfeebles  the 
heart "  is  an  ordering  of  justice ;  and  in  that  view  of  the  matter, 
it  is  to  be  expressed  by  our  being  brought  more  and  more  under 
its  claims : — 


13  He  that  despises  the  word  is  bound  by  it; 
but  he  that  fears  the  law,  as  so  doing  shall 
be  made  whole. 


13  Whoso  despiseth 
the  word  shall  be  des- 
troyed :  but  he  that 
feareth  the  command- 
ment shall  be  reward- 
ed. 

"  The  word  "  means  God's  word,  or  the  law.  "  The  law  "  (2d 
clause)  is  that  word,  "  commandme?tt"  (E.  V.)  (as  it  is  generally 
translated);  more  properly  " /^w,"  however;  the  usual  law  of 
the  English  Version  being  rendered  better  "  a  direction  "  (see 
remarks  on  Chap,  i  :  8).  The  more  we  despise  the  "  larc,"  the 
more  we  are  "bound  by  it."  "But  he  that  fears  the  law." 
This  is  a  splendid  picture  of  the  Christian.  He  is  not  one  that 
keeps  the  law,  but  *' fears  "  it,  i.  e.,  tries  to  keep  it — fears  it 
with   a   godly   fear;  and,  as   a   climax,  frequent  in  a  second 


Chap.  XIII.].  COMMENTARY.  i8i 

clause  (see  14 :  ii  and  passim),  he  is  not  one  who  simply  comes 
less  under  bonds,  but  is  forgiven  altogether.  He  is  "made 
whole."  That  is,  his  standing  under  the  law  is  made  one  of 
entireness.  In  court  he  is  all  right.  He  that  puts  off  the  claim, 
puts  it  on  more  sadly.  He  that  ^'' fears"  it,  in  the  right  sense 
of  that  fear,  puts  it  off  altogether.  "As  so  doing;"  a  fre- 
quent force  of  the  pronoun  when  expressed.  The  fear  of 
the  law  is  not  only  the  condition,  but  the  most  essential  nature, 
of  the  gift  of  being  made  whole.  "  Is  bound."  Our  Bible  says 
''''shall  be  destroyed."  But  the  sense  of  the  verb  originally  is  to 
twist ;  li^nce,  to  bind ;  hence,  substantively,  a  cord.  Where  the 
primary  meaning  is  so  much  the  most  in  place,  one  can  be  at  no 
loss  to  choose  it.  The  less  we  have  to  do  with  God's  "  word,' 
the  more  it  has  to  do  with  us. 

But,  alas!  the  ^^  delay"  (v.  12)  of  the  lost  man  is  natural. 
It  is  hard  to  get  out  of  the  gripe  of  procrastination.  There  is 
that  in  sin  to  make  it  ''''perpetual."  This  is  declared  in  the 
15th  verse.  But,  in  the  14th,  an  instrumental  remedy  is  sug- 
gested, in  getting  the  help  of  those  already  wise  : — 

14  The  direction  of  a  wise  man  is  a  burrow-    }^  7"^^  '^'^  °f  ''ij 

^  .  r  1-  -  Wise  IS  a   lountain    of 

mg  out  place  01  liie, 
for  getting  away  out  of  the  snares  of  death. 

15  Good  intelligence  gives  grace; 
but  the  way  of  the  faithless  is  perpetual. 


ife,  to  depart  from  the 
snares  of  death. 

15  Good  understand- 
ing giveth  favour :  but 
the  way  of  the  trans- 
gressors is  hard. 


"Burrowing  out  place;"  nearly  always  {alibi)  "  a  fountain" 
(E.  v.);  but  meaning  "' a  fountain,"  because  a  fountain  is  a 
place  dug  out.  The  substantive  is  derived  from  a  verb  to  dig. 
Compounded  with  73,  it  suggests  a. place  (see  force  of  ^,  4  :  23). 
A  primary  meaning  would  be  a  dug  out  place.  The  jarring 
metaphors  in  the  usual  translation  led  us  to  go  searching  the 
primaries.  In  our  usual  version  it  stands,  "  The  law  of  the  wise 
is  a  fountai}i  of  life."  All  very  good.  But  then  let  us  go  fur- 
ther:— ''''to  depart  from  the  snares  of  death."  What  rhyme  or 
reason  is  there  in  such  a  picture.''  K  fountain,  as  the  means  to 
depart  I  and  then,  to  depart  from  snares!  We  long  puzzled 
over  this  in  vain.  There  is  another  instance  of  it  (see  14  :  27). 
We  resorted  to  the  roots.  This  redeems  many  hazy  passages 
(see  Class  XXIX.).      The  strict  primaries  would  mean  about 


t82  proverbs.  '[Chap.  XIII. 

thus, — "  The  directio?i  of  the  wise  man  is  a  dug  place  of  life  for 
departing  from  the. snares  of  deaths     Now  imagine  a  snare  that 
can  be  dug  out  of,  if  an  animal  has  the  means,  and  you  have  the 
genesis  of  our  adopted  translation.     "  The  direction  of  a  wise 
man  is  a  "burrowing  out  place  of  life,  for  getting  away  out  of  the 
snares  of  death,"     "Direction;"  that  word  ^^ law"  (E.  V.)  but 
recently  (v.  13)  adverted  to.     Commajidment  is  what  we  have 
been  reading  (E.  V.)  for  graver  law.    "  Snares."    If  "  the  word" 
(v.  13)  gripes  us  the  more  we  '^ delay"  (v.  12),  then,  signally,  it 
is  a  sftare  "of  death."     If  a  man,  therefore,  is  a  procrastinating 
sinner,  let  him  call  in  the  help  of  the  pious,  that  is,  (in  i^\  ways) 
of  the  church,  that  they  may  help  him  to  burrow  out.     V.  15. 
But,  alas !  the  pious  are  but  an  instrument.     "  We  are  born  not 
of  the  will  of  man  "  (Jo.  i  :  13).    The  only  saving  thing  is  light. 
An  actual  rising  to  the  light  is  a  burrowing  out  from  the  snare. 
As  the  Wise  Man  expresses  it, — "  Good  inteUigence  gives  grace." 
The  least  spark  of  spiritual  intelligence  is  the  condition  of  salva- 
tion.    There  is  no  help  for  the  sinner  but  in  this  saving  mir- 
acle ;  for  otherwise  sin  holds  on  : — "  the  way  of  the  faithless  is 
perpetual."     There  has  been   great  strife  about  this  passage. 
We  have  reached  our  rendering  through  the  chief  word.     We 
find  it  in  thirteen  places ;  and  in  every  one  of  them  it  means 
^^ perpetual."     "  Strong  is   thy  dwelling-place  "  (E.  V.)  (Num- 
24:  21);  evidently,  ''perpetual."     "Mighty  rivers"  (E.  V.,  Ps. 
74:15)  are  "perpetual  (or  perennial)  rivers,"     "Mighty  na- 
tion"   (E.  v.,  Jer.  5:15)  corresponds  with   next   expression, 
"  ancient  nation  "  (E.  V.),  and  is  to  be  rendered  "  perpetual  " 
(or  permanent).     Not  "  righteousness  as  a  mighty  stream  "  (E. 
v.,  Amos  5  :  24),  but  "  as  a  perpetual   stream."     Maurer  gets 
the  meaning  ''cruel"  through  the  idea  strong,  which  we  see 
(though  a  mistake)  in  other  passages.     Winer,  "pertinacious" 
from  perpetually  holding  on.     So  Rosenmiiller,  De  Wette  and 
Ewald.     Gesenius,  " a  perennial  river"  from  the  same  idea  of 
being  perpetual.    The  Vulgate,  "  vorago."    Umbreit,  a  "  marsh" 
still  from  being  perpetual.     Why  not  translate  "perpetual"  at 
once  ?   We  know  no  passage  of  so  admirable  a  sense,  where  men 
seem  to  have  shunned  so  the  simplest  meaning.     Light,  only, 
will  secure  a  man  "grace"  in  the  way  of  a  condition.     Sin,  as 


Chap.  XIII.]  COMMENTARY.  183 

of  its  nature,  sinks  always  lower  under  bond  (v.  13),  and  must, 
therefore,  de  jure,  be  '' perpetual r  For,  strange  enough,  the 
man  without  "'good  intelligence,"  i.  e.,  the  best  kind  of  knowl- 
edge, neglects  to  act  on  what  sort  of  knowledge  he  has.  The 
worst  man  has  knowledge  enough  to  save  him ;  that  is,  (to  ex- 
pound an  averment  which  is  only  in  one  sense  true),  God's 
goodness  is  such,  that,  if  a  man  would  use  the  light  he  had,  he 
would  start  from  that  point,  and  be  helped  into  the  kingdom. 
But  :— 


16  Every  subtle  man  acts  as  he  knows ; 
but  the  stupid  acts  out  folly. 


16  Every  prudent 
7«  a  n  dealeth  with 
knowledge  :  but  a  fool 
layeth  open  his  folly. 


"  Subtle ;"  one  of  Solomon's  words  for  pious,  in  agreement 
with  chap,  i  :  4.  "Acts;"  this  in  the  two  clauses  is  different. 
One  verb  employs  a  preposition  so  as  to  mean  "  acts  by  " — "  acts 
by  knowledge."  The  other  is  without  a  preposition,  and  means 
spreads  or  acts  forth.  The  roots  are  quite  diverse.  "  Acts  out 
folly."  Of  course,  if  he  does  not  use  the  light  he  has,  he  knowingly 
''acts  out  folly."  Then  it  is  double  distilled  ''folly."  This  is 
the  condition  of  the  sinner. 

Now,  as  every  man  is  a  "messenger,"  and  has  an  "errand," 
and  that  is  as  a  "  witness  "  for  God  (see  14:25),  how  can  such  a 
"witness"  hope  to  be  tolerated,  or  to  continue  among  the 
happy .'' — 

17  A  wicked  messenger  falls  as  being  an  evil ; 
but  a  faithful  errand-man  is  health. 


17  A  wicked  messen- 
ger falleth  into  mis- 
chief: but  a  faithful 
ambassador  is  health. 


The  word  for  "  messenger "  is  the  word  for  angel.  How 
soon  did  the  wicked  Angel  fall,  when  he  became  of  no  use.? 
and  men ;  hoAV  long  do  they  tolerate  a  false  messenger  }  "  As 
being  an  evil."  This  is  the  ^  esscntice,  i.  e.,  the  preposition  in, 
when  it  means  likeness.  "Surely  every  man  walketh  ///  an 
image  "  (Ps.  39:6);  that  is,  "  Surely  every  man  walketh  as  an 
image  "  (see  in  this  book,  3  :  26,  and  Is.  29  :  21  ;  see  also  Class 
XXVL).  The  soul  sent  out  by  the  Almighty,  if  "wicked," 
"  sbaU  fall  as  being  an  evil "  thing  ;  but  a  soul  that  is  "  faithful," 
is  needed,  and  will  hold  its  place. 


i84  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIII. 


1 8  Poverty  and  shame  is  he  who  lets  go  dis- 
cipline ; 
but  he  that  watches  reproof  shall  be  hon- 
oured. 


i8  Poverty  and 
shame  shall  be  to  him 
that  refuseth  instruc- 
tion :  but  he  that  re- 
gardeth  reproof  shall  be 
honoured. 


"  He  who  lets  go  discipline ;"  that  is,  does  not  resort  to  the 
good  (v.  14),  and  does  not  seek  light  (v.  15)  when  God  presses 
it  on  him,  to  wit,  when  he  is  made  the  subject  of  "  disciplined^ 
is  not  only  ^''  an  evil"  (v.  17),  but  the  most  despicable  form  of 
it.  He  is  himself  •"  poverty  and  shame."  This  is  another 
reason  for  casting  him  out  of  life.  ''''He  who  lets  go  •"  as  though 
men,  lost,  were  sluggards  (v.  4),  and  were  meaning  to  hold  on 
to  discipline,  but  were  \z.z\\.y  letting  go.  Such  men  are  "'poverty" 
itself.  But  excellence^  and  that  degree  of  ornament  that  shall 
make  him  acceptable  in  heaven,  is  he  who  holds  on  to  correc- 
tion.    For  "  He  that  watches  reproof  shall  be  honored." 


19  A  desire  that  has  sprung  up,  is  sweet  to 
the  soul ; 
but  it  is  abomination  to  the  stupid  to  turn 
away  from  evil. 


19  The  desire  accom 
plished  is  sweet  to  the 
soul  :  but  it  is  abom- 
ination to  fools  to  de- 
part from  evil. 


A  sinner  can  get  on  comparatively  well  when  a  pious  "  de- 
sire "  has  been  once  enkindled.  What  is  said  of  the  lips  of  the 
Strange  Woman  dropping  honey  (5  :  3),  is  true  also  in  this 
case.  The  soul  is  so  near  the  sinner,  that  if  there  is  anything 
sweet  to  it,  it  is  easy  to  follow  it  on.  "  A  desire  that  has  spning 
up,  is  sweet  to  the  soul."  The  soul,  once  converted,  and  con- 
ceiving its  first  desire,  will  follow  it  afterward.  And,  therefore, 
the  Psalmist  begs  us  (Ps.  34  :  8)  to  "  taste  and  see,"  that  we 
may  have  this  first  desire.  But  the  ttnturned,  that  is,  the  un- 
converted man,  finds  it  loathsome  to  take  the  first  step.  His 
desires  that  have  "  come  to  be"  are  of  another  nature.  How  can 
a  man  will  when  unwilling  ?  Cest  le  premier  pas  qui  cot/te. 
"It  is  abomination  to  the  stupid  to  turn  away  from  evil." 
Most  commentators  translate: — '^  The  desire  accomplished" 
(E.  v.).  But  the  word  is  the  Niphal  of  the  verb  to  be.  The 
idea  to  be  is  usually  not  written  (see  Gen.  2:11).  It  is  ex- 
pressed by  a  collocation  of  substantives.  When  the  verb  is 
written,  it  means  come  to  be.     It  is   translated  (Gen.    11:2), 


Chap.  XIII.]  COMMENTARY.  185 

"  came  to  pass."  So  "  let  light  come  to  be  ;  and  light  came  to  be  " 
(Gen.  I  :  3).  And  *'  evening  came  and  morning  came,  the  first 
day"  (Gen.  1:5).  So  this  Niphal  does  not  mean  "accom- 
plished," as  another  verb  does  in  chap.  13  :  12;  but  it  means, 
that  arises,  or  has  come  to  be  j  and  it  teaches  that  a  kindled  desire 
is  so  sweet,  that  we  wonder  that  we  did  not  have  it  earlier.  We 
yield  to  it  now  with  pleasure ;  while  the  wicked,  who  has  other 
sweet  desires,  finds  it  "  an  abomination  "  to  "  turn  "  into  the 
path  of  safety. 

We  never  will  get  the  good  "  desire  "  if  we  keep  out  among 
the  wicked : — 
20  He  that  goes  with  the  wise,  shall  be  alsoj^- ^«^',^^^-^|it 

wicp  •  I  '^''se  :  but  a  companion 

'  .  <.  ^      ,        1      11     1       1-     Ji         of  fools   shall  be  des- 

but  the  companion  of  fools  shall  do  badly. '  troyed. 

—in  all  degrees ;  first  of  all,  in  the  highest.  In  heathen 
lands,  all  are  fools ;  and,  therefore,  all  are  companions  of  fools, 
and  all  "  do  badly."  In  Christian  lands  piety  is  in  circles  and 
families,  and  moves  in  lines.  The  mutual  influences  are  im- 
mense. A  noble  way  to  be  "  wise  "  is,  to  go  boldly  among  the 
good ;  confess  Christ ;  and  ask  their  influence  and  prayers, 

The  more  is  this  necessary,  because  the  devil  will  not  let  us 
rest,     "  Evil "  is  rapacious  in  its  gains  : — 

21  Evil  pursueth  sin- 
ners :  but  to  the  right- 
eous good  shall' be  re- 
paid. 

Each  inch  "  evil "  holds.  It  never  lets  back  any  advance. 
It  is  versatile  to  tempt,  and  ruins  with  many  instruments. 
While  the  good,  however,  have  just  the  opposite  lot.  They 
gain  by  every  advance.  All  things  Avork  together  to  make 
them  blessed.  And  each  act  that  is  holy  in  their  lives,  is  re- 
warded by  better  acts  and  higher  holiness  on  through  their 
whole  probation.  Nay,  eternally!  The  pit  is  bottomless. 
"EvU  shall  pursue  sinners."  It  will  never  cease  to  hound 
them,  and  make  them  worse.  But  "  good  "  shall  keep  on  shap- 
ing the  righteous.  "Perfect;"  often  reward,  or  repay  (E.  V.). 
But  that  is  a  more  advanced  significance.  The  original  is.  to 
make  whole  (see  a  few  sentences  back  v.  13).  Complete,  there- 
fore, or  make  more  entire,  is  a  suitable  sense  for  what  ''good"  is 


21  Evil  shall  pursue  sinners ; 

but  good  shall  perfect  the  righteous. 


1 86  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIII. 

always  doing  for  the  ";7^///^<?z^i-."     Evil  dogs  the  dead  sinner; 
but  good,  perfects  the  living  one. 

Not  only  so,  but  he  "  sends  down  "  goodness  to  his  "  chil- 
dren " : — 

22  A   good   man   sends  down   a  heritage   to 
children's  children ; 
but  the  wealth  of  the  sinner  is  laid  up  for 
the  righteous. 


22  A  good  man  leav- 
eth  an  inheritance  to 
his  children's  children  ; 
and  the  wealth  of  the 
sinner  is  laid  up  for  the 
just. 


This  is  the  direct  promise  of  heaven  (Ps.   103:17;  Prov. 

22  :  6).  That  it  ever  fails,  must  be  by  palpable  neglect.  A 
man  may  be  saved  himself,  and  lose  his  children ;  but  the 
Bible  speaks  of  this  as  the  parents'  fault  (i  Sam.  3  :  13  ;  Prov. 
13  :  24),  and  brands  it  as  the  great  curse  upon  the  earth  (Mai, 
4:6).  While  the  "sinner,"  not  only  can  not  send  doiun  his 
"wealth,"  but  cannot  himself  possess  it.  It  is  a  curse  to  him. 
It  will  be  used  for  the  saints  (Matt.  25  :  28)  :  "  the  wealth  of 
the  sinner  is  laid  up  for  the  righteous." 

Why  is  the  sinner  so  contented  then .?  The  next  Proverb  ex- 
plains it.  He  has  found  the  life  of  his  hands ;  therefore  he  is 
not  grieved  (Is.  57  :  10) : — 

23  Much  to  eat  is  the  light  of  the  poor;  ■   =3  .M"ch  food  is  in 

"J    ,  ,  .  ,  .°  r  ■>  the  tillage  of  the  poor  : 

but  there  is   that  is   swept  away   as   not  but  there  is  thnt  is 
judgment.  iSdgrnt/"^  ""^'  °' 

That  \s,  plenty  to  live  on  ;  as  Isaiah  (57  :  10)  calls  it,  "  the  life 
of  (one's)  hands,"  "is  the  light  of  the  poor"  sinner.  Pie  is 
getting  along  at  the  moment.  If  it  would  last,  it  might  be  a 
poor  lantern  any  length  of  time ;  but  the  misery  is,  it  must  be 
."  swept  away."  The  poor  present  cannot  last,  but,  worse  still, 
must  be  given  account  of;  and  the  reason  it  cannot  last  is  told 
most  tersely  in  the  closing  syllables: — "as  not  a  judgment;" 
another  instance  of  the  ^  essentia;.  "  Judgnietit  "  an  award  of 
court.  The  sinner's  eating  is  "  not  a  Judgment;"  i.  e.,  it  is  not 
adjudged  to  him.  The  feasts  of  this  world  are  another  man's 
(Luke  16  :  12).  They  are  the  "  unrighteous  mammon."  They 
are  the  "light"  of  the  poor  sinner;  but,  alas!  they  are  to  be 
"  sivcpt  away  "  as  never  legally  awarded.* 

*  Before  conceivinij  this  sense,  we  had  adopted  another.    It  was  partly  the  common  ver- 


Chap.  XIII.]  COMMENTARY.  187 

A  good  man,  having  the  chance  to  send  blessings  to  his  off- 
spring (v.  22),  must  take  care  to  avail  of  it  by  careful  "discip- 
line." ''''  Plenty  to  eaf'  (v.  23)  is  not  provision  enough  for  one's 
children : —      • 

24  He  that  spareth 
his  rod  hateth  his  son  : 
but  he  that  loveth  him 
chasteneth  him  be- 
times. 


24  He  who  spares  his  rod,  hates  his  son ; 
but  he  who  loves  him,  is  earnest  after  him 
with  discipline. 


"  Seeks  him,''  the  literal  word  is.  "  Seeks  for  him  discipline  " 
it  might  seem  to  mean.  But  as  this  (if  the  meaning)  could 
have  been  easily  expressed,  we  have  preferred  the  wording  as 
it  is,  viz.,  "  seeks  him  earnestly  as  to  disciplined  "  He  who  loves 
his  son  "  will  not  let  him  drift,  believing  that  the  gospel  will  set 
him  right ;  but  will  "  seek  him  earnestly.']  We  are  "  born  not  of 
blood  "  (Jo.  1:13);  and  he  who  looks  for  a  blood  inheritance 
for  his  children,  will  be  wofully  deceived.     It  is  our  "  work  " 

sion.     It   had   great   difficulties,     -jl^    seldom    means    ^^  ^loughed-land"    {'' tiUa£:e" 

E.  V.)  ;  and,  moreover,  it  has  no  preceding  preposition.     " /«"  (E.V.)  is  in  Italics.     As  . 
the  passage  is  a  difficult  one,  and  can  be  more  fairly  judged  if  both  comments  are  given, 
we  will  print  our  previous  comment  in  this  note.     It  was  written  before  discovering  the 
other : — 

Recurring  to  the  former  verse  (v.  22),  there  is  great  "  wealth  "  even  with  the  ungodly. 
Christ's  offer  is  "  wealth."— V.  23.  "  Much  food  is  in  the  ploughed  land  of  the  poor  :  but 
there  is  that  is  ground  down  for  lack  of  judgment  P  This  is  evidenced  in  worldly  hus- 
bandry. Much  is  seen  to  be  produced  by  the  poor  man.  His  toil  is  the  basis  of  every- 
thing. Th  =  //c.^  has  moved  the  world.  But  the  poor  man  lacks  capital.  The  wealthy 
have  him  under  restraint  ;  and,  though  the  complaint  is  often,  in  certain  forms,  unjust,  yet 
"  there  is  that  is  ground  down  for  lack  of  judgment."— ""  Ploughed  land  :"  land  newly 
broken.  "  In  the  ploughed  land."  The  word  "  /«"  is  not  present.  We  might  translate, 
— "  Much  food  is  the  ploughed  land  of  the  poor.".  That  is,  his  work,  if  he  could  concen- 
trate it  on  himself,  has  much  money  in  it.  •'  Judgment  i"  the  word  that  means  a  judicial 
decision.  If  he  had  men  that  would  pay  him  according  to  an  equitable  ^^  judgment"  he 
vifould  not  be  ''  ground  down  "  (literally,  scraped)  as  he  is.  Yet  we  did  not  translate  it 
justice.,  because,  though  it  would  prevent  the  equivoque  which  makes  it  sound  like  sense, 
as  though  the  poor  were  destroyed  for  lack  of  sound  judgment,  there  is  a  spiritual  mean- 
ing, which  the  word,  as  it  stands,  is  necessary  to  convey.  Glorious  things  are  in  the 
''ploughed  land"  of  the  sinner.  All  things  that  the  saints  have  in  heaven,  he  has  a 
chance  for  just  as  they.  If  he  "  reap  thorns,"  he  will  have  "  sown  wheat  "  (Jer.  12  :  13). 
He  has  a  superb  intellect.  He  is  made  in  the  image  of  God.  He  is  destined  to  immor- 
tality. He  has  the  offer  of  the  gospel.  "  Much  food  is  in  the  ploughed  land  of  the 
poor."  But,  alas!  He  never  reaps.  Why?  He  lacks  judgment :  that  '■'judgment 
which  Isaiah  speaks  of,  that  was  to  be  brought  forth  to  the  nations  (Is.  42  :  i)  ;  that  "judg- 
w?«/ "  which  was  the  "  bruised  reed"  that  Christ  would  take  care  not  to  "break"  (Is. 
42  :  3')  ;  that  judicial  decision,  made  upon  the  merit  of  the  Redeemer,  which  is  spoken  of 
in  the  6th  verse,  and  which  is  the  only  thing  which  can  keep  the  poor  man  from  wastmg 
all  his  immortality. 


i88  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIV. 

that  is  to  be  "rewarded"  (Jer.  31  :  16);  and  that  not  of  the 
more  genial  kind  at  all  times,  but  painful  and  severe. 

But  these  severities,  pursued  long  enough,  produce  in  the  end 
pleasures  like  ''''plenty  to  eat"  (v.  23).  Indeedf  the  ''^  t?inch  to 
eat"  (v.  23)  transfers  itself  really  to  the  side  of  the  believer  : — 

25  The  righteous  eats  so  that  he  satisfies  his     25  The  righteous  eat- 

^  <->  eth  to  the  satisfying  of 


appetite ; 
but  the  belly  of  the  wicked  wants. 


his  soul  :  but  the  belly 
o  f  the  wicked  shall 
want. 


One  of  the  confidences  of  the  wicked  is,  that  he,  at  least,  has 
his  pleasure  in  this  world.  The  inspired  Solomon  denies  it. 
He  himself  has  left  us  an  experience  (Ec.  i).  "The  righteous 
eats  so  that  he  satisfies  his  appetite."  That  is,  he  seeks  right- 
eousness and  peace,  and  these  things  do  satisfy  him ;  he  seeks 
them  not  as  the  world  does,  under  a  mistake,  but  for  what  they 
really  are;  he. seeks  them  more  and  more  as  he  knows  them 
better,  and  shall  be  seeking  them,  and  enjoying  them  through 
eternal  ages.  "But  the  wicked,"  even  in  his  "belly,"  "wants." 
His  delights,  even  of  the  more  carnal  sort,  are  not  to  be  directly 
gazed  at.  If  they  are,  they  vanish.  He  cannot  trust  himself 
to  theorize  over  any  solid  pleasures.  So  hollow  are  they,  that 
he  would  not  live  over  again  the  history  of  the  past ;  and  so 
poor,  that  he  grows  tired  of  enjoying  them.  If  a  man  drinks 
of  the  water  that  they  give,  he  thirsts  again ;  but  if  he  drinks 
of  the  water  that  Christ  shall  give  him,  he  shall  never  thirst. 
For  the  water  that  Christ  shall  give  him,  shall  be  in  him  a  well 
of  water,  springing  up  into  everlasting  life  (Jo.  4  :i4). 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

If  a  good  man  can  make  a  heritage  descend  far,  and  a  lost 
man  cannot,  but  only  lays  up  profit  for  the  just  (13  :  22),  it  is 
very  pertinent  to  give  direction  to  the  good  man,  /low  he  is  to 
make  good  descend  far,  i.  e.,  by  discipline  (13  :  24);  and  it  is 
very  pertinent,  further,  to  state  the  agency  of  women  in  this  re- 
sult. How  much  have  women  done  for  the  perpetuity  of  the 
"  house  I" — 


Chap.  XIV.]  PROVERBS.  189 


I  The  Wise  Woman  has  built  her  house ; 
and  Folly  tears  it  down  with  her  hands. 


Every  wise  woman 
buildeth  her  house: 
but  the  foolish  pluck- 
eth  it  down  with  her 
hands. 


The  literal  reading  here  would  be,  "  The  wisdoms  of  women 
has  built  her  house."  "  Wisdoms  "  is  plural,  and,  therefore,  has 
been  thought  an  adjective.  In  this  case,  the  singular  verb  may 
imply  eae/i  one,  as  in  Nahum  3  :  7  : — "  IVise  women,  each  one,  has 
built  her  housed  So  Rosenmiiller.  JF/i-^i?;;/,  however,  has  the 
precedent  of  chap,  i  :  20,  and  9  :  i  for  being  in  the  plural,  and 
for  having  a  singular  verb,  and  also  for  being  personified  as  a 
"  woman,"  and  possibly  might  assimilate  also  to  itself,  in  the 
same  swollen  speech,  "  woman  "  in  the  plural.  The  translation, 
then,  might  be,  simply  "  IVisdom."  As  this  would  be  bold, 
however,  it  may  be  better  to  treat  the  Proverb  as  at  base  literal, 
with  the  usual  advance  to  the  more  allegoric  sense.  "  House  " 
means  all  interests.  ''''Has  built"  is  preterite."  If  all  interests 
are  prosperous  at  present,  it  has  been  the  work  of  the  past. 
"  Wisdom  in  women  "  (i,  e.,  the  mothers  of  the  house)  "  has 
bililt "  it.  The  second  clause  wisely  returns  to  the  future,  which 
is  the  common  tense  in  all  these  Proverbs,  a^nd  which  we  always 
translate  as  the  present,  because  the  act  is  steadily  running  on, 
and  includes  both  the  present  and  the  future.  It  is  a  state  of 
present  fact.  Wisdom  in  wonien  has  built  her  house,  beginning 
a  long  time  ago ;  but  "  Folly  "  in  ivomen  is  an  affair  of  the  pre- 
sent. If  it  had  been  at  work  long,  it  would  have  had  no  "  house  " 
to  pull  down.  As  entering  upon  the  work  of  the  wise,  ungodly 
mothers  tear  down  the  ^'  house,"  which  generations  of  the  right- 
eous have  been  slowly  building.  The  grand  comment,  how- 
ever, is,  that  this  Womanly  Wisdom  or  Wise  Woman,  like  the 
Woman  of  Grace  (11  :  16),  or  Woman  of  Folly  (9 :  13),  has  an 
allegoric  meaning.  Women  do  much  toward  building  up.  But 
this  text  means  more;  that  Wisdom,  as  personified,  is  the  only 
puilder  of  a  ^Wiouse,"  and  ^''  Folly,"  as  Impenitence,  all  that  can 
pull  it  down. 

That  Folly  can  be  so  mad  as  to  tear  down  all  her  own  in- 
terests, and  to  do  it  habitually,  and  to  do  it  confessing  that  it  is 
done,  is  illustrated  further  by  this  strange  peculiarity : — 


ipo 


PRO  VERBS.  [C H  AP.  X IV. 


2  He  that  walks  in  His  level  track  fears  Je- 
hovah ; 
but  he  that  is  turned  out  of  His  way  de- 
spises Him. 


2  He  that  walketh  in 
his  uprightness  feareth 
the  Lord  :  but  he  that 
is  perverse  in  his  ways 
despiseth  him. 


A  man  walking  over  a  field,  has  a  certain  "  level "  course  (if 
there  be  such)  that  he  naturally  follows.  If  he  walk  not  levels 
or  if  he  turn  constantly  out  of  his  way,  men  think  him  either 
drunk  or  mad.  It  is  this  reasonable  instinct  of  our  nature  that 
our  text  embodies.  "  Level  track ;"  literally,  "  levelness.''  "  He 
that  malks  in  his  levelness."  We  do  not  say,  ^'' uprightness"  (E. 
v.),  as  that  word  usually  is  translated;  for  ''''levelness"  agrees 
with  the  idea  of  walking.  Such  meaning  is,  that  Folly  is  self- 
condemned  ;  that  if  a  man  would  put  one  foot  before  another, 
or  mentally  move  as  he  himself  thinks  level  and  right,  he  would 
practically  fear  God ;  but  that  he  drops  out  of  his  own  "  way," 
and  walks  brokenly,  and  with  change  of  gait ;  and  that  it  is  only 
these  drunken  staggerers  that  can  be  found  practically  to  despise 
Jehovah.  '''' Feaj-s  "  not  loves ;  x\o\.  reverences.  It  is  careless 
to  define /^^r  to  be  anything  hwi  fear  itself.  A  \\o\y  fear^  how- 
ever, is  not  terror ;  and,  yet,  a  being  afraid.,  more  really,  and  more 
tremblingly  often,  than  the  sinner.  It  is  remarkable  that  when 
men  have  escaped  wrath,  they  begin  most  healthily  to  fear  it ; 
and  when  men  are  faithless  even  to  their  own  ways,  they  despise 
the  most  the  law  of  the  Almighty.  This  text,  like  many  an- 
other, is  pregnant.  Pregnant  texts,  as  we  have  usually  observed 
(lo:  i;  23:3),  are  ambidextrous;  and  the  alternative  mean- 
ings, though  distinct,  are  mutually  embracing.  We  have  de- 
picted one  sense;  but  another  is  grammatical,  and  equivalent  in 
thought.  It  would  read  "  His  "  levelness  and  "  His  "  ways,  re- 
ferring to  Jehovah.  It  would  read,  in  fact,  as  before,  bating 
the  capitals.  It  would  mean,  he  that  ivalks  in  God's  level  track, 
fears  Him  ;  but  he  that  is  turned  out  of  God's  way,  that  is,  be- 
comes alien  like  the  Strange  Woman ;  he  tKat  has  got  out  of 
the  line  for  which  he  was  made ;  instead  of  fearing,  as  he 
naturally  might,  chooses  that  horrid  moment  for  despising  God. 
We  would  rank  this  higher  than  an  ambiguity ;  for  God's  ways 
and  man's  ways,  when  they  are  levelnesses,  and  suited  to  our 


Chap.  XIV.]  COMMENTARY.  191 

step,  are  the  same  blessed  track;    for  we  are  created  in  the 
image  of  God. 

Walking  but  increases  this  disposition  to  despise : — 

3  In  the  mouth  of  a  fool  is  a  sceptre  of  pride;  L  3  J"  the  mouth  of  the 

",  IT  /-i  •  111  11  loolibh  z^a  rod  of  pride: 

but  the  lips  of  the  wise  shall  guard  them,   j  but  the  lips  of  the  wise 

shall  preserve  them. 

Solomon  turns  easily  from  the  feet  to  the  "  lips,"  The  "  lips  " 
are  the  more  favorite  emblem.  The  "  mouth  "  is  the  great  word 
in  Proverbs  for  our  whole  earthly  agency.  This  agency  is  a  rod 
(E.  v.).  A  "  rod"  with  all  the  commentators  means  a  scourge. 
This  would  mean  that  the  conduct  of  a  wicked  man  in  the  end 
scourges  his  "  pride ;"  which,  for  the  first  clause,  would  be  a  very 
sufficient  meaning.  But  the  second  clause  means,  that  the  con- 
duct of  the  righteous  man  is  a  "  guard  "  to  him ;  which  would  be 
no  very  handsome  balance  to  the  thought  of  the  clause  before. 
The  word  translated  "  rod"  (E.  V.)  is  the  favorite  emblem  for 
sovereignty  (Ex.  4:20;  22:8).  The  savage  chieftain  had  a 
club.  From  this  rude  stick  grew  the  carved  "sceptre."  It  was 
the  emblem  of  control.  The  rod  of  Aaron  was  his  power. 
^''Thy  rod"  (Ps.  23  :  4)  ;  videlicet,  "  thy  sovereignty."  "  The  Lord 
shall  send  the  rod  of  thy  strength  out  of  Zion  (Ps.  no  :  2),"  i.  e., 
thy  potver  from  out  thy  church ;  meaning  that  Christ  shall  use 
His  church  for  His  triumphs  of  power.  A  "  rod"  or  ^^  sceptre  of 
pride"  therefore,  is  a  sceptre  that  pride  wields,  or  imagines  she 
does.  And  the  text,  as  a  whole,  means  that  "  in  the  mouth  of  a 
fool"  (or  ^  essentise)  "///^  mouth  of  a  fool"  (that  is,  his  con- 
duct) "/j-  a  sceptre  of  pride  "  that  is,  a  fool's  life-work  or 
energy  is  his  sovereignty,  that  is,  the  ^^ sceptre"  by  which  he 
would  carve  his  way.  But  it  is  "^  sceptre  of  pride."  His  king- 
ship is  a  notion  of  pride.  "  The  mouth  "  or  work  of  a  fool  is  a 
great  swollen  kingship  or  "  sceptre  of  pride  j"  "  but  the  lips  of 
the  wise  "  do  really  win,  and  do  really  govern.  **/«  the  mouth 
of  a  fool  is  a  sceptre"  but  it  is  pride's  sceptre,  a  horrid  deceit ; 
"  but  the  lips  of  the  wise  "  have  a  true  sceptre ;  that  is,  "  the  lips 
of  the  wise  shall  (really)  guard  them." 

The  maze  of  Oriental  imagery  winds  every  where,  and  ex- 
hibits next  this  bucolic  riddle  : — 


xq2  PROVERBS.  |_Chap.  XIV. 

4  Where  no  oxen  are,  the  stable  is  clean ;       I    4  where  no    oxen 

^  .  -.,  ir    "■^^1  the  crib  zs  clean  : 

but  there  is  great  profit  in  the  strength  of  but  much  increase  is 


an  ox. 


by  the  strength  of  the 
ox. 


If  the  lips  are  so  dangerous;  that  is,  if  men's  activity  may  so 
bind  them  in  their  sin,  better  remain  at  rest.  No !  says  the 
Wise  Man.  The  expense  of  worldly  business  is  frightful ;  but, 
then,  without  business,  the  world  can  not  go  on.  All  a  man 
does,  is  but  a  sceptre  of  death,  if  he  be  a  fool ;  but,  something  a 
man  must  do,  or  he  is  lost  at  any  rate.  Alas !  for  the  poor 
sinner !  If  he  acts,  he  perishes.  If  he  does  not  act,  he  is  sure 
to  perish.  Monasteries  and  caves  of  the  saints  cannot  save  us. 
If  we  are  idle,  corruption  enters  there;  if  we  are  active,  it 
presses  that  way.  The  only  remedy  is  the  forth-right  course ; 
to  take  our  lives  in  our  hands,  and  push  boldly  toward  the  light 
of  the  believer. 

This  light  is  everything  : — 


5  He  who  witnesses   things  correctly,  does 
not  lie; 
but,  of  a  deceived  witness,  the  very  breath 
is  lies. 


5  A  faithful  witness 
will  not  lie  :  but  a  false 
witness  will  utter  lies. 


The  man,  not  walking  in  his  levehiess  (see  v.  2),  shows  by  his 
staggering  that  he  does  not  witness  things  correctly.  Here  the 
whole  is  shifted  to  the  "  lips  "  (as  v.  3).  The  grand  truth  is 
broached  that  the  man  who  lies  does  not  see  correctly.  This 
is  a  universal  doctrine.  Moreover,  " lies  "  stand  for  all  sin; 
just  as  "  lips "  stand  for  all  agency.  All  sin,  therefore,  flows 
from  being  "deceived."  The  English  Version  gives  a  most 
tautological  sense.  The  real  meaning  is ;  first,  a  man  not  '"'' de- 
ceived "  will  never  sin  ;  second,  a  man  "  deceived  "  will  sin  per- 
petually, like  his  "very  breath."  A  deep  7noral  blindness  is  the 
source  a?id  measure  of  all  possible  transgression.  We  must  look 
sharply  at  this  Hebrew,  for  it  will  occur  again  (v.  25  ;  19  :  5,  9). 
Several  Proverbs  depend  for  their  significance  upon  this  mean- 
ing,— a  "  deceived"  rather  than  a  deceiving,  "  witness." 

We  said  under  the  4th  verse,  that  the  lost  man  must  strike 
for  the  light.     But,  alas !  he  does,  sometimes,  and  fails : — 


Chap.  XIV.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  193 


6  A  scorn er  seeketh 
wisdom,  a.ndjindfti'1  it 
not :  but  knowledge  is 


6  A  scorner  has  sought  wisdom,  and  there 
was  no  such  thing  ; 
but  knowledge  is  easy  to  him  who  has  be-  ^erstanTeth.'"  """  "" 
come  discerning. 


'  A  page  of  Hebrew ;  what  is  it  to  a  child.?  It  is  absolutely 
nothing.  But  the  whole  was  easy  to  the  Hebrew  eye.  "  A 
scomer  has  sought  wisdom."  Notice  the  past  tense.  Every 
"  scorner  "  has  done  it.  Take  any  impenitent  man.  We  may 
be  sure  some  day  or  other  he  has  sought  spiritual  intelligence. 
But  he  has  done  it  selfishly.  Moreover,  he  has  done  it  fitfully ; 
and  feebly.  He  has  groped.  He  has  made  a  sort  of  blind 
man's  pass  for  knowledge,  and  has  come  back  with  the  aver- 
ment, that  there  is  no  such  thing.  lA^t  \s  simple j  "easy;" 
literally,  light,  as  opposed  to  heavy  j  light  is  obvious ;  nothing 
can  be  more  so ;  but  then,  as  the  inspired  man  advises  us,  it  is 
only  "  easy  "  to  the  "  discerning  "  jfian. 

But,  while  the  fool  makes  out  so  badly  the  meaning  of  being 
wise,  the  wise  make  out  the  fool ;  and,  what  is  wonderful, 
make  out  the  wise,  largely  by  witnessing  the  fool : — 


7  Go  from  the  presence  of  a  stupid  man :        \    ''  ^%  ^""T  ,-''u  p"""" 

'  ,  ^  ,,r  /-ii     lenceof  a  foolish   man 

and  thou  Shalt  not  know  the  lips  of  knOWl-l  when    thou    perceivesi 

edge. 


not  in  hijn  the  lips  of 
knowledge. 


(How  sadly  this  verse  has  lain  concealed  !)  Sin  is  the  great 
exegete.  This  was  the  wile  of  Satan.  He  told  our  parents, — • 
then  their  eyes  should  be  open ;  and  they  were.  They  did 
not  know  good  till  they  had  lost  it.  That  is,  in  the  broad  uni- 
verse good  stands  out  by  contrast.  God  is  best  known  through 
Satan.  Heaven  will  be  most  bright  through  Hell.  And 
through  all  the  ages  of  the  blest,  that  tree  in  the  garden  will  be 
"  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,"  and  that  by  the  very  in- 
tention of  the  Most  High. 

Light,  though,  is  not  merely  abstract  light : — 

8  The  wisdom  of  the  subtle  is  the  making 
discernible  of  his  way  ; 
but  the  folly  of  the  stupid  is  delusion. 


8  The  wisdom  of  thfe 
prudent  is  to  under- 
stand his  way  :  but  the 
folly  of  fools  is  deceit. 


We  are  not  to  infer,  because  "  Wisdom  "  eludes  the  scorner, 
9 


194  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIV. 

that  it  is,  therefore,  something  mystic.  It  fits  earth  so  closely, 
that  it  actually  carves  our  "  way."  Nay,  more  closely  still,  it  is 
actually  path-finding  itself.  She  takes  a  man  from  her  very  gate, 
and  tells  him  all  that  he  must  do.  She  not  only  discerns  paths, 
but  that  is  all  of  her  :  she  does  nothing  else.  "  The  wisdom  of 
the  subtle  is  the  making  discernible  of  his  way."  While,  on  the 
other  hand,  "  the  folly  of  the  stupid  is  {its  ottni)  delusion." 

All  of  us  having  a  way,  and  all  of  us  following  it  with  the  whole 
energy  of  our  lives,  "  the  excellency  of  knowledge  is,  that  Wis- 
dom giveth  life  to  them  that  have  it."  Wisdom  grasps  its  end; 
Folly  never.  Wisdom  is  a  great  Path  Finder ;  Folly  a  "  delu- 
sion." And  the  Wise  Man,  strangely  lights  up  this,  when  he 
paints  "Sin,"  after  she  has  led  a  man  to  Hell,  as  turning  back 
to  mock  him  : — 


9  Sin  makes  a  mock  at  fools  ; 

but  between  upright  beings  there  is  favor. 


9  Fools  make  a  mock 
at  sin  :  but  among  the 
righteous  there  is  fav- 
our. 


"  Makes  a  mock. "  This  is  singular,  and  agrees  with  "sin." 
Not  makes  sport,  as  a  fool  might,  of  engaging  in  his  sins.  A 
fool  may  jnake  sport  of  sin,  but  hardly  could  be  said  to  "  7?take  a 
mock  at"  it  (E.  V.).  "  Sin  makes  a  mock  at  fools;"  "but  be- 
tween upright  beings  "  we  cannot  conceive  of  aijy  mockery. 
The  upright  God,  and  the  upright  saint ;  the  upright  saint, 
and  the  upright  Saviour;  grace,  and  judgment;  faith,  and  the 
scenes  of  the  last  day  ;  between  these,  there  must  be  good-win, 
i.  e.,  mutual  delight  or  "favor,"  So  John  (i  Jo.  4:17,  18), 
"  Herein  does  the  love  gain  its  end  between  us  (that  is,  be- 
tween God  and  us;  see  v.  16)  that  we  may  have  boldness  in 
the  day  of  judgment :  because  as  he  is,  so  are  we  in  this  world. 
There  is  no  fear  in  love;  but  perfect  love  casteth  out  fear;  be- 
cause fear  hath  torment.  He  that  feareth,  is  not  made  perfect 
in  love." 

It  is  true  there  is  a  great  deal  of  "  bitterness  "  in  the  Chris- 
tian's life.  Knowledge  itself,  when  turned  upon  sin,  is,  in  itself, 
a  bitterness.  "In  much  wisdom  is  much  grief;  and  he  that  in- 
creaseth  knowledge  increaseth  sorrow  "  (Ec.  i  :  18) : — 


Chap.  XIV.]  COMMENTARY,  195 


10  A  knowing  heart  is  a  bitterness  to  itself; 
but  with  its  joy  it  does  not  hold  inter- 
course as  an  enemy. 


10  The  heart  know- 
eth  his  own  bitterness  ; 
and  a  stranger  doth  not 
intermeddle  with  his 
joy. 


We  venture  upon  this  translation.  We  find  no  spiritual 
sense  in  the  one  heretofore  given.  A  Proverb  is  not  a  senti- 
ment. I  mean  by  that,  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon  were  the  gos- 
pel of  his  day,  and  their  ultimate  sense  must  be  religious. 
There  seems  no  useful  piety  in  the  Proverb  as  usually  given. 
But,  in  this  dress,  words  take  their  more  common  meaning ;  the 
grammar  is  actually  improved  ;  and  the  sense  is  better  in  itself, 
and  better  as  it  stands  connected.  "  A  knowing  heart;"  i.  e.,  a 
heart  spiritually  enlightened;  ''''  is  a  biiter?iess  to  itself;"  literally, 
"a  bitterness  of  its  soul."  ^^  Soul"  for  ''''self"  is  a  constant 
usage  of  the  Scriptures  (see  21  :  23).  "  But  with  its  joy,"  viz., 
that  budding  joy  that  grows  up  under  its  sorrows;  that  is,  the 
"y'l^y"  such  as  that  of  which  the  Christian  has  possession:  "it 
does  not  hold  intercourse."  This  is  the  regular  meaning  of  the 
verb.  The  Lexicons  give, ""  intermeddle  "  (E.  V.),  only  for  this 
sole  passage.  Therein,  too,  they  mar  it.  "As  an  enemy:" 
such  as  the  impenitent's  ''''joys  "  are.  Resuming  the  whole  : — 
"■^  knowing  heart  is  a  bitterness  to  itself  "  on  the  principle  which 
Christ  meant  when  he  said,  he  "  came  not  to  send  peace  but  a 
sword  "  (Matt.  10  :  34)  :  ''''but  with  its  joy"  weak  as  it  may  be, 
and  small  and  easily  clouded,  "  it  does  not"  as  the  impenitent 
do,  "  hold  intercourse  as  an  enemy."  His  ''''joy"  is  like  his  "  bit- 
terness" a  friend  ;  and  all  will  work  in  opposite  direction  to  the 
joy  of  the  wicked. 

"  The  house  of  the  wicked  "  may  be  a  most  prosperous  one, 
and  may  seem  to  be  full  of  peace  ;  but  it  is  doomed.  It  must 
become  "desolate,"  X\\.QX2d\y^  astonished ;  which  is  the  Eastern 
way  of  describing  grand  downfalls.  "  But  the  tent  of  the  up- 
right;" that  is  (intensive  second  clause,  10  :  22)  his  slenderest 
possessions ;  like  a  sprout ;  like  some  poor  tender  plant,  shall 
bloom  forth.     Such  is  the  meaning  of  "  flourish :" — 


II  The  house  of  the  wicked  shall  be  made 
desolate ; 
but  the  tent  of  the  upright  shall  flourish. 


II  The  house  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  over- 
thrown :  but  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  upright 
shall  flourish. 


196  .    PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIV. 

Religion,  from  its  small  beginnings,  reveals  bitternesses  (v.  lo), 
but,  nevertheless,  has/Vyj.  And  those  joys  it  need  "not  have 
intercourse  with  as  with  an  enemy;"  and  they  will  grow  and 
spread  like  a  rooted  plant. 

The  rich,  being  honest,  and  seeming  to  be  wise,  and  aiming 
to  support  their  house,  can  hardly  feel  how  deceived  they  are ; 
each  step  being  so  admirably  right !     Yet : — 

12  There  is  a  way  that  seems  right  unto  a 


man; 
but  its  afterpart  is  the  ways  of  death. 


12  There  is  a  way 
which  seemeth  right 
unto  a  man  :  but  the 
end  thereof  are  the 
ways  of  death. 


Souls  perish  always  with  surprise.  "  Seems"  is  expressed  by 
before  or  in  the  presence  of.  "  They  were  both  righteous  before 
God  (Lu.  I  :  6)."  That  is.  He  thought  them  so.  "  The  righteous 
man  falling  down  before  the  wicked  "  (Prov.  25  :  26),  i.  e., 
seeming  to  be  a  failure.  But  yet  the  seeming  here  noted  must 
be  taken  cian  grano.  Deep  in  the  lost  heart  is  the  knowledge  of 
its  ''■end"  (v.  12,  E.  V.);  "after-part,"  rather.  The  word 
means,  its  aftertuard.  The  way  lasts  forever,  and  its  afterward 
"  is  the  ways  of  death."  Deep  in  the  lost  man's  heart  he  knows 
all  this,  and  it  makes  a  dark  ground  for  his  gayeties  : — 

13  Even  in  laughter  a  heart  is  sad  ; 
and  joy,  in  its  afterpart,  is  heaviness. 


13  Even  in  laughter 
the  heart  is  sorrowful  ; 
and  the  end  of  that 
mirth  is  heaviness. 


Not  of  its  own  nature,  of  course ;  for  a  Proverb  has  already 
said  (v.  10)  that  there  is  a  "joy  "  which  is  not  our  foe.  Not, 
this  is  always  the  case ;  but  this  is  the  case ;  that  is,  there  is 
such  a  case.  Men  in  the  very  pride  of  feasts  are  "  sad  "  at 
"heart,"  and  the  "  after-part"  of  such  ^^Joy  "  is  the  very  weight 
of  "heaviness." 

Because,  the  wicked  get  nothing  really  but  their  "  ways." 
They  are  travelling;  and  they  seek  an  end;  and  they  con- 
fidently expect  it;  but  they  never  get  it.  What  they  do  get, 
therefore,  is  their  journey.  The  old  man  has  got  about  enough 
of  travelling,  but  enough,  if  he  be  an  impenitent  man,  of  nothing 
else,  in  either  world,  Avhatever.  The  saint  may  have  precious 
little  on  the  earth,  but  he  has  made  more  than  his  own  journey, 
and  much  even  out  of  the  impenitent  man  : — 


Chap.  XIV.]  COMMENTARY.  197 


V4  The  backslider  in  heart  shall  be  satisfied 
with  his  ways ; 
and  the  good  man  from  him. 


14  The  backslider  in 
heart  shall  be  fi  lied 
with  his  own  ways; 
and  a  good  man  shall 
be  satisfied  from  him- 
self. 


"The  back-sMer  in  heart."  Not  a  Christian.  A  Christian 
never  really  backslides.  Not,  therefore,  what  our  usage  means, 
but  a  heart  sliding  back,  as  every  lost  heart  does.  The  writer 
has  but  written  a  fresh  name  for  an  impenitent.  Such  a  sliding 
heart  will  just  have  its  journey  at  the  last,  and  nothing  for  it. 
Even  its  joys  will  have  sunk  it  backward.  While  the  good 
shall  have  their  own  ten  pounds  in  addition  to  the  pound  first 
received,  they  shall  also  have  the  pound  of  the  wicked.  This 
is  sad  doctrine.  The  lost  have  nothing.  The  saved  have 
everything,  including  the  lost.  The  lost  have  nothing  but  their 
journey  through  this  world.  The  saved,  in  addition  to  all  their 
other  inheritances,  will  inherit  the  lost,  and  make  eternally  by 
these  saddest  lessons.  "  Himself  (E.  V.)  is  grammatical,  but, 
literally,  not  so  true,  and,  doctrinally,  not  so  rich  as  the  other 
translation. 

To  this  mad  lot  why  do  not  the  wicked  demur }  Because, 
says  the  Wise  Man,  these  men  that  refuse  to  trust  God,  trust 
everything  else  implicitly  : — 


15  The  simple  trusts  everything; 

but  the  subtle  must  make  it  discernible 
that  he  is  going  right. 

16  The  wise  is  afraid,  and  departs  from  evil : 
but  the  stupid  push  on,  and  are  confident. 


IS  The  simple  15  e- 
lieveth  every  word: 
but  the  prudent  man 
looketh  well  to  his 
going. 

i6  A  wise  jnatt  fear- 
eth,  and  departeth  from 
evil  :  but  the  fool  rag- 
eth,  and  is  confident. 


Thing;  primarily  ''''word''  (E.  V.).  By  usage,  however,  it 
grew  to  mean  also  ^^  thing"  (Gen.  20:  10).  "Make  it  discern- 
ible;" a  Hiphil.  "That  he  is  going  right;"  literally,  a.f /<? /«> 
straight  going.  The  simple  trusts  everything.  As  the  next 
verse  explains  it,  he  pushes  on,  from  a  verb  which  means  to  pass 
up  or  rush  over,  like  troops  attacking  a  battery.  He  pushes 
himself  along.  The  word  is  reflexive.  While  the  "subtle," 
with  a  much  profounder  trust,  and  that  for  "  every  thing  "  too  ; 
insists  upon  seeing  one  thing;  and  that  is  a  "right"  path  before 
him,     "  Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man  cleanse  his  way  .'     By 


198  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIV. 

taking  heed  thereto  according  to  Thy  word."  "  Trust  in  the 
Lord  and  do  good  "  (Ps.  37  :  3).  "  Make  smooth  the  planting- 
place  of  thy  foot,  and  all  thy  ways  shall  be  established  firmly  " 
(Prov.  4  :  26).  '"'■The  simple"  go  on  in  an  overbearing,  reckless 
way,  as  the  waves  roll  forward  over  the  deep ;  but  " the  subtle" 
while  trusting  just  as  much,  does  it  wisely,  taking  that  single 
\}i\\xv%  his  steps,  and  seeing  that  they  secure  a  blessing.  V.  16, 
"The  wise  is  afraid,"  and  that  in  the  gospel  sense  (Acts 
10:2);  not  gloomily,  like  the  sinner,  but  practically,  so  as  to 
depart  from  evil.  His  fear  passes  into  the  watching  of  his  feet ; 
while  the  "stupid"  (that  is,  the  fat,  originally)  bears  himself 
ahead,  out  of  a  crass  and  bloated  confidence. 

Still  worse  may  be  the  very  deliberate  man.  It  is  not  all 
thinking  that  the  book  applauds,  but  that  which  is  discriminate; 
the  watching  of  our  feet.  The  deep-laid  schemer  may  be  more 
hated  of  God  than  the  more  simple.  It  is  so  in  worldly  esti- 
mations:— 


17  He  that  has  quick  passions,  does  foolish- 
ness ; 
but  the  man  of  deep  schemes  is  hated. 


x^  He  that  is  soon 
angry  dealeth  foolish- 
ly ;  and  a  man  of  wick- 
ed devices  is  hated. 


'■'■He  that  is  short,  or  cut  off,  of  nostrils."  The  nostrils  were 
the  type  of  anger  (Ps.  10:4).  The  more  hot-pulsed  sinner 
may  be  lost;  but  the  deep-set  fool  excels  him  in  both  guilt  and 
danger.  Alas  !  for  the  well-complexioned,  coolly-settled,  mor- 
ally-esteemed, and  long-established  hypocritical  professor! 

18  The  simple  have  inherited  folly  :  |foiiy7b:trhfpl"ude''^t 

but  the  subtle  make  a  crown  of  knowledge.' a  re  crowned  with 

I  knowledge. 

"Inherited;"  that  is,  have  it  fastened  upon  them  as  a  settled 
profession.  "Have  inherited."  These  perfects,  as  we  have 
lately  said  (14  :  i),  are  to  be  noticed  in  their  sense  of  having 
occurred  already.  ^^Ilave  inherited  folly."  That  is;  "the 
simple,"  who  are  here  considered,  are  foolish  now,  and  will 
have  nothing  else  than  folly  for  their  eternal  heritage.  If  the 
sinner  shall  have  nothing  but  "/«>  ways  "  (v.  14),  surely  we  are 
but  deepening  the  sense  when  we  say,  that  he  shall  have  noth- 


Chap.  XIV.]  COMMENTAR  Y. 


199 


ing  but  his  ^^  folly."  "  But  the  subtle ;"  (and  liere  we  have  alto- 
gether a  different  figure) ;  has  not  inherited  much  at  this  pre- 
sent date.  He  has  not  much  of  the  world.  He  has  not  much 
of  another.  How  shall  we  express  his  excellence .''  He  has 
this  poor  thing  that  he  calls  piety.  Where  is  its  worth  to  him  ? 
Why,  its  worth  to  him  is  that  it  is  a  splendid  "crown."  He 
makes  a  crov/n  of  knowledge.  That  is,  he  takes  his  piety, 
which  is  a  mean,  weak  beginning,  and  makes  it  the  badge  of  a 
glorious  sovereignty.  The  Christian  is  a  king.  And  by  this  is 
meant,  that,  when  he  becomes  pious,  every  thing  becomes  sub- 
ject to  him  (i  Cor.  3  :  22).  It  is  a  kingship  in  this  world.  All 
things  unite  in  doing  him  good.  This  subject  is  renewed  in  the 
24th  verse,  which  we  shall  presently  discuss,  but  it  reveals  its 
main  richness  in  this.  While  the  simple  have  already  inherited 
folly,  the  "  subtle^'  that  is,  the  spiritually  discer?iing,  have  won 
a  "  crown  y"  that  is,  their  feeble  piety  has  got,  not  wealth  al- 
ready, but  a  croian,  commanding  it  to  be  theirs  (Rom.  8:28). 

The  lost,  even,  are  subject  to  the  Christian ;  and  from  the 
very  first  begin  to  feel  it : — 


19  The  evil  bow  before  the  good,  I,  '^  J^^^yj'  ^^a  IT 

-'                                 .                                                          r      ^  •    ^          lore  the  good  ;  and  the 

and  the  wicked  at  the  gates  of  the  right- 1 wicked  at  the  gates  of 
eous  man. 


the  righteous. 


"  The  gates  of  the  righteous  man  "  are  where  his  servants  sit 
and  wait.  Uriah  lay  at  David's  gate  (2  Sam.  11:9).  "The 
Sin  Offering"  lay  at  the  door  of  Cain  (Gen.  4:7).  The 
"  wicked  "  serve  the  "  righteous  y"  and  whether  they  do  it  know- 
ingly, they  do  it  wholly,  and,  through  eternal  ages. 

The  wicked  are  very  "poor,"  therefore.  Even  in  this  world, 
a  poor  fnan,  sooner  or  later,  gets  despised  : — 

20  The  poor  is  odious  even  to  his  neighbor  ;   U^J.^ir^Z^^^^^t 
but  the  lovers  of  the  rich  man  are  many,      hour:  but  the nch/i,jM 

J  many  mends. 

Comparing  good  things  with  bad,  so  shall  it  be  with  the 
wicked.  They  are  the  creation's  paupers.  Even  their  neigh- 
bors will  hate  them.  The  wife  will  hate  her  lost  husband ;  I 
know  not  how.     The  saved  will  execrate  the  lost,  though  they 


200  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIV. 

will  profoundly  love  them  as  to  pity.  Wealth  will  assert  her 
place ;  and  those,  celestially  "  rich,"  will  find,  as  in  this  beggared 
world,  their  "  lovers  many." 

Another  Proverb  guards  this  from  error.  Though  we  are  to 
hate  the  wicked,  yet  we  are  to  love  them  in  the  sense  of  benev- 
olence : — 


21   He  who  despises  his  neighbor,  blunders; 
but  he  who  pities  the  poor,  blessed  is  he  ! 


21  He  that  despiseth 
his  neighbour  sinneth  : 
but  he  that  hath  mercy 
on  the  poor,  happy  is 
he. 


The  impenitent  is  the  poorest  among  men ;  and  he  who  ne- 
glects him,  and  lets  him  go  on  in  his  iniquity,  of  course,  is  a 
cruel  sinner.  He  who  saves  him,  will  be  "blessed,"  "They 
that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and 
they  that  lead  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars  forever  and 
ever."  "  He  who  despises  his  neighbor,  blunders. "  He  wastes  a 
splendid  opportunity,  not  only  for  his  neighbor,  but  for  him- 
self. It  is  great  criminality,  and,  moreover,  a  grand  mistake. 
'''' Blunders  ;'  literally,  "  misses  "  usually,  ''^  sins"  (E.  V.).  Much 
is  to  be  added  to  the  freshness  of  these  passages  by  adherence 
to  first  significations.  "  Blunders "  stands  balanced  with 
^^  Messed."  The  appeal  is  to  self.  And  the  appeal  is  made 
more  intense,  where,  instead  of  despising  our  neighbor,  we  actu- 
ally "  devise  evil "  against  him  : — 

2  2  Must  they  not  err  that  devise  evil,  I    ==  po.they  not  en- 

-'  '  I  that  devise  evil  ?    but 

mercj 
ie  to  I 
good. 


seeing  that  Mercy  and  Truth  devise  good .''  mercy  and  truth  s/ia// 

be  to  them  that  devise 


Can  any  one  see  any  flaw  in  "  Mercy  and  Truth  ?"  "  Mercy  " 
is  pure  benevolence;  and  "Truf/i"  is  that  other  quality  of  the 
good,  which  is  commanded  in  the  first  table  of  the  law,  and 
answers  to  a  love  of  holiness.  Is  there  anything  right,  outside 
of  "  Jlfercy  and  Truth  1"  Is  there  anything  wrong  that  the 
vilest  rebel  can  detect  in  either  one  of  them  "i  Must  "they  not 
err  that  devise  evil?"  if  for  no  other  cause,  than,  that  ^^ Mercy  and 
Truth  "  stand  on  the  opposite  side,  and,  through  eternal  ages, 
are  busy  in  devising  good? 


Chap.  XIV.]  COMMENTARY.  201 

2X  By  all  labor  there  comes  a  profit;  I.  ^3  in  all  labour  there 

■u  \  ^\        ..11        f  i.1-      1-         i.       J  1      ^  ^    '^  profit:  but  the  talk 

out  the  talk  of  the  lips  tends  only  to  want,  of  the  lips/^zo'^M  only 

I  to  penury. 

This  is  a  difficult  sentence.  We  have  found  it  hard  to  vindi- 
cate its  sense.  The  grammar  is  all  obvious ;  and,  on  that  very 
account,  the  reading  is  singularly  fixed.  But  "all  labor"  is 
any  thing  else  than  profitable ;  and  "the  talk  of  the  lips  "  (31  : 
26)  is  one  of  the  grandest  ways  of  doing  good  among  men. 
We  understand  it  in  a  religious  sense.  All  these  Proverbs 
might  be  worldly  maxims,  some  of  them  actually  in  use ;  all  of 
them  with  a  show  of  wisdom ;  some  of  them  utterly  unsound ; 
but  all  of  them,  when  adopted  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  turned 
in  the  direction  of  the  gospel,  true,  in  their  religious  aspect. 
So,  now,  in  this  peculiar  instance,  "  all  labor  "  might  seem  to 
promise  well  among  the  thrifty,  but  sometimes  ruins  men,  even 
in  this  world,  and  is  sure  to  ruin  them,  if  worldly,  in  the  world 
to  come.  But,  now,  as  a  religious  maxim,  it  is  without  excep- 
tion. "  All  labor "  of  a  pious  kind  is  marked,  and  will  be 
gloriously  rewarded  out  of  the  books  of  the  Almighty.  "  All 
labor  "  of  the  impenitent,  for  their  soul's  salvation,  has  "profit;" 
literally,  something  over.  It  brings  them  nearer.  If  continued 
long  enough,  it  will  bring  them  in ;  that  is,  if  it  be  honest  (Heb. 
II  :  6) ;  while  "  the  talk  of  the  lips"  or,  possibly,  "  an  affair 
of  the  lips  j"  that  is,  tnere  intentioti ;  does  "  only "  mischief. 
Mark  the  balance  between  "  all "  and  "  only."  Seeking  is  "  all" 
of  it  an  advance.  Intending  is  "  only  "  a  retreat.  One  gains  a 
step;  the  other  loses  one.  Starting  up  actually  to  work,  if 
honest,  is  an  advance  toward  wealth :  while  intention,  which  is 
hut  ^^  an  affair  of  the  lips,"  "tends  only"  to  make  us  poor  in- 
deed (see  13  :  12). 

The  Christian  is  rich  in  this  world.  We  read  in  the  i8th 
verse,  of  the  "subtle  making  a  croivn  of  knowledge."  Aladdin 
was  rich,  when  he  had  nothing  but  his  lamp.  If  a  ray  of  faith 
puts  creation  into  bondage  to  a  saint,  then  not  only  is  his 
"knowledge  a  crown"  v.  18,  but  his  "crown  is  Ms  wealth." 
What  needs  Aladdin  further  than  his  lamp .?  The  sovereignty 
of  saints,  even  in  a  forlorn  world,  makes  a  perfect  opulence ; 
while  "the  folly  of  the  stupid;"  seeing  that  it  could  give  place 
9* 


202  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIV. 

to  this ;  seeing  that  he  also  could  have  the  lamp ;  seeing  that 
the  crowned  princes,  the  very  best  of  them,  were  fools  like  him; 
and,  therefore,  that  it  can  only  be  because  he  is  a  fool  that  he 
does  not  throw  off  his  folly ; — all  this  explains  the  closing  clause, 
which  is  terse  in  its  very  quaintness ;  for,  for  the  very  reason 
that— 


24  The  crown  of  the  wise  is  their  wealth ; 
the  folly  of  the  stupid  is  folly. 


24  The  crown  of  the 
wise  is  their  riches : 
hut  the  foolishness  of 
fools  is  folly. 


But  the  wise  not  only  gains  wealth  to  himself,  but  he  is  wealth 
to  others.     Moreover,  he  can'  not  help  being : — 

25    A  witness  of  truth  saves  souls  ;  ,.  =5  a  true  witness  de- 

•J  '  hvereth   souls :    but    a 

deceitful      luiiiiess 
speaketh  lies. 


but  he  Vv'hose  breath  is  lies,  deludes. 


We  noticed  that  what  crowned  the  wise  (v.  18)  was  "truth" 
ox  ^^ knowledge."  ^^  Tnet/i,"  to  become  ^^ knowledge"  must  get 
into  the  heart.  To  do  so,  it  must  be  witnessed.  We  noticed 
under  the  2d  verse  that  a  man  staggered,  that  is,  he  did  not 
tvalk  in  level/less,  because  he  did  not  see  clearly.  But, /^r  con- 
tra, if  a  man  sees  clearly,  he  walks  ///  level  zvays  j  and,  then,  ac- 
cording to  our  present  Proverb,  he  "  saves  "  unconsciously  the 
"  souls  "  of  others.  This  is  most  clear  when  the  view  is  nega- 
tive. Let  there  be  no  tuitnesses  of  truth,  and  where  are  the 
saved  ?  No  sinners  are  rescued  in  a  dead  nation.  Every 
Christian  is  a  centre  of  light.  The  church  is  but  a  body  of 
Christians.  Where  there  is  no  church,  where  are  the  penitents  }, 
The  truth,  intended  to  be  conveyed,  is,  that  he  who  sees  the 
truth,  spreads  it.  While  he  who  sees  only  "lies,"  which  is  an 
exact  portrait  of  the  unredeemed,  serves  in  spite  of  himself  as  a 
delusion  to  his  friends,  and  deceives  them  into  unbelief,  just  in 
proportion  to  his  influence  upon  them.  Woe  be  to  the  wife  or 
child  where  the  husband  is  a  "deceived  witness"  (see  v.  5). 
"  Witness j"  not,  in  this  case,  one  who  bears  icitness,  but  one  who 
witnesses,  in  the  sense  o( seeing.  "Whose  breath  is  lies;"  i.  e., 
who  deceives  instinctively,  because  he  is  deceived  himself. 

"The  fear  erf  Jehovah,"  therefore,  which  is  the  great  attitude 
of  the  saint,  "is  a  strong  trust."     It  is  a  ''trust"  for  the  State, 


Chap.  XIV.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  203 

and  a  '*  trust "  for  the  man  who  has  attained  it :  first,  in  that  it  will 
never  leave  him  (v.  23)  ;  second,  in  that  it  has  already  crowned 
him  (v.  24) ;  third,  that  it  will  finally  and  forever  save  him  (v. 
25) ;  and,  fourth,  that,  having  passed  the  ordeal  as  between  life 
and  ruin,  he  has  entered  an  ascending  path,  and  the  "-fear  " 
itself  is  certain  to  increase  brighter  and  brighter  into  the  perfect 
day.     The  second  clause  supplies  the  only  needed  caution : — 

26  In  the  fear  of  Jehovah  is  a  strong  trust ;       i^fJV\\r%  Infi! 
and  to  His  children  it  becomes  a  refuge.      dence ;  and  his  chii 

dren  shall  have  a  place 
of  refuge. 

"  Becomes ;"  from  the  verb  to  be,  which  has  that  sense  when  it 
stands  as  of  the  text  (see  Gen.  19:26).  "To  His  children." 
"  Fea?"  is  a  poor  thing.  "  All  our  righteousnesses  are  as  filthy 
rags"  (Is.  64:6).  It  is  anything  but  a  "refuge"  in  itself. 
But  as  faith  was  imputed  to  the  patriarch  for  righteousness 
(Rom.  4:  22);  so,  this,  need  not  cloud  Christ's  merit.  Christ 
has  so  saved  us  that  ''fear'  becomes  our  hope.  He  who  has 
experienced  "-fear"  has  gone  into  a  retreat ;  nothing  can  dis- 
lodge him  from  it.  If  the  lost  tremble,  let  them  hasten  after 
'■'■  fear  ■"  for  by  ''■fear'"  they  become  children  of  God ;  and,  as 
children  of  God,  they  have  an  eternal  "  refuge."  Of  course,  it 
must  be  a  holy  "fear  ;" — 
27  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  where  life  burrows  U  ^7  J^^^e  fear  ^of^  the 

„,,t  life,  to  depart  from  the 

'-'"''  .     ,  r  J       il       snares  of  death. 

in  getting  away  out  of  the  snares  ot  death. 


"  The  direction  of  the  zvise  "  was  said  to  be  this  same  thing 
(13:14).  Of  course,  in  one,  it  was  instrumentally ;  in  the 
other,  intrinsically,  and  in  its  own  nature.  The  "  direction  of 
the  wise  "  shows  others  how  they  can  burrow  out  of  the  snare ; 
«  the  fear  of  Jehovah  "  is  the  very  deliverance  itself.  "  Foun- 
tain "  (E.  V.)  ;  so  called  from  being  a  dug  out  place.  "Foun- 
tain" mixes  the  metaphor.  See  13  :  U-  The  primary  meaning 
sheds  the  light  we  need,  and  gives  us  the  smooth  emblem  as  m 
the  other  instance  (13:  U-)  ''Folly"  is  a  snare  (v.  24).  It 
actually  holds  us  by  its  own  insanity.  "  The  word"  is  a  snare 
(13  ••  13)-     "  ^e  that  despises  the  word,"  as  though  it  were  a 


204  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIV. 

trap  "  is  bound  by  it."  "  The  fear  of  Je/iova/i'  is  the  burrotving 
out  place.  The  strings  of  these  nets  are  perfect,  with  no  possi- 
ble burrowifig  outy  except  by  gospel  piety. 


28  In  a  great  people  is  the  king's  honor; 

but  in  the  people's  coming  to  nothing  the 
prince's  ruin. 


28  In   the  multitude 
of  people /j  the  king's 

honour :  but  in  the 
want  of  people  is  the 
destruction  of  the 
prince. 


All  grades  depend  upon  their  inferiors.  The  poor  have  us 
in  their  power.  To  be  kind  to  the  poor  is  a  dictate  of  common 
selfishness.  Carried  into  a  spiritual  light,  the  truth  becomes 
much  wider.  Half  of  heaven  will  be  what  we  did  for  the  poor. 
Solomon  was  familiar  with  this  as  a  king  (see  v.  35) ;  but  he 
marks  the  sentence  as  one  for  all  humanity.  If  a  man  wishes 
to  be  comfortable  on  earth,  let  him  make  his  inferiors  "great." 
And,  if  he  wishes  to  be  rich  in  heaven,  let  him  cultivate,  with 
assiduous  zest,  the  graces  of  the  perishing. 

Here,  too,  the  folly  of  overbearing  tyranny  : — 


29  He  that  is  slow  to  anger,  is  of  great  dis- 
cernment : 
but  he  that  is  quick  of  spirit,  enhances  folly. 


29  He  that  is  slow  to 
wrath  /j  of  great  under- 
standing :  but  lie  that 
/i- hasty  of  spirit  exalt- 
eth  folly. 


As  damp  sky  opens  the  joints  of  the  diseased ;  so  gusts  of 
wrath  make  a  fool  more  foolish.  "  Anger"  will  not  do  for 
kings;  and  least  of  all  for  Christians.  Its  "  foUy  "  for  a  king, 
is  still  more  strikingly  presented  in  the  thirty-fifth  verse. 

Moreover,  it  is  injurious  inwardly  : — 

30  A  healthy  heart  is  the  life  of  the  flesh  :        1  ,3°  A  sound  heart  « 

1      .  til*  •         1  ...        'he   life  of  the    flesh: 

but  perturbation  is  the  rottenness  of  the  but  envy  the  rottenness 

bones  of  the  bones. 

Net,  ''envy"  (E.  V.),  but  excitement  of  any  kind;  "perturba- 
tion;" a  wise  saw,  perhaps,  of  the  old  hygiene,  but  true  spiritually. 
Religion  rejoices  in  peace.  Mad  passion  may  be  overruled  ; 
but  so  can  our  lusts  be.  As  much  as  lieth  in  us,  we  should 
have  peace.  The  soul  is  a  temple  (i  Cor.  3:17),  and  "  holi- 
ness becometh  thy  house,  O  Lord,  forever"  (Ps.  93  :  5). 


Chap.  XIV.]       .  COMMENTARY.  205 

The  poor  are  great  instruments  of  Providence  to  make  us 
what  we  ought  to  be  : — 

31  He   that   oppresses   the   weak,  scorns   his     31  He  thatoppress- 

"  '^ '^  '  eth    the  poor  reproach- 

eth  his  Maker  :  but  he 
that  honoureth  him 
hath  mercy  on  t  h  e 
poor. 


Maker; 
but  he  that  honors  Him,  has  pity  on  the 
poor. 


We  treat  God  with  no  respect  (i)  when  "the  poor,"  who  are 
His  children,  are  not  treated  as  such,  but  are  trampled  on  with 
rudeness  and  neglect ;  (2),  when  the  poor,  who  are  His  de- 
pendants, are  left  unhelped,  so  as  to  seem  to  bring  Him  into  dis- 
credit; but  (as  is  most  intended,  judging  from  the  whole  drift  of 
this  part  of  the  chapter),  (3),  when  the  poor,  who  are  His  instru- 
ments, and  are  sent  to  exercise  our  virtues,  are  not  treated  as 
such,  but  our  "  Maker,"  thwarted  in  the  work  of  making  us 
better  by  these  needy  visitants. 

Life  moves  by  such  sorts  of  influences ;  happily,  for  the 
good ;  hurtfully,  in  every  event,  to  the  impenitent  man  : — 


\2  The  wicked  is  thrust  lower  by  his  evil ; 
but  the  righteous  takes  refuge  in  his  very 
death. 


32  The  wicked  i  s 
driven  away  in  his 
wickedness  :  but  the 
righteous  hath  hope  in 
his  death. 


"Evil;"  that  is,  of  any  form.  "Death;  "  that  is,  the  worst 
form  of  "m/."  Observe  the  crescendo.  ^''  Evil"  which  is  sup- 
posed to  be  a  discipline,  thrusts  down  the  wicked ;  "  death"  the 
very  grimmest  of  the  list,  becomes  to  "  the  righteous"  a  glorious 
"refuge."  ^^  Thru st  lower."  This  is  an  intensive  expression. 
If  trouble  thrusts  a  man  lower,  how  much  must  joy  and  intoxi- 
cating wealth.  The  idea  is, — all  hurts  him.  Even  discipline 
hurts  the  lost ;  while  the  righteous  finds  a  refuge,  even  in  his 
very  death. 

Sin,  in  all  these  terrors,  is  a  great  enlightener.  "  ■Wisdom  " 
thrives  by  it.  Out  among  the  homes  of  the  impenitent,  she 
becomes  the  clearest  and  most  evident  to  herself: — 


2,Z  In  a  discerning  heart  wisdom  rests  quiet ; 
but  in  the  midst  of  the  stupid  it  is  made 
known. 


33  Wisdom  resteth 
in  the  heart  of  him  that 
hath  understanding: 
but  that  which  is  m 
the  midst  of  fools  is 
made  known. 


2o6  PROVERBS.  ■       [Chap.  XIV. 

This  borders  on  another  verse  (v.  7).  The  poor  are  very- 
necessary  to  us;  particularly,  the  spiritually  poor.  In  a  heaven 
on  earth,  piety  would  lie  hid.  In  the  very  heart  of  things,  and, 
as  the  Wise  Man  expresses  it,  "in  the  midst  of  the  stupid," 
it  has  its  proper  arena.  There  it  does  good.  There  it  gets 
good.  There  it  stands  out  in  its  boldest  contrasts.  There  it 
meets  its  boldest  trials.  But  there  it  wins  its  chiefest  victories; 
and  finds  God  its  '■''Maker  "  (v.  31)  lifting  it  to  the  noblest  good. 

There  is  no  danger  to  the  soul,  if  it  has  one  defence.  Whole 
nations  may  pass  through  fires,  if  they  have  that  one  refuge. 
There  is  only  one  real  act  of  compassion.  It  is  where  God 
gives  a  soul  redemption  : — 


34  Righteousness  ex- 
alteth  a  naiion  :  but 
sin  !s  a  reproach  to  any 
people. 


34  Righteousness  lifts  up  a  people ; 
and  the  mercy  for  nations  is  the  Sin-Offer- 

ing. 

"  Righteousness  "  means  saving  righteousness^  and  "  Sin-Offer- 
ing "  is,  literally,  '■'■sin."  It  is  so  in  other  passages  (Gen.  4  :  7). 
"  Righteousness  "  lifts  to  the  very  skies.  The  mercy  of  nations, 
as  the  words  literally  are,  is  not  wealth,  or  peace,  or  a  good 
king,  or  broad  lands  of  plenty;  but  an  interest  in  Christ  "  The 
Sin-Ofering,"  and  a  home  among  the  happy.  "Merry."  This 
word  is  thought  once  or  twice  to  mean  "  a  reproach  "  (E.  V.). 
It  is  marked  so  in  the  Lexicons.  They  quote  other  languages 
for  it.  But  we  have  examined  the  texts ;  and  they  all  seem 
better  undel-  the  old  sense  of  "mercy."  So  Leviticus  (20  :  17), 
"  It  is  a  wicked  thing  "  (viz.,  incest),  "  and  they  shall  be  cut 
off,  etc."  (E.  v.).  Rather,  " //  is  a  real  mercy  (observe  the 
pronoun)  that  they  be  cut  off  "  that  is,  the  sin  is  so  damning, 
and  they  are  getting  worse  so  fast.  Again,  (Prov.  25  :  10), 
"  Lest  he  that  heareth  it,  put  thee  to  shame  "  (E.  V.) ;  rather, 
^''  lest  he  pity  thee!"  which  is  the  worst  form  of  shame.  Lastly, 
Job  6:  14,  (sec  Gesenius);  though  here,  even  our  English  Ver- 
sion retains  the  usual  sense.  "  To  him  that  is  afflicted,  pity 
should  be  shown,  etc." 

35  The  kindness  of  a  king  is  a  wise  servant ;  1  .  35  The  king's  favour 

•i.v-  4.1.     1  ,  ,.'-f  toward   a   wise   ser- 

Dut   nis   wrath   becomes   one  that  brmgsUant :  but  his  wrath  is 

shame  against  him  that  caus- 

I  eth  shame. 


Chap.  XV.]  COMMENTAR  V.  207 

Solomon  gets  back  to  his  king-craft.  These  maxims  were 
familiar  to  him.  It  is  rarely  wise  for  "  a  king"  to  get  in  a  passion 
with  his  people  (see  vs.  29,  30).  "  If  thou  wilt  be  a  servant  unto 
this  people,"  was  said  to  the  successor  of  this  very  man  (i  Ki. 
12  :  7);  if  thou  wilt  "answer  them,  and  speak  good  words  to 
them,  then  they  will  be  thy  servants  forever."  But,  more  than 
king-craft,  it  is  a  rule  for  saints.  The  law  of  "  kindness  "  should 
be  on  our  lips.  "  The  power  of  gentleness  is  irresistible."  If  "///<? 
mercy  for  nations  is  the  Sin-Offering"  (see  last  verse),  then  we  are 
all  sinners  together,  and  modesty  forbids  that  we  should  go  among 
the  lost  with  anything  but  tenderness.  The  English  Version  is 
due  to  the  presence  of  a  preposition.  "  The  king's  favor  is  to- 
wards a  wise  servant."  But  that  preposition  becomes  idiomatic 
in  certain  cases.  I  say,  I  want  such  a  thing /i^r  a  shelter.  "  The 
kindness  of  a  king  is  for  a  wise  servant,"  i.  e.,  serves  as  one 
(see  I  Cor.  15  :  29*).  There  is  no  preposition  before  the  verb 
"brings  shame;"  but,  on  the  contrary,  the  verb  is,  is  written 
out,  and,  as  usual  in  that  case,  means  "becomes;"  all  of  which 
state  of  facts  is  in  favor  of  our  new  version.  "  Servant ;"  not 
simply  "  wise,"  but  an  actual  ^''servant"  to  the  king,  helping 
him  to  control  his  people. 

This  is  not  only  true  broadly,  but  in  each  particular  detail : — 


CHAPTER   XV. 


I  A  soft  answer  turns  away  wrath  ; 
but  a  trying  word  arouses  anger. 


A  SOFT  answer 
turneth  away  wrath  : 
but  grievous  words  stir 
up  anger. 


"  A  trying  word  ;"  literally,  a  word  of  labor  or  oi  pain.  In 
dealing  with  sinners  we  ought  to  make  the  gospel  plain  at  first, 
and  not  start  unnecessary  difficulties.  Paul  did  this  (i  Cor, 
3  :  2).  Words  that  are  not  wrathful,  are  often  "  trying,"  as  pre- 
senting to  some  angry  inferior  our  reply  in  an  easily  misunder- 
stood shape.     We  are  to  feed  men  with  milk,  and  not  with 

♦Though  this  is  pertinent  only  with  a  new  translation;    "baptized  for"  qjeaning 
"  baptized  as." 


2o8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XV. 

strong  meat ;  all  the  more  for  being  in  a  condition  of  fault.  So 
kings  have  found  it  secularly.  The  chapter  uselessly  makes 
division  here,  in  the  very  body  of  the  thought.  Indeed,  the 
thought  goes  on  for  many  a  sentence : — 


2  The  tongue  of  the  wise  improves  knowl- 
edge; 
but  the  mouth  of  the  stupid  makes  folly 
pour  forth. 


2  The  tongue  of  the 
wise  useth  knowledge 
aright :  but  the  mouth 
of  fools  poureth  out 
foolishness. 


The  outward  advantage,  as  seen  in  the  last  text,  is  made  to 
precede  the  inward,  as  occurs  very  often  in  the  course  of  these 
chapters  (14  :  30).  The  outward  advantage  was  the  turiiifig  away 
wrath.  The  inward  advantage  is  improving  knowledge.  The 
great  prize  of  the  Christian  is  a  higher  light.  Now,  a  careful 
"tongue"  secures  this.  No  human  agency  does  it  faster.  ^' The 
torigue  of  the  wise  does  good  to  knowledge"  (literally) ;  i.e.,  makes  it 
greater.  (We  have  examined  this  verb,  and  find  it  means  does 
good  to  nearly  everywhere).  While,  "  the  mouth  of  the  stupid  " 
makes  the  checks  of  wickedness  disappear  more  than  anything 
else  ;  giving  full  swing  to  the  habit  of  letting  "  folly  pour  forth." 

These  things  are  all  regulated  by  justice,  however.  How 
much  a  man  shall  be  allowed  to  sin ;  and  how  much,  by  sin- 
ning, he  shall  be  allowed  to  sin  more ;  and  how  much,  by 
speaking  wisely,  a  wise  man  shall  do  good  to  his  wisdom ;  are 
all  regulated  by  law.     Therefore  : — 


3  The  eyes  of  Jehovah  are  in  every  place 
taking  note  of  the  wicked  and  the  good. 


3  The  eves  of  the 
Lord  are  in  every 
place,  beholding  the 
evil  and  the  good. 


"Taking  note;"  i.  e.,  7vatching  like  an  intent  spy.  The  books 
are  kept  differently;  for  the  sinner,  exactly  according  to  justice. 
He  sins  that  much  more  for  every  act  of  sinning.  "  The 
wages  of  sin  "  is  that  much  more  "death,"  (Rom.  6  :  23)  ;  and 
all  measured  by  law.  But,  for  the  saint,  that  rule  would  Avork 
dreadfully.  He  also  sins,  and  that  grievously,  and  all  the  time. 
His  holiness  is  but  the  budding  of  reform.  His  reckoning, 
therefore,  is  of  grace.  It  is  above  measure,  and  beyond  every 
thought.     He,  also,  is  rewarded  according  to  his  works  (Rom. 


Chap.  XV.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  209 

2  :  6),  and  exactly  for  every  one  of  them  (Luke  19  :  17),  but 
exactly  as  the  acorn  is  rewarded  in  the  tree,  beyond  all  possible 
claim  but  this: — viz.,  ^' grace  /or  grace;"  "the  n.-\easure  of 
the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ." 

"  The  "tongue,"  (to  return  to  the  subject  treated),  that  is, 
that  tongue,  which  is  "  a  witness  of  truth,"  and,  therefore, 
"  saves  souls  "  (14  :  25),  "is  a  tree  of  life."  Go  into  any  garden 
of  the  lost,  and  where  no  such  "  tree  "  is,  there  all  are  Pagans. 
One  sees,  therefore,  how  the  figure  is  kept  up.  If  I  am  born 
into  a  land  where  there  are  gospel  tongues  j  that  is,  if,  when  I 
grow  up,  I  am  not  in  China,  and  not  in  India,  but  in  a  Chris- 
tian village;  where  people  have  and  spread  the  gospel,  that 
^^  tongue,  as  a  healing  thing,  is  (my)  tree  of  life."  Where  I  get 
"  life  "  is  from  its  branches.  But,  in  the  same  garden,  there 
are  other  tongues.  There  is  a  tongue  which  is  "  a  subverting 
thing."  Now,  the  tongue,  ^^  as  a  subverting  thing,  is  ruin  like 
the  wind."  '"'"Like,"  is  ^  essentiae.  "As,"  too,  is  the  same  prepo- 
sition :  literally,  "  overthrow  as  it,"  or,  "  //  in  the  shape  of  over- 
throw." Such  a  i  occurs  twice,  accordingly,  in  this  closing 
clause : — 


4  The  tongue,  as  a  healing  thing,  is  a  tree  of 
life; 
but,  as  a  subverting  thing,  it  is  ruin  like  the 


wind. 


4  A  wholesome 
tongue  is  a  tree  of  life  : 
but  perverseness  there- 
in is  a  breach  in  the 
spirit. 


"  The  wind"  often  translated  "  spirit "  (E.  V.) ;  but  the 
primary  meaning  is  ^'"breath,"  or,  "wind;"  and  the  primary 
meaning  will  eventually  win  the  day,  where  it  gives  quickness 
to  the  sense. 

The  tongue,  however,  that  subverts,  and  works  "  ruin,"  does 
good  also.     Even  the  devil  is  a  means  of  grace : — 

5  A  fool  rejects  the  discipline  of  his  father,^    hi^ father's" in sIrucUon'l 

i)ut   he   that   regardeth 
reproof  is  prudent. 


but  gives  him  subtlety  who  keeps  watch 
upon  reproof 


Notice  how  strangely  intense !     A  "  fool  "  can  do  for  a  wise 
man  what  even  his  own  "father"  cannot  do  for  the  ''fool.^ 
The  lesson  is  akin  to  that  in  14  :  7,  and  29  :  16.     The  impeni- 


2IO  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XV. 

tent  man  "  rejects"  even  the  tenderest  appeals ;  while  the  rough 
life  of  the  ungodly  is  a  tender  appeal  to  the  believer.  "  Gives 
subtlety;"  in  the  English  Version,  ''■  is  pnidoit  "  ^^  is  n'ise,"  in 
several  other  passages.  But  the  form  is  Hiphil.  We  have  ex- 
amined those  passages.  The  causative  seems  to  be  their  happiest 
sense.  So,  Ps.  83  :  4,  "  They  have  taken  crafty  counsel  against 
thy  people  "  (E.  V.) ;  better,  **  they  have  made  their  counsel 
crafty  against,  etc."  So  Prov.  19  :  25,  "  Smite  a  scorner,  and 
the  simple  will  beware  "  (E.  V.)  :  better,  *'  Smite  a  scorner,  and 
it  will  make  the  simple  wise."  Where  one  has  the  advantage 
of  the  form,  he  certainly  has  the  right,  if  there  be  a  superior 
significance. 

If  the  nature  of  a  righteous  man,  like  some  kindly  soil,  can 
thus  use  even   poisons   for   its   good,    piety   must   be   a   high 
riches  : — 
6  The   house   of  a  righteous  man   is  great]  .6  in  the  house  of  the 

-^  ^'^  t>  o  righteous    is     much 

treasure :    but   in    the 


wealth ; 

but  in   the  revenue  of  a  wicked  man  is 
trouble. 


revenues  of  the  wicked 
is  trouble. 


"  The  house;"  as  we  have  repeatedly  seen  (14  :  i ;  i  Sam.  2  : 
35),  a  man's  whole  interest.  The  mere  interest  of  the  "right- 
eous," whether  it  seem  high  or  low ;  his  lot,  whether  it  be  on 
high  or  on  a  dung-hill ;  his  hap,  just  as  it  is,  whether  it  be 
easy  or  under  pain ;  is,  under  the  covenant  of  the  Almighty,  an 
enormous  riches;  while,  not  the  house  of  the  wicked ;  (for  the 
Wise  Man  intends  another  of  his  2d  clause  climaxes)  ;  but, 
stating  his  condition  in  the  most  favorable  way,  "  the  revenue 
of  the  wicked,"  imagining  that  to  be  of  the  most  favorable  kind  ; 
and  not  ''''the  revenue  of  the  wicked,''  but  "in  "  the  revenue  of 
the  wicked,  as  though  the  "  trouble  "  were  in  the  revenue  itself; 
is,  literally,  the  being  troubled  (Nij)hal).  The  splendors  of  the 
lost  will  involve  but  trouble  in  the  whole  eternity. 

But  back  now  again  to  the  matter  of  speech  (for  we  must  ob- 
serve that  this  writer  indulges  the  diversions  of  thought,  and 
yet  tenaciously  returns) : — 
7  The  lips  of  the  wise  winnow  knowledge:     !    7  The  lips  of  the 

',  .  '^  .  -,  ^        ...  „        o'wise  disperse  knowl- 

but  the  heart  of  the  stupid  is  not  fixed.  [edge:  but  the  heart  of 

i  the  foolish   doeth  not 


Chap  XV.]  COMMENTARY.  211 

"Winnow."  Most  commentators  ?,a.y  scatter,  or  ^^ disperse" 
(E.  v.).  "  Winnow"  which  has  usage  (Ruth  3  ta),  bears  bet- 
ter upon  the  second  clause.  "  The  tongue  of  the  wise,"  in  the 
second  verse,  was  said  to  do  good  to  knowledge,  i.  e.,  to  increase 
it.  This  thought  is  expository  of  that.  IVinnowing  kno7ulcdge, 
I.  e.,  letting  the  lips,  under  the  guidance  of  wisdom,  be  an  in- 
strument for  holding  folly  back,  and  giving  utterance  to  knowl- 
edge, must  be  the  finest  practice  for  giving  strength  to  piety  : 
while  the  second  clause  shows  the  incompetence  of  folly  to 
^^ winnow  "  anything,  by  saying,  that  "the  heart  of  the  stupid  is 
not  fixed;"  (and,  therefore,  lacks  the  first  principles  of  choice, 
in  separating  one  thing  from  the  other). 

The  next  verse,  perhaps,  might  begin  a  chapter.  Leaving 
the  specialty'  of  speech,  he  goes  on  to  more  general  conduct : — 


8  The  sacrifice  of  the 
wicked  is  an  abomina- 
tion   to   the   Lord: 


8  The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomina- 
tion to  Jehovah ;  ,       ,  .  ^ 

,..,  r^i  •l.i'TJ'J^      out   the  prayer  of  the 

but  the  prayer  of  the  upright  is  His  de-  upright /^^ his  delight, 
light.  I 

"The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked,"  though  it  may  be  very  costly; 
the  column  of  Stylites;  the  hook-swinging  of  the  East;  the 
millions  of  anxious  charity ;  without  grace,  must  be  purely  sin. 
"  The  prayer  of  the  upright ;"  (and  now  mark  the  climax  again) ; 
though  it  asks,  instead  of  gives ;  though  it  takes  from  the  Al- 
mighty, instead  oi giving  to  his  service,  yet  is  a  "  deUght,"  where 
the  other  is  abominable.  A  man  may  serve  God  out  of  a  sheer 
selfish  wickedness.  Moreover,  all  are  abominable.  There  is 
no  just  man  upon  earth.  But  the  righteous  has  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ ;  while  these  others  are  left,  without  a  cover,  to 
their  own  abominable  guiltiness. 

The  Wise  Man,  too,  remembers  a  difference  in  their  "way." 
Both  are  sinners ;  but  the  one  sinner  is  travelling  after  sin,  the 
other  after  holiness.     This  is  a  vast  difference  :— 


9  An  abomination  to  Jehovah  is  a  way  for 
the  wicked  man  ; 
but  him  who  is  journeying  after  righteous- 
ness He  loves. 
Both  being  sinful,  this  is,  indeed,  a  very  skilful  discrimina- 


g  The  way  of  the 
wicked  is  an  abomina- 
tion unto  the  Lord  : 
but  he  loveth  him  that 
foUoweth  after  right- 
eousness. 


212  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XV. 

tion.  The  sin,  which  they  both  Suffer,  one  pursues,  the  other 
shuns.  The  holiness,  which  they  both  lack,  one  neglects,  the 
other  follows.  That  which  is  the  divine  "abomination,"  the 
sinner  makes  his  very  '''"way."  That  which  is  God's  ^^ delight" 
(v,  8),  the  saint  pursues  after.  Hence  a  vast  difference.  We 
are  to  notice  the  order  of  the  9th  verse :  it  varies  from  the  8th. 
The  abomination  of  Jehovah  is  itself  a  way  for  the  wicked. 

As  another  feature,  the  Wise  Man  points  out  the  influence 
of  the  truth  as  a  savour  of  death  unto  death  : — 


10  Discipline  is  an  evil  to  him  who  forsakes 
the  path. 
It  is  in  hating  reproof  he  dies. 


10  Correction  is 
grievous  unto  him  that 
forsaketh  the  way  ;  and 
he  that  hateth  reproof 
shall  die. 


In  our  common  version,  this  idea  is  not  brought  out.  It  is  a 
very  grave  idea.  Men  not  converted,  but  steadily  forsaking  the 
path  of  holiness,  are  injured  by  "discipline."  It  "is  an  evil" 
to  them.  "In  hating  reproof,"  they  go  through  the  very  soul- 
action  which  we  mean,  when  we  say,  "they  die."  Each  "hat- 
ing "  emotion  kills  them.  And  this  is  the  very  philosophy  of 
the  letter  hilling  (2  Cor.  3:6);  not  that  it  is  poison  in  itself; 
but  that  the  gospel  awakens  opposition,  which,  on  its  part,  cor- 
rupts the  mind. 

The  lost  man,  as  the  result,  regulates  by  these  changes  from 
death  unto  death  his  whole  eternity.  That  is,  eternal  justice, 
starting  in  this  world  to  sink  a  sinner />ro  gradu  in  sinning,  con- 
tinues the  like  law  and  the  like  descent,  (I  mean,  more  sinning 
for  more  sin),  through  all  eternity.  To  arrange  hell,  therefore, 
God  need  but  inspect  the  human  heart : — 


II  Sheol  and  Destruction  are  before  Jehovah, 
because  also  the  hearts  of  the  children  of 


II  Hell  and  destruc- 
t  i  o  n  are  before  the 
Lord  ;  how  much  more 
then  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  men  ? 

'"''How  much  w^/r"(E.  v.).  We  see  no  ground  for  this. 
There  are  but  two  simple  particles,  "also"  and  "because." 
How  do  we  get  "  ho7s.i  much  more  "  out  of  them  ?  We  doubt 
whether  they  ever  have  that  meaning  (see  Class  XLIV.).  But 
in  this  text,  "  also "  and  "  because "  are  just  what  we  want. 
"Sheol  and  Destruction,"  i.  e.,  the  grave  and  that  doom  that  it 


Chap.  XV.]  COMMENTARY.  213 

precedes,  "  are  before  Jehovah,  because,  also,  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  men  "  are  before  Him.  The  intimation  is,  God  knows 
Hell  because  He  knows  man.  He  knows  that,  "  hating  reproof,  we 
die"  (v.  10),  and  just  how  fast  we  die  or  sink  by  each  act  of 
hating.  In  other  words,  He  knows  how  fast  sin  grows  under  an 
administration  of  justice  ;  and,  therefore.  He  knows  just  how 
hot  to  make  the  pit,  and  how  far  a  given  sinner  will  have  gone 
down,  at  any  date,  through  his  eternal  age.  He  knows  Hell, 
"  because,  also,  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men." 

Nor  will  these   presagings  be  vitiated  by  any  unexpected 
turning  back : — 


12  A  scorner  loves  not  him  that  reproves  him  ; 
neither  will  he  go  to  the  wise. 


12  A  scorner  loveth 
not  one  that  reproveth 
him  ;  neither  will  he  go 
unto  the  wise. 


Nulla  vestigia  retrorsum.  God  need  not  calculate  anything 
but  a  perpetual  decline ;  because  snatching  the  sinner  back  is 
His  own  salvation.  A  sinner  is  just  as  much  fixed  as  in  the 
pit,  except  for  the  special  act  of  the  grace  of  the  Most  High. 
The  saints,  He  saves.  All  sinners,  not  specially  delivered,  keep 
away  from  Him.  They  keep  away  from  Him  by  a  law  as  fixed 
as  Himself.  He  understands  that  law.  He  announces  it  in 
this  text.  He  knows  Death  and  Hell,  because,  also,  the  hearts  of 
His  wicked  creatures.  And  He  knows  when  they  will  not  es- 
cape ;  because  He  knows  whom  He  will  deliver ;  and  He  knows 
that  all  the  rest  love  not  Him  that  reproves  them,  neither  will  go 
to  the  wise. 

On  the  contrary,  they  grow  morose  and  complaining.  This 
affects  their  countenances  (v.  14).  Disliking  reproof,  they  grow 
bitter.  It  appears  upon  the  face ;  and  one  of  the  influences  of 
religion  is,  to  clear  up  the  upbraiding  countenance : — 


13  A  merry  heart 
maketh  a  cheerful 
countenance  :  but  by 
sorrow  of  the  heart  the 
spirit  is  broken. 


13  A  glad  heart   does  good   to    the  counte- 
nance ; 
but  by  grief  of  heart  comes  an  upbraiding 
spirit. 

"A  glad  heart;"  one  of  thg  attributes  of  piety.  "Does  good 
to  ;"  "  Come  with  us,  and  we  will  do  thee  good  "  (Num.  10  :  29). 
"  Doei  good  to  the  countenance  y"  improves  it,  as  we  say  in  our 


214  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XV. 

idiom.  ,  "But  by  grief  of  heart;"  that  heavy-lading,  that  Christ 
speaks  of  (Matt.  11:28).  "Comes  an  upbraiding  spirit."  I 
venture  this  from  the  verb  fli^3>  meaning  to  upbraid.     This, 

T     T 

seems  a  Niphal  participle,  having  a  passive  causative  force : 
literally,  a  spirit  set  to  upbraiding,  or  caused  to  upbraid.  The 
commentators  all  go  in  another  direction ;  creating  an  irregular 
derivative  from  another  root.  They  speak  of  a  "  broken-spirit " 
(E.  v.).  The  difficulties  of  that  are,  that  the  sentence  becomes 
a  truism,  and,  moreover,  we  lose  a  most  graphic  account  of  the 
lost  state.  On  earth  and  in  hell  the  lost  "  spirit "  is  an  tipbraider. 
What  can  show  more  the  sinner's  being  fixed  in  the  wrong  path 
than  that  he  both  hates  reproof  (v.  12),  and  becomes  himself  a 
reprover  ;  that  he  both  keeps  clear  of  the  wise,  and  blasphemes 
and  upbraids  them  }  Out  of  this,  religion  redeems  "the  stupid  " 
(v.  14).  The  least  measure  of  introduced  **  knowledge  "  sets  a 
man  to  seeking  more  and  more ;  while  the  very  "  countenance 
of  the  stupid"  seems  to  grow  fatter  and  more  coarse,  as  though 
the  very  face  itself  fed  on  folly : — 

14  A  heart,  made  discerning,  seeks  knowledge : ! .,  ^^  The  heart  of  him 

~  '  c>!  .  ,    -        ,    °     'that  hath   understand- 

but  the  countenance  of  the  stupid  feeds  on  I  ingseeUeth  knowledge: 

r   11  but  the  mouth  of  fools 

lOliy.  I  feedeth  on  foolishness. 

Literally,  pastures,  like  a  brute.  A  thing  fed,  takes  the 
texture  of  its  nourishment.  "  The  coutitena/ice  of  the  stupid" 
stevci%  fed  of  folly.  It  grows  more  and  more  inane  and  brutal. 
The  Septuagint  has  caught  this  idea.  For,  deranging  the  13th 
verse,  it  casts  out  the  idea  of  "  spirit,"  and  abides  by  the  figure. 
"  A  glad  heart  does  good  to  the  countenance  j  but  a  grieved  heart 
OKv'hpo)TTd^ei,  i.  e.,  has  a  perturbed  or  angry  aspect."  Perhaps, 
also,  the  superficial  motives  of  sin  are  noted.  Light  wakes  a 
deep-seated  appetite;  sin  feeds  the  face.  ''^Countenance." 
There  is  a  rival  reading.  It  means  ^^ the  fnouth"  (E.  V.). 
But  (i),  because  "  countenance  "  is  mentioned  in  the  last  verse  ; 
and  because  (2)  it  is  the  more  difficult  idea*  (viz.,  to  speak  of 
the  "  countenance  "  as  ^^  feedi/ig") ;  and  because  (3)  the  sense  is 
so  graphic  ;  and  because  (4)  it  is  in  the  received  text,  we  make 

*  It  is  the  rule  of  exegetes,  that  the  more  difficult  idea  shall  be  preferred  in  the  codex, 
because  the  more  likely  to  be  rejected  by  the  copyists. 


/ 


Chap.  XV.]  COMMENTARY.  215 

no  hesitation  in  preferring  our  present  Hebrew.  "  Made  dis- 
cerning;" a  Niphal,  that  is  to  be  translated  as  a  causative  pas- 
sive. 

The  hard  '*  coujiienance  "  of  the  lost  is  fed  by  the  more  uni- 
versal sorrow  of  the  world  : — 


15  All  the  days  of  the  toiling  are  evil ; 
but  a  good  heart  is  a  continual  feast. 


15  All  the  days  of  the 
afflicted  are  evil  :  but 
he  that  is  of  a  merry 
heart  Aai/i  a  continual 
feast. 


A  glorious  comparison  !  A  sour  heart  is  fed  by  a  hard  life  ; 
and,  yet,  though  the  hard  life  is  common  to  all,  a  brightened 
spirit  masters  it ;  and  not  only  masters  it,  but  sweetens  it ;  and 
turns  "  the  days  of  the  toiling"  into  "  a  continual  feast."  "  Toi7- 
■  ing."  The  word  is  very  peculiar.  "  Afflicted"  our  Version  has 
it.  "  Humble  "  is  the  translation  in  many  a  case.  "  Toiling  " 
strikes  us  as  best ;  (i)  because  such  is  the  root :  the  verb,  first 
of  all,  means  lo  toil.  And  (2),  such  is  the  sense  :  the  toiling 
character  of  life  makes  all  groan  together.  "  All  the  days  of  the 
toiling  are  evil."  We  are  not  paid.  Such  is  the  toil  of  our 
spirits,  that  life  is  a  battle.  As  a  worldly  maxim,  "a  good 
heart "  carries  the  day.  But,  as  an  adopted  text,  the  wise  saw 
strengthens  itself.  Under  the  toils  of  life,  "■  a  good  heart;'  re- 
generate by  grace,  greets  the  same  toil  the  lost  man  does,  and 
finds  the  "  heart"  itself,  "  a  co7itinual  feast." 

Religion,  therefore,  makes  the  opulent  man  : — 


than  a  great  treasure  and  trouble  there- 
with. 


16  Better  is  little 


16  Better  is  a  little  with  the  fear  of  Jehovah,     ^^r-^  The" Year  of  the 


Lord,  than  great  treas- 
ure, and  trouble  there- 
with. 


The  preposition  gives  choice  of  meanings.  It  may  be,  by 
"the  fear  of  Jehovah;"  in  which  case  it  would  mean,  the 
"  httle  "  earned  by  piety  :  or  it  may  be  in  "  the  fear  of  Jeho- 
vah ;"  in  which  case  it  would  mean  the  ''little"  held  and  pt 
possession  of  in  a  devout  state  ;  or  it  may  be  along  "  with,"  as 
the  word  often  means.  All  the  ideas  are  correct.  We  choose 
as  our  English  Version ;  and,  of  course,  for  both  parts  of  the 
sentence;  for  the  expression,  "therewith,"  has  the  same  fam- 
iliar preposition,  and  the  same  chance  of  either  of  the  alterna 


2i6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XV. 

tive  meanings.  "  Better  "  is  a  Christian's  shieling,  than  an  im- 
penitent man's  palace  (14:11).  "  Better  is  a  little  with  the  fear 
of  Jehovah,  than  a  great  treasure  and  trouble  therewith." 

And  that,  not  on  account  of  heaven  alone,  but  for  the  in- 
trinsic joys  of  piety  : — 

17  Better  is  an  allowance  of  vegetables,  and  of'herbfwhe^e^iov"";" 


love  there, 
than  a  stalled  ox,  and  hatred  therewith. 


than  a  stalled  ox  and 
hatred  therewith. 


"An  allowance  ;"  literally,  a  thing  appointed ;  the  past  parti- 
ciple from  a  verb  to  decree.  The  speech  is  dense.  Not  only 
"  vegetables,"  but  the  lighter  sorts  of  them ;  more  nearly 
'''"herbs"  (E.  V.);  not  only  light  fare,  like  that,  but  a  limited 
atnoiint ;  not  o\\\y  fesh,  on  the  other  scale,  but  "  stalled  "  beef; 
not  only  "  stalled  "  beef,  but  no  limit ;  "  a  stalled  ox."  Not  only 
might  this  well  be  a  worldly  Proverb  (where,  doubtless,  Solo- 
mon found  it),  to  represent  the  married  state,  and  all  the  arena 
of  human  affection  ;  but  signal,  when  brought  into  religion. 
"  A  dinner  of  herbs'"  (E.  V.),  with  the  blessed  "  love"  of  the  Re- 
deemer, is  better  than  a  pampered  feast,  and  the  gloom  of  the 
impenitent. 

Nay  this  "  love"  makes  love,  and  quiets  life  : — 


18  A   wrathful   man  stirs   up   a   ground    for 
quarrel ; 
but  one  slow  to  anger  quiets  contention. 


18  A  wrathful  man 
stirreth  up  strife :  but 
he  that  is  slow  to  anger 
appeaseth  strife. 


In  the  pit,  the  blasphemy  will  rise  and  swell,  as  it  is  stirred 
up  one  man  by  his  neighbor.  Upbraidings  (v.  13)  are  con- 
tagious, even  in  this  world.  Ordinary  quarrels  are  wonderfully 
quieted,  if  a  man  waits.  But  divine  quarrels,  if  we  stay  to  look 
at  God,  and  observe  His  reasonings,  are  wonderfully  held  back, 
and,  by  His.  grace,  signally  prevented. 

Grace  has  not  only  a  brighter  (v.  15),  but  an  easier  time.  We 
see  the  like  in  worldly  matters  : — 


10  The  way  of  a  sluggard  is  as  a  hedge  of    ,'?.T''^  way  of  the 

-'  ■'  00  D  slothful   ?rian   is  as  an 

thorns ; 
but  the  path  of  the  upright  is  cast  up. 


hedge  of  tliorns  :  but 
the  way  of  the  right- 
eous IS  made  plain. 


Chap.  XV."|  COMMENTARY.  217 

Nothing  is  more  striking  than  the  ease  with  which  a  prompt 
man  works.  His  tackle  is  all  right ;  so  is  his  ground ;  it  has 
been  made  smooth  by  his  last  year's  toil.  His  hands  are  not 
blistered.  His  lazy  neighbor  admires,  and  longs  after  his 
chance.  Laziness  begets  labor.  In  the  round  year,  the  slug- 
gard fevers  himself  more  than  the  diligent.  While,  in  the 
spiritual  world,  the  Proverb  is  more  signal  still.  Just  where 
"  the  upright "  stands  there  is  a  smooth  path ;  (and,  let  it  be 
observed,  "  the  upright  "  means  the  smooth,  the  level  j  see  Class 
XXXn.).  Just  where  the  sinner  stands  is  a  thorn  hedge.  He 
camwt  enter  into  life.  So  he  imagines.  And  yet  he  is  a  "  slug- 
gard;" for  he  will  not  ^o  the  plainest  duties.  The  Proverb  is 
right,  therefore, — that  it  is  a  principle  of  sluggardism  to  create 
"  a  hedge  of  thorns  •"  and  that  it  is  far  smoother  to  take  hold  of 
the  faith  by  the  right  handle,  and,  at  once,  than  to  be  eternally 
kicking  against  the  pricks  of  the  gospel. 

Do  not  let  us  forget,  either,  the  higher  motive  : — 


20  A  wise  son  will  gladden  his  father; 
but  a  fool  of  a  man  despises  his  mother. 


20  A  wise  son  mak- 
eth  a  glad  father  :  but 
a  foolish  man  despiseth 
his  mother. 


]i.have  said  already  (i  :  8)  that  the  fifth  commandment  sums 
up  the  first  table.  It  figures  all  relations.  Our  highest  "  father  " 
is  God.  "  A  wise  son  "  will  stir  himself  to  do  all  his  duty,  that 
he  may  please  God.  This  is  his  highest  motive.  In  another 
place,  we  translated  in  the  imperative ;  because  it  suited  the 
sense.  But  here,  the  second  clause  is  a  direct  didactic  asser- 
tion. The  "  mother  "  stands  for  the  higher  relation,  just  as  the 
''''father  "  does.  Just  as  the  worldly,  if  they  have  the  feelings 
of  men,  will  honor  their  blood ;  so  the  Christian,  will  not  only 
be  faithful  to  his  earthly  parents,  but  will  find  it  his  most  in-; 
stinctive  life,  to  obey  "  his  Father  "  in  the  Heavens. 

There  are,  therefore,  higher  motives  than  "joj^,"  whether 
present  or  eternal.  But  ^foy,"  and,  too  often,  merely  of  the 
present,  is  too  much  the  motive  of  the  impenitent : — 

21  Folly  is  joy  to  the  heartless  man  ;         _        |,  -  ,t"^f  distTtule 
but  a  man  of  discernment  makes  a  direct'of  wisdom:  but  a  man 

,         i  of  understandmg  walk- 

iraCK.  .  Igth  uprij^htly. 

10 


2i8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XV. 

Not  so  much,"  folly  "  is  joyful ;  for  that  is  only  partially  the 
case.  We  have  already  seen  (v.  13)  how  sin  crimps  the  coun- 
tenance. But  ''''folly  is  Joy  j"  that  is,  the  life  of  a  sinner  is  like 
a  grazed  ox,  who  strikes  for  the  sweetest  pasture.  The  text 
marks  a  vital  difference  : — "  A  man  of  discernment  makes  a  di- 
rect track."  That  is,  as  a  thrifty  house-keeper  tumbles  up  her 
rooms,  and  makes  things  right,  whether  it  be  pleasant  or  not 
so  the  Christian,  for  the  love  of  the  Almighty,  "  tuakes  a  direct 
track  "  that  is,  makes  things  straight,  whether  a  joy  or  not. 
Note,  then,  the  vital  difference.  ^^  Folly  is  Joy."  It  does  not 
arrive  at  it;  but  its  quintessence  is,  that  it  thought  it  would 
While  the  good,  not  stupidly  either,  but  as  "  a  )nan  of  discern- 
vievt"  puts  duty  first,  and  takes  joy  as  it  comes ;  so  answer- 
ing the  words  of  Christ : — "  For  whosoever  will  save  his  life, 
shall  lose  it ;  but  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life,  for  my  sake  and 
the  gospel's,  the  same  shall  save  it  (Mar.  8  :  35)." 

"  The  law  of  [the]  mind  "  (Rom.  7  :  23)  being,  therefore,  the 
guide  of  the  Christian,  gives  the  greatest  room  for  the  counsel 
of  others  j  particularly  of  the  Great  Counsellor : — 

22  There  is  a  failure  of  plans  where  there  is     "  without  counsel 

i  purpo-ies   are  disap- 

pointed: but  in  the 
multitude  of  counsel- 
1  o  r  s  they  are  estab- 
lished. 


no  consulting ; 
but  by  greatness  of  counsellors  each  plan 
succeeds. 


"Failure;"  a  failing j  infinitive  Hiphil  of  the  verb  to  break. 
Where  there  is  no  counsel  at  all  j  that  is,  where  there  are  none 
to  "tell  it  to  the  generation  following"  (Ps.  48:  13),  religion 
dies  out.  The  counsel  of  parents  is,  instrumentally,  life.  The 
counsel  of  Christ  is  vitally  so.  "Greatness  of  counsellors."  It 
is  more  important  to  have  gr-'at  counsellors  than  a  "  multitude  " 
(E.  V.) ;  and  the  word  means  great,  oftcner  than  it  does  many 
(see  20  :  6). 

To  this  thought,  of  counsel,  the  Wise  Man  adds  the  priceless- 
ness  of  the  "  word,"  that  this  good  counsel  may  prompt  a  man 
to  give  forth.  In  those  oral  times,  a  "  icord"  might  destroy.  A 
man  might  bargain  (see  18  :  21)  by  the  breath  of  his  mouth,  in 
a  way  that  might  ruin  him  in  a  moment.  So  might  he  make 
himself  rich : — 


Chap.  XV.]  COMMENTARY.  219 

23  A  man  has  joy  by  the  decree  of  his  mouth ; 
and  a  word  in  its  season,  how  good  it  is ! 


23  A  man  hath  joy 
by  the  answer  of  his 
mouth  ;  and  a  word 
spoken  in  due  season, 
how  good  is  it ! 


The  verb  usually  translated  to  "  answer  "  (E.  V.),  means  pri- 
marily to  sing,  or,  rather,  to  break  out  with  the  voice;  rather  to 
speak  after  a  silence;  which,  of  course,  would  usually  be  in 
making  ''answer."     Hence  the  idiom,  ''answered  and  said''— 
literally,  broke  Silence,  and  said.     Such  an  utterance  would  be- 
come very  oracular  in  the  more  solemn  decisions  of  life.     A 
"  decree,"  as  we  have  translated  it,  is  a  noun  out  of  the  above  des- 
cribed verb.     It  means  an  uttered  decision  ;  such  as  an  answer 
may  be  to  a  business  speech ;  such  as  is  alluded  to  on  God's 
part,  chap.  16  :  4;  and  such  as  may  be  overmasteringly  momen- 
tous in  the  business  and  results  of  life.     Solomon  sees  in  it  a 
rare  truth  in  respect  to  decisions  for  immortality.     "  A  word!" 
Why,  it  may  win  eternity !     An  offer  presses !     "  A  word  "  re- 
fuses !      "A  word"  snatches   possession  forever!      Lo !    the 
amazing  difference!     Body  and   soul   hang  upon  "a   word." 
Great  counsel  (v.  22),  indeed,  that  is,  that  prompts  a  man  to  say. 
Yes '  and  "  a  word  [spokefi)  in  season  "  truly  !  if  it  be  a  confes- 
sion of  Christ !  and  if  it  take  the  offer  of  an  eternal  blessedness  ! 
Because  there  is  no  drawing  back  after  that  beginning :— 

1  r       .1  •        .„„»,.  1     2d  The  way  of  life  ii 

24  The  path  of  life  is  upward  for  the  wise  man ,  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^e  wise,  that 
because  of  the  turning  from  Sheol  beneath.  l|;^^„-y^^^P-'  ^-- 

It  is  a  word  that  wins.  A  word,  if  it  be  gracious,  saves  for- 
ever Afterward,  "the  path  of  life"  goes  unceasingly  "up- 
ward," and  that  "because  of  the  {first)  turning  from  Sheol  be- 
neath." Let  "  the  word  spoken  in  season  "  be,  "  Lord,  I  believe, 
help  thou  mine  unbelief;"  and  let  the  word  be  genuine,  1.  e.,  as 
this  verse  describes  it,  a  turning-^  turning  round  upon  ones 
path,  i.  e.,  a  turning  upfront  Sheol,  (the  figure  of  the  pit  Ps.  9  : 
17),  and  the  man's  joy  is  won.  His  path,  after  that,  shall  be 
«  upward"  perpetually.  A  man  shall  have  joy  by  the  decree  of 
his  mouth,  and  a  word  spoken  in  its  season,  how  good  is  tt  (v.  23  j  . 
Every  other  joy  is  "proud;"  that  is,  is  built  upon  a  mistake. 
All  other  joy  arrogates  a  good  condition  which  does  not  really 


220  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XV. 

exist.  It  is  only  the  humble  penitent  the  boundary  of  whose 
estate  is  fixed.  Solomon  brings  this  home  by  another  worldly 
Proverb : — 


25  The  house  of  the  proud  shall  Jehovah  pull 
down ; 
but  He  keeps  fixed  the  boundary  of  the 
widow. 


25  The  Lord  will 
destroy  the  house  of 
the  proud  :  but  he  will 
establish  the  border  of 
the  widow. 


"The  house;"  i.  e.,  every  interest  (14  :  i).  "Pull  down ;"  be- 
cause even  worldly  men  have  noticed  the  precariousness  of 
pride.  "The  widow;"  even  worldly  eyes  have  noticed  that 
these  are  wards  of  the  Almighty.  But  Solomon  adopts  each 
Proverb  spiritually.  "  The  proud"  is  the  man  too  well  satisfied 
in  his  own  mind  (21  :  24)  to  utter  the  good  wordy  and  have  Joy 
(v.  23)  ;  and  "  the  widow"  is  the  "  poor  in  heart,"  who  is  ready 
with  the  availing  ''''  ans7ver  "  "  Lord,  I  believe." 

The  difference,  which  this  good  "  word  "  begins,  turns  out  to 
be  a  difference  of  usefulness.  The  man,  who  has  turned  up 
from  Sheol  (v.  24),  is  a  man  who  has  turned  away  from  mis- 
chief:— 


26  Plans  of  evil  are  the  abomination  of  Jeho- 
vah; 
but  pleasant  words  are  pure. 


26  The  thoughts  of 
the  wicked  arc  an  ab- 
omination to  the  Lord: 
but  tke  ivords  of  the 
pure  are  pleasant 
words. 


"Evil."  This  is  the  name  for  wickedness  which  most  fre- 
quently means  mischief.  '  The  false  messenger  (13  :  17)  will  be 
swept  out  of  the  way,  because  he  is  an  "  evil."  He  answers  no 
end  but  judgment.  God  lights  His  candles,  to  put  them  on  a 
candlestick  (Luke  8  :  16).  "  Pleasant  words;"  literally,  '''' words 
of  pleasantness."  "Pleasant  7i'ords  are  pure."  This  is  the  Scrip- 
ture ethics.  If  we  desire  to  know  whether  "  jcords  are  pure  f 
(and  "  7i.iords"  here,  for  Eastern  reasons,  mean  actions  as  well 
as  "  words  ;"  nay,  really  mean  the  whole  round  of  conduct ;  see 
remarks  pp.  163,  174;  see  also  Job  20  :  12  ;  Is.  10  :  7);  if  we 
wish  to  know,  whether  a  man's  whole  life  is  " pure ;"  all  we 
have  to  ask  is, — Is  it  kind?  "  Ye  owe  no  man  anything  but  to 
love  one  another"  (Rom.  i -,  :  ^).  It  is  the  plans  of  mischief 
that  "  are  the  aborrination  o^  T^Vovah."     And  the  reason  heaven 


Chap.  XV.]  COMMENTARY.  221 

is  a  place  of  rest,  is,  that  the  ^'' pure "  are  so  filled  with  the 
warmth  of  love,  that  it  is  easy  to  cultivate  grace,  and,  in  kind- 
ness to  others,  to  hold  fast  one's  purity  of  spirit. 
Unpleasantness  is  an  unpleasa?itness  to  oneself: — 


27  He   troubles  his  house  who   seizes  upon 
prey; 
but  he  who  hates  bribes,  lives. 


27  He  that  is  greedy 
of  gain  troubleth  his 
own  house  :  but  he  that 
hateth  gifts  shall  live. 


It  would  be  a  disturbing  influence,  if  a  clod  ceased  to 
have  an  attraction  for  the  earth;  but  far  more  disturbing  to 
the  clod  than  to  the  planet.  Kindness  (v.  26)  is  a  universal 
gravitation.  It  is  the  highest  law  (one,  perhaps,  except)  of  the 
created  universe.  If  a  soul  ceases  to  be  kind,  it  disturbs  the 
universe ;  but  not  near  so  much  the  universe,  as  the  soul.  "  His 
house;"  as  elsewhere  (14:11),  his  whole  interest.  "Prey;" 
unkind,  and,  in  general,  too  eager  instances  of  snatching  upon 
wealth.  "Bribes;"  a  corresponding  term.  Solomon  is  full  of 
such  warnings  against  our  usual  business  eagerness  (18:1; 
20  :  21). 

If  kindness  be  the  wisest  course  (v.  26),  the  ^^pure"  will 
meditate  kindness,  and  digest  their  plans  for  it : — 

28  A  righteous  heart  thinks  in  order  to  decide ;   .  =^  Jhe  heart  of  the 

D  -  _  '   righteous    studieth    to 

answer:  but  the  mouth 
of  the  wicked  poureth 
out  evil  things. 


but  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  pours  out 
evils. 


"  Mouth ;"  all  agency.  Religion  is  so  much  like  politeness, 
that  a  polite  man  "  winnows  "  (v.  7)  his  acts,  till  they  look 
sometimes  like  religion;  but  watch  men,  where  the  guise  of 
kindness  fails  them,  viz.,  their  aim  to  be  polite,  and  their  "  mouth 
pours  out  evUs."  There  is  a  recklessness  of  act,  that  only  a 
religious  purity  (v.  26)  can  essentially  restrain. 

These  differences  of  the  two,  I  mean,  the  lost  and  the  saved, 
are  the  cause  and  the  consequence  of  very  different  relations 
that  they  bear  to  the  Almighty  : — 

29  Jehovah  is  far  from  the  wicked  ;  I  ,^1 TL'  widfe/-  but 

but  the  prayer  of  the  righteous  He  hears.  |  he  heareth  the  prayer 

^       ■'  °  of  the  righteous. 

The  second  clause  becomes  exegetical  of  the  first.     God  is 


22  2  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XV. 

not  far  from  any  body  (Ps.  139  :  8).  In  fact,  we  live  in  Him, 
But  He  is  far  from  many  people's  "prayer."  And,  if  sin  be,  so 
much,  unkindness,  how  can  we  complain  if  the  Great  King 
should  be  unkind  to  us  7 

Here  is  the  secret  of  v.  27, — "  He  troubles  his  house  "  who  is 
unkind  to  men.  Here  is  the  secret  of  v.  30.  It  was  an  old 
proverb,  no  doubt,  that  bright  eyes  made  others  happy,  and  that 
good  news  put  life  into  the  bones.  But  Solomon  seizes  upon  it 
as  of  our  relations  with  the  Most  High : — 


30  The  light  of  the  eyes  rejoices  the  heart. 
A  good  report  fattens  the  bones. 


30  The  light  of  the 
eyes  rejoiceth  the 
heart  :  and  a  good  re- 
port maketh  the  bones 
fat. 

The  thought  that  "  ligM  "  may  mean  "  the  eyes' "  own  light, 
and  that  the  mighty  truth  intended  is,  that  the  "light"  the 
mind  sees,  "  rejoices"  it  with  blessed  inward  revelations,  is  cor- 
rected by  the  fact,  that  the  word  has  )2  prefixed.  Such  deriva- 
tives have  an  implication  of  place,  y^^  means  light  unlocal- 
ized,  like  the  creature  of  the  first  day.  lii^^  means  a  lumi- 
nary, or  something  that  yields  light.  "  The  light  of  the  eyes  " 
means  the  look  of  a  pleased  friend.  When  He  is  the  Almighty, 
how  it  "  rejoices  the  heart."  And  when  the  rapture  of  another 
sense  is  secured  by  "a  good  report"  {"  a  good  hearing  "  as  it  is 
in  the  original),  the  good  news  being  also  from  on  high ;  it 
reaches  the  very  penetralia  of  our  comfort ;  or,  as  the  Proverb 
expresses  it,  it  fattens  {^our  very)  bones. 

It  does  so  permanently.  The  idea  of  abiding,  is  always  com- 
ing to  the  front.  J^aith,  first !  and  then  what  is  eternal !  A 
true  7vord ;  or,  one  right  answer  (v.  23) ;  and  then,  "  the  path  of 
life  uptvard  for  the  wise '"  (v.  24) ;  and  then  backward  never 
afterward : — 
^i  The  ear  that  hears  the  reproof  of  life  ^^'.P^^^V'f^v' 

O  .  .  -,*.  eth   the  reproof  of  life 

abides  m  the  midst  of  the  wise.  abideth  among  the 

wise. 

At  the  last  day  no  sheep  will  come  out  from  among  the  goats. 
But  now  there  is  a  daily  call.  It  is  "^  good  report"  (v.  30), 
viz.,  the  gospel.  It  is  a  "  reproof  of  life,"  i.  e.,  a  quickening  re- 
proof.    Blessed  is  the  man  that  "  heaxs"  it !    One  note  rescues 


Chap.  XV.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  223 

him,  and  moves  him  quite  out  from  among  the  lost ;  and,  after 
that,  to  present  the  great  burden  of  the  Proverb,  he  "  abides ;" 
literally,  stays  over  night  j  ex  tisu,  dwells  ;  i.  e.,  makes  a  pcrjiia- 
nefit  dwelling ;  and,  as  the  "ear"  will  be  eternally  the  same 
avenue  of  grace,  (for  "  ear'  is  the  feminine  with  the  verb), 
"  The  ear  that  hears  the  reproof  of  life  abides  in  the  midst  of 
the  wise." 

So- the  next  is  easy: — 

32  He  that  lets  go  admonition,  despises  him-  .  32  He  that  refuseth 

ir  '  r  instruction      despiseth 

self;  ■•  ... 


but  he  that  hears  reproof,  gets  possession 
of  heart. 


his  own  soul  :  but  he 
that  heareth  reproof 
getteth  understanding. 


If  the  31st  verse  is  true,  the  32d  verse  is  evident.  If  an 
hour  of  faith  puts  the  lost  among  the  saved,  he  that  "  lets  go"  a 
chance  for  it,  holds  his  very  being  in  contempt.  "  He  that 
hears  reproof  gets  possession  of  heart."  A  note  of  the  glad  in- 
telligence, lifts  a  man,  and  puts  him  in  ^^ possession  "  of  his 
being ;  nay,  of  a  kind  of  being  that  the  lost  know  nothing  of, 
viz.,  of  "  heart."  (There  is  no  article).  ''''Heart"  means  not  love^ 
as  we  count  it,  but  changed  hearty  i,  e.,  piety.  A  man  who  re- 
fuses to  believe,  "  despises  his  soul"  which  is  the  literal  He- 
brew; and  that,  not  so  unreally  as  we  might  suspect;  for  the 
noblest  attribute  of  a  soul  he  has  flung  off;  for  he  has  never 
reduced  it  to  his  possession. 

"  Reproof"  which  has  been  twice  used,  and  "  discipline  " 
which  is  now  made  to  balance  it  in  these  last  important  texts 
have  a  respect  of  painfulness ;  and  Solomon,  in  this  coming 
verse,  tempers  that  pain,  by  showing  what  "  discipline  "  really 
is  : — 

33  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  discipline  of 
wisdom ; 
and  before  glory  is  affliction. 


33  Thtf  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  the  instruction 
of  wisdom  ;  and  before 
honour  is  humility. 


"  Fear  hath  torment,"  says  the  apostle  John  (i  Jo.  4:18). 
That  fear  is  not  altogether  the  ''fear"  of  our  text;  but  is  a 
part  of  it.  I  do  not  remember  the  ''fear  "  of  the  Almighty  as 
a  title  applied  in  heaven.  "  The  fear  of  Sehov&h."  has  some 
particle  of  painfulness ;    and  that  painfulness  makes  it  of  the 


2  24  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVI. 

nature  of  **  discipline."  The  best  ^^  discipline"  of  the  saints  is 
the  abiding  '''"fear"  of  the  Almighty.  The  Proverb  seems  to 
imply  that  it  will  not  last  always ;  that  it  is  painful ;  and  that 
we  will  not  continue  pained  ; — that  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  be 
under  just  that  gentle  sort  of  discipline,  that  ''''fear  "  can  give, 
whilst  we  are  in  this  world.  And  that  necessity  he  states,  in 
that  "  before  glory  is  affliction."  Not  "  /lonor  "  (E.  V.) ;  so 
much  as  weighty  or  ''''glory."  Not  '''"humility"  (E.  V.);  but 
primarily,/^///  ergo,  more  genevaWy,  "  aJ?iclion."  "We  must 
through  much  tribulation,  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." 
(Acts  14  :  22). 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

We  see  this  chapter  still  laboring  with  that  important  thing, 
"  the  decree  of  the  tongue  "  (15:23;  18:21).  If  it  is  so  im- 
portant a  thing ;  because,  on  earth,  it  may  beggar  a  man  ;  and 
because,  for  heaven,  it  may  give  him  immortality ;  how  can  it 
be  that  a  poor  worm  is  allowed  such  amazing  determinations  ? 
*  Jle  is  nol,'  is  the  inspired  answer.  He  may  be,  instrument- 
ally  ;  but  not  even  that,  as  predeterminingly  as  he  generally 
imagines : — 

I  To  man  may  belong  the  arrangings  of  the  oMhe"^  hei'r^'in'^^man* 

heart ;  and  the  answer  of  the 

but   from   Jehovah  is   the  decree   of  the  L°orT'  "  ^'""^  '^^ 
tongue.  I 

Undoubtedly  we  arrange  and  plan.  That  is  a  matter  of 
consciousness.  But,  "  on  the  lips  of  the  king  "  (v.  10),  and  on 
every  other  creature,  these  are  but  tools  of  the  Designer.  He 
uses  our  plannings  to  shape  the  last  word  to  His  mind.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  the  9th  verse  : — "  A  man's  heart  devises  his  way, 
but  Jehovah  plants  his  step."  "  Belong."  All  is  expressed  by 
the  preposition  5  ;  literally,  "  to  man,  [or, /or  man),  are  the  ar- 
rangiags  of  the  heart."  Hence,  they  err,  who  make  the  "  to  '' 
and  the  "  from"  mean  the  same  ;  and  they  destroy  the  antithe- 
sis that  is  intended.     "  T/ie  arrangings  of  the  heart  "  are,  in- 


Chap.  XVI.]  COMMENTARY.  225 

deed,  as  much  God's  as  the  final  "■decree  "  because,  in  brief, 
everything  is.  He  destines  everything :  but  not  in  the  same 
sense  in  which  they  are  consciously  man's.  They  precede  the 
end,  and  are  present.  They  cannot  determine  the  end  :  that  is 
future.  I  cannot  determine  now,  what  I  will  say  the  next  mo- 
ment. God  can.  I  can  and  do  arrange.  But  at  any  conve- 
nient point ;  at  any  interval,  even  the  very  least ;  God  can 
swing  me  round.  What  I  shall  say,  is  a  part  of  His  Providence. 
I  cannot  ordain  to  say  it,  in  such  a  way  as  that  it  shall  be  said. 
In  the  smallest  interval  that  follows,  God  may  tempt  Pharaoh, 
and  he  may  have  new  views  as  to  letting  the  children  of  Israel 
go.  God  cannot  tempt  me  to  evil ;  but  He  can  govern  by  the 
privation  of  good.  And,  therefore,  "  the  king's  heart  is  in  the 
hand  of  the  Lord,  as  the  rivers  of  water;  He  turneth  it  whither- 
soever He  will  "  (E.  v.). 

This,  of  course,  implicates  God,  to  our  weak  seeming  at 
least,  in  the  sins  of  the  wicked.  The  next  verse  discharges 
Him  from  any  such  accountability  :-^ 

2  As  to   all  the  ways  of  a  man,  pure  in  His 


own  eyes, 
while  yet  He  weighs  out  spirits,  is  Jehavah. 


2  All  the  ways  of  a 
man  are  clean  in  his 
own  eyes :  but  the 
Lord  weigheth  the 
spirits. 


This  change  is  very  bold,  and  yet,  really,  not  so  bold  as  the 
old  readings.  It  explains  why  "  pure"  is  found  to  be  in  the 
singular.  The  common  version,  "  all  the  ways  of  a  man  are 
clean  in  his  own  eyes,''  besides  that  disagreement  of  number,  is 
strained,  in  sense,  materially.  There  are  instances  of  the  like 
thought,  I  know,  (Ps.  36  :  2)  ;  and,  in  one  case,  great  similarity 
of  language  (12:15);  but  the  emphasis,  in  the  .present  instance, 
seems  stronger  than  in  any  of  the  rest,  and  would  make  us  pause. 
It  is  not  altogether  true,  that  "  all  the  ways  of  a  man  are  clean^  in 
his  own  eyes."  Moreover,  the  case  most  like  it  (21  :  2),  and  which 
might  seem  irrefragably  to  establish  it  in  its  sense,  we  shall  find 
habited  in  the  same  way.  We  shall  come  to  it  in  a  few  chap- 
ters. We  shall  read  it,  "  As  to  the  whole  way  of  a  man,  right  in 
His  own. eyes,  and  weighing  out  hearts,  is  Jehovah."  One  will 
serve  as  a  confirmation  of  the  other.  And,  really,  as  an  inter- 
esting fact,  we  shall  make  much  of  the  argument,  that  they  stand 


10' 


C26  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVI 

in  a  like  context.  It  can  be  no  accident,  that  in  the  second 
case,  like  tlie  first,  the  passage  is  speaking  of  the  control  of 
evil  (21:1).  "  Streams  of  water  is  the  heart  of  a  king  in  the 
hand  of  Jehovah  ;  upon  anything  He  pleases^  He  turns  it.'"  A 
bolder  thought  is  not  in  Scripture.  And  while  our  common 
English  would  jump  needlessly  into  another  subject,  the  ver- 
sion I  give,  fits  all  most  perfectly.  God  moves  man  as  He  lists  ; 
and  yet,  as  to  the  way  of  a  man,  He  is  right  in  His  own  eyes, 
while  "  He  weighs  out  spirits."  ^''He  weighs  out "  to  all,  that 
which  determines  them,  and  that  is,  gifts,  according  to  the 
measure  that  He  ordained  in  the  Redeemer.  "All,"  There 
is  no  exception  to  this.  "  Weighs  out;"  not  "  weigheth  "  (E.  V.), 
in  the  sense  of  taking  strict  account;  but  "weighs  out."  We 
have  looked  at  all  the  instances,  and  this  word  is,  almost  uni- 
versally, mistranslated.  It  means,  not  to  ascertain  a  weight.,  but 
to  weigh  out  a  fixed  amount  (2  Ki.  12:12;  Job  28  :  25).  This 
suits  the  context.  It  does  not  mean,  '"''  All  the  ways  of  a  matt 
are  clean  in  his  own  eyes^  but  the  Lord"  looks  deeper  than  our 
ways,  and  ^^  weigheth  the  spirits"  (E.  V.);  but  it  means,  "As 
to  all  the  ways  of  a  xaana.., pure  in  His  ozun  eyes,  while  yet"  He 
fixes  character  ;  that  -is,  while  He  makes  gifts  that  must  deter- 
mine it :  or,  in  other  words,  "  weighs  out  spirits  {to  men),  is 
Jehovah."     See,  for  farther  evidence,  (chap.  21  :  2). 

This  being  the  state  of  the  facts,  it  is  our  interest  to  bring 
the  two  things  together,  (i),  God  intending  to  govern  us,  and 
(2),  the  heart,  for  all  that,  being  answerable  for  sin,  it  is  well  to 
cause  these  interests  to  be  one  : — 

3  Roll  thy  doings  in  the   direction   of  Je-     3  Commit  thy  works 

,  ,  °  ■'         unto  the  Lord,  and  thy 

thoughts   shall    be  es- 


hovah ; 

and  they  shall  have  success  according  to 
thy  plans. 


tablibhed. 


"Roll;"  not  exactly  ''commit"  (E.  V.).  We  might  point  to 
other  cases  (Ps.  22:8;  Prov.  26  :  27).  "  In  the  direction  of;" 
the  preposition,  towards.  Trust,  therefore,  is  less  implied  than 
an  attitude  of  service.  Roll  forward  thy  work  in  the  direction  of 
Jehovah  ;  that  is,  with  an  eye  to  Him  ;  in  a  harmo?iy  with  Him  ; 
recognizing  His'' v^^^^"^  {\-  4):  and  what  will  be  the  result? 


Chap.  XVI.]  COMMENTARY.  227 

Why ;  God  means  to  have  His  way  at  any  rate.     Our  works  will 
"have  success,"  one  or  the  other  fashion,  in  His  scheme  of 
Providence.     He  works-in  the  work  even  of  Beelzebub.     But 
if  we  act  "  in  the  direction  of  "  His  will,  they  will  have  success 
as   we  planned  them.     That  seems  to  be    the   meaning.     We 
might  translate,— "  Thy  plans  shall  have  success;"  but  there  is 
a  difference  of  gender.     It  is  true,  when  the  verb  comes  first, 
the  gender  may  be  not  attended  to  (Green  Gr.  §  275,  i) ;  but, 
wherever  there  is  an  agreement,  we  had  better  claim  it.     "  Thy 
doings  "agree  in  gender;  '' thy  plans''  do  not;  but  they  may 
be  placed  absolutely  (see  Green's  Gr.  §  271,  4)-     The  whole 
would  then  mean,  "  Thy  doings  "  shall  ''have  success  "  (literally, 
l>e  made  to  stand)  as  thy  plans,  or,  in  the  shape  thy  plans  gave 
them.     Or,  in  other  words,  God,  having  an  express  purpose 
for  all  you  do  (v.  4),  will  give  success  to  your  work  at  any  rate. 
He  has  the  exact  niche  for  all  you  work  at.     But,  if  you  turn 
it  in  His  direction,  and  aim  with  it  at  His  will.  He  will  aim  at 
yours-  that  is.  He  will  give  a  success  after  your  plan;  if  not 
in  its  actual  letter,  still,  in  what  is  far  the  best,  in  the  way  best 
suited  to  your  peculiar  interest. 

Then  the  fourth  verse  comes  nobly  in  with  an  assertion  ab- 
solutely complete : — 
4  Jehovah  has  made  everything  for  His  de 


cree  * 
yea,  even  the  wicked  man  for  the  day  of 

evil 


4  The  Lord  hath 
made  all  things  for 
himself:  yea,  even  the 
wicked  for  the  day  of 
evil. 


Ewald  has  pointed  out  an  article  before  the  word,  which  we 
translate  "decree."  It  fixes  it  as  a  noun  rather  than  as  of  a 
compound  preposition.  It  bears  upon  the  question  as  to  how 
we  are  to  understand  the  pronoun.  Most  commentators  refer 
it  to  "  everything."  The  meaning  would  then  be,  God  has  made 
everything  for  itself  or  for  its  otvn  sake;  a  thought,  either  too 
obvious,  or  altogether  false.  But  the  noting  of  the  article  and 
the  bearing  of  the  context,  both  turn  the  pronoun  toward  the 
Almighty  :—God  has  made  everything  for  His  decree.  1  ne 
word  »  decree  "  we  choose,  rather  than  purpose,  which  Gesemus 
gives,  because  we  desire  to  identify  it  with  the  word  in  two 
other  Proverbs.     "  A  man  has  joy  by  the  decree  of  his  mouth 


228  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVI. 

(15  :  23) ;  and,  "  from  Jehovah  is  the  decree  of  the  tongue  ' 
(16  :  i).  The  word  is  the  same  in  all  the  three.  If  we  translated 
it  by  answer  in  two  of  the  cases,  and  by  purpose  in  this  last,  it 
would  not  mark  the  connection.  The  word  "  decree  "  answers 
for  all  of  the  cases.  A  man  has  a  decree,  when  he  makes  a 
decision  as  to  anything  important  in  life.  God  has  A  decree 
that  embraces  all  His  Providences.  He  has  made  all  things 
for  this  decree.  He  orders  man's  decrees,  because  they  enter 
into  His  own.  "  Even  the  wicked."  He  actually  creates  the 
wicked.  "  For  the  day  of  evil ;"  that  being  part  of  his  scheme. 
The  universe  is  God's  single  work  ;  and  everything,  whether 
bad  or  good,  makes  up  an  intended  part  of  it. 

Pride,  then,  how  (i)  insane !  and  how  (2)  wicked! — 


Every  one  that  is  proud  of  heart  is  an  ab- 
omination to  Jehovah. 

When  hand  to  hand,  he  shall  not  go  un- 
punished. 


S  Every  one  that  is 
proud  in  heart  is  an 
abomination  to  the 
Lord  :  though  hand 
join  in  hand,  he  shall 
not  be  unpunished. 


(i)  If  God  has  made  everything  for  His  purpose  (v.  4),  how 
foolish  the  man  who  arrogantly  forgets  Him  !  (2)  If  God  has 
besought  us  to  work  docilely  under  His  plan  (v.  3),  how  wicked 
the  man  who  proudly  mutinies.  If  God  works  even  in  kings 
(21  :  i),  how  absurd  the  man  who  would  work  away  from  Him. 
How  can  it  work  well.?  "Hand  to  hand;"  that  is,  in  close 
quarters  (11  :  21),  as  we  shall  come,  all  of  us,  at  the  last,  how 
can  the  workers  outside  of  the  Almighty,  possibly  "  go  unpun- 
ished P" 

Now,  as  all  have  been  such  workers,  and  all  deserve  not  to 
''''go  unpunished,''  what  can  save  any  of  us? — 

6  By  mercy  and  truth  iniquity  is  covered:      1.  ?  Bym."cyand  tmth 

J      .-i  ,       ,,  ,.  r     V    1  1-1         iniquity  IS  purged  ;  and 

and  through   the  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  by  the  fear  of  the  Lord 
turning  from  evil.  ' """"  "^^p*^'  '"■^°'"  ^^''• 

The  gospel  in  (i)  Justification  and  (2)  Sanctification  is  here 
as  beautifully  announced  as  by  any  of  the  apostles,  (i)  Justifi- 
cation makes  its  appearance  as  a  covering  of  "  iniquity  by  mercy 
and  ti-uth."     '■^  Mercy  and  truth,''  as  we  have  seen  (3:3;  14: 


Chap  XVL]  COMMENTARY.  229 

22),  is  .the  sum  oi  holiness.  How  does  holiness^  therefore,  which 
is  ''''  jnercy  and  truth"  cover,  or  smother  up  sin?  Undoubtedly, 
by  the  gospel  method.  It  must  be  a  holiness  that  is  infinite; 
and,  therefore,  it  must  be  the  holiness  of  God.  It  must  come 
to  us  in  Christ;  and,  therefore,  obey  unto  death.  And  it  must 
obey  over  and  beyond  death ;  so  as  to  work  out  for  us,  not 
only  a  strict  ransom,  but,  moreover,  a  perfect  merit.  "  Mercy 
and t7-iith  "  cover  iniquity,  when  they  are  the  "mercy  and  truth  " 
of  God,  offered  as  our  own  "  mercy  and  truth,"  and  satisfying 
their  own  demands,  as  being,  also,  the  justice  of  the  Almighty. 
So  much  for  the  first  clause.  But,  then,  as  to  the  second; 
there  is  to  be  a  "turning  from  evil,"  This  is  (2)  Sanctification. 
How  is  it  to  be  accomplished  1  By  ourselves,  as  the  indispen- 
sable instrument.  "  Mercy  and  truth  "  win  for  us  the  Spirit ; 
and,  then,  under  this  outfit,  we  are  to  set  out  upon  the  jour- 
ney. The  man  in  the  temple  must  lift  forth  his  hand  (Matt. 
12  :  10).  But,  hov/  are  we  to  begin.?  This  book  tells  us  again 
and  again.  "  The  fear  of  Jehovah  "  is  the  beginning  of  Wis- 
dom (9  :  10).  The  "^tjo — 'Whe  turning"  is  by  an  access  of  this 
''''fear."  But  how  are  we  to  continue.''  The  "\riQ  is  to  be  kept 
up.  It  is  more  like  a  departing  (E.  V.),  than  the  word  rimilj?3 
(i  :  32).  Sin,  being  slow  to  wear  out,  the  '''turning"  has  to  go 
on;  and  it  becomes  a  journey;  and  we  travel  each  day,  just  as 
we  set  out.  We  are  to  get  away  from  sin  at  all  hazards.  And, 
as  it  lasts  into  an  age,  we  are  to  make  a  day's  journey  every 
day.  And  the  very  last  of  the  journey,  like  the  very  beginning, 
is,  as  the  Wise  Man  expresses  it,  by  "the  fear  of  Jehovah." 
'"''Fear"  literally.  The  actual  "fear  "  of  Jehovah,  tempered  by 
love,  is  the  thing  of  ""discipline"  (see  15  :  2>'h)i  which  drives  the 
Christian  away  from  his  iniquity. 

Who  gets  these  prizes  1  for,  "  Jehovah  has  made  everything 
for  His  decree"  (16  :  4).  Doubtless,  He  has  reasons  for  choos- 
ing His  believers;  but  these  reasons  are  the  peculiarities  of  His 
purpose.  He  saves  a  man ;  not  for  any  good  He  finds  in  him, 
but,  when  His  enemy ;  selecting  him,  as  a  stone,  for  a  particular 
place  in  His  universal  building : — 


230  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVI. 

7  Because  it  pleases  Jehovah,  the  ways  of  a    7  when  a  man's  ways 

•'■''-'  please    the    Lord,    he 

inan,  maketh   even  his   ene- 

even  of  His  enemies,  He  sets  at  peace  with  "^^^  ^'m  ^^  ^'  ^^^" 
Him. 

The  condition  of  saving  any  body,  then,  is,  that  it  "  pleases 
Jehovah."  "  When  it  pleases,  etc."  would  have  been  a  fair 
translation  ;  giving  the  preposition  the  sense  of  with^  or,  along 
with  :  along  with  its  pleasing  ;  or,  when  it  pleases.  But  the  pre- 
position means,  more  often,  by  means  of.  We  have  a  right, 
then,  to  the  more  frequent  meaning.  It  is  by  fnea>is  of,  or  "be- 
cause "  of,  as  we  have  translated  it,  its  pleasing  Jehovah,  that  any 
body  gets  delivered.  "  Even  of  his  enemies."  This  is  the  joy- 
ful doctrine  (15  :  30) !  Of  course  the  covering  spoken  of  (v.  6), 
must  be  somebody  else's  "  mercy  and  truth  "  than  this  hostile 
sinner's.  "  Enemies  ;"  a  plural  participle,  which  might  be  ap- 
posed to  "  ways;"  but,  as  the  meaning  would  be  positively  the 
same,  the  Wise  Man  has  not  cared  for  the  ambiguousness.  In 
that  way  parsed,  it  would  read, — Because  it  pleases  Jehovah,  the 
ways  of  a  man,  even  though  hostile  to  Hitn,  He  sets  at  peace  with 
Him.  But,  in  either  case,  the  great  truth  comes  out, — that,  by 
its  pleasing  God,  men,  who  are  positively  His  enemies,  are 
ransomed,  and  brought  to  be  "at  peace  with  him." 

This  being  at  peace,  or  this  "righteousness,"  as  it  is  styled 
forensically,  is,  in  that  view,  everything  : — 


8  Better  is  a  little  by  means  of  righteousness,     ?  ?«"^r  [^  »  ''"'« 

.  I  -^         ,  ,  °    .    ,       .  'with      righteousness, 

than  great  revenues  by  that  which  is  not    ' 
a  judgment. 


than   great   revenues 
without  right. 


•  The  mannerism,  that  makes  the  second  clause  more  intense 
(15  :  5),  we  hardly  need  notice  so  often.  The  awkwardness  of 
"judgment,"  which  sounds,  in  our  language,  X^k^t petialty,  or  like 
good  sense,  is  atoned  for  by  its  evangelism.  ''■Right"  (E.  V.), 
sponges  out  the  thought ;  and,  therefore,  it  is  highly  important 
in  such  passages  to  hold  on  to  '''judgment,"  as  the  best  our 
tongue  can  do  for  us.  "  Righteousness  "  is  our  great  title  ;  and 
judgment ;  i.  e.,  the  distinct  award  which  has  been  purchased 
for  us  at  the  last,  is  "better  than  great  revenues."  "  By  means 
of,"  is  sometimes  translated  ""with"  (E.  V.).     It  makes  very 


Chap.  XVI.]  COMMENTARY.  23X 

good  sense: — "Better  is  a  little  with  righteousness"  (E.  V.). 
But  it  makes  a  great  deal  more  sense,  to  retain  the  commoner 
rendering  of  the  preposition.  All  that  is  good  is  "  by  means  of 
righteousness  "  and  all  the  luxury,  that  comes  by  any  thing  else, 
will  blight  and  curse,  because  it  is  "  not  a  judgment."  Solomon, 
having  enounced  this  marvellous  dependance  (v.  8),  and  that 
^^righteousness"  is  at  the  mere  pleasure  of  Heaven  (v.  7),  turns 
back,  finely  fortified,  to  the  original  idea  (v.  i)  : — 


9  The  heart  of  a  man  devises  his  way  ; 
but  Jehovah  plants  his  step. 


9  A  man's  heart  de- 
viseth  his  way  :  but  the 
Lord  directeth  his 
steps. 


The  thought  of  the  first  verse  coming,  therefore,  to  be  repeat- 
ed, this  versatile  Sentence-Maker  calls  it  back  with  different 
scenery.  The  ^^  decree  of  a  tongue"  (v.  i)  is  one  pregnant  act; 
the  "  step  "  of  a  foot  is  another.  Both  may  make  a  man,  or 
ruin  him ;  for  this  world,  or  that  which  is  to  come.  The 
critical  thing,  in  either  case,  is  controlled  by  the  Almighty. 
It  does  not  make  the  doctrine  stronger,  but,  to  seem  stronger, 
that  men  do  not  lie  differently  in  Jehovah's  loom,  let  them  coun- 
sel as  they  please.*  "Heart;"  more  intellectual  than  the  Eng- 
lish, heart.  "  Devises ;"  too  intellectual  for  our  emotional  nature. 
It  means  studies,  or  deeply  meditates.  The  sinner  really  reflects 
upon  his  future  wisdoms.  Alas !  they  are  too  future !  And, 
when  the  future  comes,  he  "plants,"  literally,  sets  firm  "his 
step"  quite  differently  from  what  he  had  decreed. 

The  glaring  fact  of  what  Solomon  avows,  can  be  seen  in  the 
instance  of  "a  king."  All  personages  are  alike.  All  Provi- 
dences are  entire.  All  movements,  though  they  be  movements 
of  an  ant,  must  be  in  maps  before  the  Almighty.  But  a  weak 
mind  sees  best  in  the  instance  of  "  a  king."  The  word  of  a  king 
can  ruin  France,  and  change  the  whole  system  of  the  world. 

*  We  shudder  at  the  doctrine  that  is  stated  sometimes  in  the  way  of  caricature,  that 
"if  a  man  is  born  to  be  lost,  he  will  be  lost,  let  him  do  what  he  will;"  because,  if  he 
^^  will"  do  what  he  ought,  and  roll  his  works  in  the  direction  of  the  Almighty  (see  v.  3), 
he  will  be  saved.  But,  if  it  be  said,  that  if  a  man  is  born,  he  is  born  to  a  certain  course, 
and  will  run  that  course  ;  "/<?<  /tim  do  what  he  will"  becomes  redundant.  For,  whatever 
a  man  wills,  is  for  God's  purpose  (v.  4).  He  has  known  it  from  the  verj'  beginning; 
and,  with  the  punctuality  of  the  stars,  the  sinner  sets  his  foot  in  the  way  that  it  has  been 
appointed  (16  :  g). 


232  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVI 

How,  possibly,  could  God  govern,  unless  He  could,  a  king? 
Eternal  ages  will  not  get  over  the  edict  of  a  prince ;  and  the 
banded  universe  will  feel  its  differences.  Must  not  God  control 
that  word .?     Our  passage  answers,  that  He  does  : — 

10  There  is   a   divination   on   the   lips   of  al . '?  ^^'""^s^"'^"" 

•^  UJ  in    the   lips    of  the 

king  ;  king  ;  his  mouth  trans- 

his  mouth  is  not  treacherous  in  judgment.  1^"^^'^"'^  "°'  '"  j"'^^- 

He  may  be  George  the  Third,  of  the  low  forehead  :  his  speech 
is  shaped  omnisciently.  He  may  be  as  "  treacherous  "  as  Charles  : 
he  does  not  betray,  by  a  hair,  the  counsel  of  the  Almighty. 
This  is  grand  thought.  A  poor  princeling  may  be  governed 
by  a  girl ;  and  yet,  though  his  utterance  might  move  the  globe, 
we  need  have  no  fear.  "  There  is  a  divination,"  i.  e.,  an  oracle, 
behind  "his  lips."  He  says  what  God  pleases.  And,  though 
"his  mouth  "  may  have  the  very  treachery  of  the  cup,  it  has  no 
treachery,  even  to  a  grain,  to  the  plans  of  the  All  Wise. 

If  such  be  God's  power,  how  can  He  be  just.?  A  Proverb 
is  quite  as  strong  in  that  direction  : — 

11  The  balance  and  scales  of  judgment  are 

Jehovah's ; 
His  work  is  all  the  stones  of  the  bag. 

He  is  not  only  just,  but  Justice  belongs  to  Him.  He  is 
not  only  partly  just,  but  "His  work"  (and  we  see  at  a 
glance,  that  God's  ^^ work"  is  the  total  universe)  is,  in  its 
very  self  considered,  "all  the  stones  of  the  bag."  "Stones j" 
better  weights  than  iron,  because  not  altering  by  rust. 
"Bag;"  in  which  the  stone  weights  were  carried  in  the 
peripatetic  barter  of  the  old  trades-people.  No  difficulty 
should  be  had  in  understanding  all  of  which  the  sentence  is 
capable.  God's  "work"  is  justice;  and  justice  is  His  "work." 
The  very  ideas  of  equity  sprang  out  of  the  Eternal  Mind. 

If  all  this  were  not  so,  how  could  God  govern  the  creation  : — 

12  It  is  an  abomination  to  kings  to  do  wick-    ."  '^'/V  an  abomina- 

o  tion  to  kings  to  commit 

edness ; 
for  in  righteousness  a  throne  is  set  firm 

This  is  true  of  earthly  monarchies.  "A  throne,"  without 
some  equity  in  it,  could  not  last  an  instant.     If  it  were  unmiti- 


II  A  just  weight  and 
balance  are  the 
Lord's  ;  all  the  weights 
of  the  bag  are  his  work. 


wickedness  ;  for  the 
throne  is  established  by 
righteousness. 


Chap.  XVI.]  COMMENTARY. 


233 


gatedly  bad,  it  would  be  swept  out  of  existence.*  The  strength 
of  a  bad  ^^  throne  "  is  precisely  that  part  of  it  that  is  just.  But 
if  this  be  true  of  a  world's  ^^throne"  where  it  has  been  seen  that 
God  governs  as  well  as  the  king,  how  not  of  a  divine  throne, 
that  rests  solely  on  the  Maker.''  It  is  impossible  to  conceive 
of  a  universe  without  justice,  or  of  anything  so  complicated 
being  eternally  possible,  without  every  sort  of  harmony,  and 
especially  that  sort  which  is  the  highest  and  the  best.  Hence, 
many  of  the  expressions  in  the  eighth  chapter.  "  Jehovah  got 
possession  of  me  as  the  beginning  of  His  way"  (v.  22).  "I 
came  to  be  by  the  side  of  Him,  a  builder  "  (v.  30) ;  the  person- 
age, intended,  being  personified  Wisdom,  Avhich  is  holiness  or 
moral  light,  and  which  includes  all  the  attributes  of  justice. 

So,  too,  while  a  just  God  is  necessary,  a  just  creature  is  un- 
speakably acceptable  to  Him  in  the  creation : — 

13  A  pleasure  to  kings  are  lips  of  righteous- 
ness ; 
and  he  who  speaks  right,  is  loved. 


13  Righteous  lips  are 
the  delight  of  kings  ; 
and  they  love  him  that 
speaketh  right. 


There  never  was  a  kingdom  so  corrupt  that  its  courts  of  jus- 
tice were  not  used,  in  the  main,  against  wickedness.  There 
never  was  a  Nero,  or  a  Borgia,  who,  on  the  very  account  of  his 
own  crimes,  did  not  find  crime  sore,  and  a  trouble  to  him,  in 
those  about  him.  It  is  one  of  the  strangest  miracles  of  Omni- 
potence, that  a  universe  can  take  in  transgression,  and  yet  last. 
And,  while  God  has  made  even  the  wicked  "  for  his  decree  " 
(v.  4),  yet  "a  pleasvire  to  kings  are  lips  of  righteousness;  and 
lie  who  speaks  right,  is  loved." 

The  madness  of  opposing  "  a  king,"  and,  especially,  THE 
KING,  is  next  insisted  on  : — 


14  The  wrath  of  a  king  is  death's  messengers; 
and  a  wise  man  will  get  it  covered. 


14  The  wrath  of  a 
king  is  as  messengers 
of  death  :  but  a  wise 
man  will  pacify  it. 


Give  a  "  h'ng"  all  the  power,  and  give  him  untempered 
"wrath,"  and  what  chance  can  the  subject  have.?  "He,  in 
whose  hands  thy  breath  is,  and  whose  are  all  thy  ways,"  can 

*  A  king  must  be  just  to  his  people,  or  else  to  his  soldiers,  who  support  him  against  his 
people.     His  strength  is  justice,  somewhere. 


234 


PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVI. 


not  begin  to  be  angry,  without  the  "  death's  messengers  "  being 
already  on  their  path. 
And  so  of  His  love : — 

IS  In  the  light  of  a  king's  countenance  is  life;  kin|-IVotllt'n°«^> 

life  ;  and   his  favour  is 
as  a  cloud  of  the  latter 


and  his  favor  is  as  the  cloud  of  the  latter  rain. 


The  idea,  that  Solomon  intends,  is  the  obvious  policy  for  a 
wise  man,  if  he  have  a  Creator,  to  be  His  friend ;  if  he  have  in- 
curred wrath,  to  "get  it  covered"  (v.  14) ;  if  there  be  a  chance 
for  "  favor,"  to  win  it  at  every  hazard.  For  what  "  tlie  latter  rain  " 
was  in  an  Eastern  season,  God's  ''''favor  "  is,  in  the  seed-time 
of  our  being;  decisive  of  "life,"  and  never,  in  any  after  time, 
to  be  dispensed  with,  or  recalled. 

Therefore : — 

16  To  get  wisdom,  how  much  better  than  gold  !  I .  ^^  How  much  better 

o  .     '  o  \  IS   ti    to    get    wisdom 

and  to  get  discernment  to  be  chosen  rather  than  gold !  and  to  get 
than  silver ! 


understanding  rather 
to  be  chosen  than  sil- 
ver ! 


Not  wisdom,  but,  "  to  get  wisdom."  Wisdom,  itself,  is  glorious. 
Wisdom  in  God  is  above  all  praise.  It  will  be  the  gem  of 
Paradise.  It  will  be  the  grand  opulence  of  the  family  in  the 
skies.  But  what  the  great  preacher  would  confine  us  to  in  the 
language  of  the  text  is,  our  getting  wisdom,  as  the  evangelical 
condition ;  our  getting  it,  moreover,  in  time,  like  "  the  latter 
rain"  so  as  to  be  in  season  for  the  crop ;  for,  as  a  former  sen- 
tence urges  {4:7), — "As  the  chiefest  thing  in  Wisdom,  get 
wisdom."  Because,  "  what  shall  it  profit  a  man  to  gain  the 
whole  world,"  if  God  is  his  " king"  and  " the  wrath  of  the 
i^/;/^"  makes  all  His  Providences  but  ^''messengers"  of  gloom 
(v.  14)  ? 


17  The  highway  of  the  upright  is  the  depart- 
ing from  evil. 
He  that  guards  his  soul,  watches  his  way. 


17  The  highway  of 
the  upright  ;.f  to  depart 
from  evil  :  he  that 
keepeth  his  way  pre- 
serveth  his  soul. 


"  The  highway ;"  a  way  cast  up.     Such  ways  were  convenient 
in  the  East ;  first,  for  being  found ;  second,  for  being  travelled. 


Chap.  XVL]  COMMENTARY.  235 

"  Departing  from  evil  "  is  a  way  that  opens  itself  as  we  press  on. 
One  evil,  cured,  like  the  big  coal  lump  in  the  digging,  clears  the 
way  to  another.  So  much  (i)  for  its  being  found;  then  (2)  as 
to  its  being  travelled;  conceive  of  how  a  man  could  get  to 
heaven  except  on  such  a  "  high-way r  We  can  not  move  nearer 
except  on  some  sort  of  way.  There  is  no  sort  of  way,  except 
the  discipline  of  wisdom.  There  is  no  discipline  of  wisdom, 
except  "  the  departing  from  evil."  The  only  thing  a  soul  caa 
do  for  itself  under  the  grace  of  the  Spirit,  is,  to  exercise  itself 
unto  godliness  (i  Num.  4 :  7).  And,  therefore,  the  last  clause 
is  important,  which  intimates  the  fact,  that  we  can  not  guard  our 
souls  directly:  that  we  watch  our  souls  by  watching  our  way; 
and,  that  the  plan  to  fit  a  lost  spirit  for  Paradise,  is,  under  the 
grace  of  the  Redeemer,  to  observe  its  steps ;  and  to  see  that, 
one  by  one,  they  are  taken,  so  as  to  depart  from  evil. 

Men  will  do  this  when  humbled.     They  will  never  do  it,  till 
they  feel  their  need  : — 

18  Before  ruin  is  pride  ; 
and  before  a  fall  a  haughty  spirit. 

19  Better  is  it  to  be  humble  of  spirit  with  the 

afflicted, 
than  to  divide  the  spoil  with  the  proud. 

"Before."  This  is  not  before  (Gen.  2:5),  expressive  of 
time,  but  the  word,  in  the  presence  of,  or  before,  in  a  confronting, 
'  or  a  local  sense.  Gesenius  treats  it  as  though  in  these  cases  it 
were,  simply,  temporal.  But,  after  regarding  them  all,  we  be- 
lieve there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  local,  or  confronting  sense 
is  to  be,  also,  retained.  The  word  is  used  where  there  is 
to  be  a  noticed  contrast.  "  Before  ruin,  is  pride ;"  that  is,  in 
the  very  presence  of  '' ruin  j'  when  its  terror-fit  has  come, 
''pride  "  is  to  appear  as  the  wretched  cause  of  it.  It  would 
emasculate  the  sentence,  to  use,  for  either  clause  of  it,  the  other 
word  Amos  i  :  i,  "  The  words  of  Amos  two  years  before  the 
earthquake,"  i.  e.,  uttered  so,  that  when  the  earthquake  came, 
they  confronted  and  explained  it.  Is.  18:5,  "For  afore  the 
harvest,  when  the  bud  is  perfect,  and  the  sour  grape  is  npenmg 
in  the  flower,  he  shall  both  cut  off,  etc. ;"  plainly,  one  fact  con- 


18  Pride ^(>(?M  before 
destruction,  and  an 
haughty  spirit  before  a 
fall. 

19  Better  I'i  is  to  be 
of  an  humble  spirit 
with  the  lowly,  than  to 
divide  the  spoil  with 
the  proud. 


236  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVI. 

fronting  another.  Gen.  13:10.  "Well  watered  everywhere 
before  the  Lord  destroyed  Sodom ;"  one  great  fact  signalizing, 
and  giving  moral  weight  to  the  other.  Gen.  29  :  26,  "  It  must 
not  be  so  done  in  our  country  to  give  the  younger  before  the 
first  born  ;"  that  is  in  her  very  face.  Prov.  8  :  25,  "  Before  the 
mountains  were  settled,  before  the  hills  was  I  brought  forth  ;  " 
to  be  ready,  for,  and  to  stand  confronting  these  great  events. 
Deut.  2>Z  '•  i>  "Blessed  the  children  of  Israel  before  his  death;" 
i.  e.,  in  view  of  his  death,  i  Sam.  9  :  15,  "  The  Lord  had  told 
Samuel  before  Saul  came  ;"  that  is,  in  view  of  his  coming,  that 
he  might  be  ready  for  it.  These  are  nearly  all  Gesenius'  cases. 
I  do  not  deny  a  temporal  meaning;  but  affirm  only  that  the 
rest  is  mixed  with  it ; — that  the  moral  is  chosen  for  these  strong, 
or  solemn,  contrasts ;  that  it  never  occurs  without  some  evi- 
dence of  this ;  and  that,  here,  pride  comes  before  ruin  in  the 
sense  of  confrojiting  it;  just  as  the  words  of  Amos  faced  the 
earthquake,  and  as  the  well-watered  valley  contrasted  the  waste 
to  which  God  reduced  Sodom  and  Gomorrhah.  (i),  Contrast; 
(2)  precedence  of  time ;  and  (3)  palpable  occasion,  are  all  in- 
cluded in  the  instance  of  this  text.  V.  19.  "Afflicted;"  means 
sometimes,  "lonely  "  (E.  V.).  It  might  seem  to  balance  best  in 
this  sense  "  the  proud,"  in  the  second  clause.  But  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  really  balancing  idea  is  "  the  spoil."  The  mean- 
ing is, — if  "pride  "  is  to  be  confronted  by  "  ruin  "  (v.  18),  it  is 
better  to  have  affliction,  and  be  "  humble,"  than  to  have  "  spoil " 
and  be  "proud."  "  Spoil"  in  these  evangelical  senses,  is 
worldly  wealth,  or  "what  is  Another  Man's." 

Humility  does  not  forbid  a  man's  looking  out  for  himself  In 
fact,  the  humblest  •"  trust  "  is  consistent  with  the  most  sagacious 
trading.  Solomon  teaches  this,  condensed  with  that  jirevious 
special  marvel  (15  :  23),  how  much  the  "humble"-  may  snatch 
for  himsdlf  in  a  single  venture  ! — 


20  He  that  is  wise,  may,  for  one  act,  find  good ; 
so  he  that  casts  himself  on  Jehovah,  blessed 
is  he ! 

Literally,  "wise  about  a  word;"  by  usage,  "  wise  about  a  thing  f* 
hence,  "  sJi  ■ewd,  though  it  be  but  in  one  transaction."     How  often 


20  He  that  handleth 
a  matter  wisely  shall 
find  good  ;  and  whoso 
trusteth  in  the  Lord, 
happy  is  he. 


Chap.  XVL]  COMMENTAR  Y.  237 

in  London  might  mansions  be  pointed  out  of  men  opulent  at  a 
stroke !  Such  a  stroke  is  faith  !  See  the  same  marvel  in  chap. 
18:21.  What  a  wonder  is  it  that  a  man  can  win  palaces  of  light  by 
"one  act"  of  casting  himself  upon  the  Sacrifice.  "  Act /'  lite- 
rally, word.  But  men  acted  so  by  the  word  in  that  country, 
that  it  grew  to  mean,  "  affair  "  (Gen.  20  :  8).  The  very  name 
of  Christ  (Jo.  1:1)  seems  to  be  colored  by  this  Eastern  usage. 
"  By  the  word  of  the  Lord  were  the  heavens  made"  (Ps.  33  :  6). 
"  Blessed ;"  in  every  sense  whatever.  What  other  "  affair  " 
ever  produced  as  much  as  the  "  affair  '  of  faith  ?  (Mark  9  :  23), 
The  praise  of  wisdom  is  interrupted  for  a  moment  to  tell 
how  it  gains  by  "  sweetness  :" — 

21  The  wise  in  heart  get  the  name  of  being j^^=J,TW]semj^eart 

discerning:  and    the   sweetness   of' 

but  sweetness  of  lips  makes  a  lesson  better  [gaming.^*  mcreaseth 
taken.  | 

Piety  is  sure  to  be  discovered  ;  but  many  a  pious  man  has 
less  influence  for  want  of  courtesy.  The  suaviter  may  be  really 
stronger  than  \h.efortiter.  "  Makes  a  lesson  better  taken  "  is 
jeally  but  two  words  : — one,  increases,  or,  adds  to,  and  the  other, 
a  taking,  from  the  verb  to  take.  This  noun  is  often  translated 
'"''  learning"  (E.  V.),  (see  1:5).  A  taking  may  very  legitimately 
be  "^  lesson."  The  idea  is,  that  sweet  lips  increase  the  taking, 
'i.  e.,  make  more  wisdom  to  be  taken  by  the  men  around.  The 
duty,  therefore,  is  evolved,  of  being  kind  in  speech  that  our 
good  may  not  be  evil  spoken  of  (Rom.  14  :  16). 

No  such  suaviter,  however,  can  ever  avail  in  any  influence 
attempted  upon  the  depraved  : — 

22  A  fountain  of  life  is  wisdom  to  him  who  ^  ^^Under^s^andin?  ^.> 

has  any  :  unto  him  that  hath  it: 

■,_     .    .1        J-       •    T  r  r      1      •      r   n  but  the  instruction  of 

but  the  disciplme  of  fools  is  folly.  fools /j  foUy. 

"Afoimtainof  life;"  that  is,  a  perpetual  flow  of  increasing 
blessing.  "Is  wisdom."  That  is  to  say;  piety  never  ceases,  and 
never  ceases  to  bless,  and  never  ceases  to  increase  in  blessing.  In 
this  last  particular  it  goes  beyond  the  figure  of  a  fountain.  "  To 
him  who  has  any  ;"  literally,  "  to  its  master"  (see  1:19).     "  B^^* 


238  PRO  VERBS.  [Chap.  XVI. 

the  discipline;"  i.  e.,  the  same  outward  chastisement  that  is  ap- 
plied to  a  wise  man  ;  "  of  fools  ;"  i.  e.,  applied  to  the  impenitent  • 
"  is  foUy  ;"  i.  e.,  amounts  to  that  in  every  way  we  could  possibly 
understand.  First,  it  ^^  is  folly,"  in  itself.  Though  it  reaches 
the  wise  as  "  wisdom,"  yet  it  is  understood  by  the  fool  as  ^^  folly." 
He  cannot  discern  it  (i  Cor.  2:14);  so,  second,  it  breeds  folly. 
It  makes  the  impenitent  man  more  impenitent ;  because  "  the 
letter  killeth  "  (2  Cor.  3:6);  and,  of  course,  thirdly,  it  trans- 
mutes itself  into  more  "  discipline  j"  for  the  folly  of  fools  brings 
upon  them  fresh  distress,  and  becomes  itself  a  further  scourge. 
Let  not  the  "  sweetness"  spoken  of  in  a  recent  verse,  be  sup- 
posed to  be  altogether  from  nature.  It  flows  eminently  from 
being  "  wise."  The  highest  sort  of  Christianity  is  a  courtesy 
that  never  flags ;  and  piety  has  a  wonderful  rhetoric  : — 


23  A  wise  heart  gives  subtlety  to  its  mouth ; 
and  upon  its  lips  makes  a  lesson  to  be  bet- 
ter taken. 


23  The  heart  of  the 
wise  teacheth  his 
mouth,  and  addeth 
learning  to  his  lips. 


"Its;"  i.  e.,  the  heart's;  it  means,  therefore,  the  man's; — 
and  occurs,  of  like  sense,  in  both  the  clauses.  "Makes,  etc.";  the 
same  seven  words  used  in  expressing  two,  as  in  verse  21st. 
Prayer  is  a  wonderful  heightener  of  speech  ;  not  only  in  making 
it  more  eloquent,  but  in  sending  before  it  the  blessing  of  the 
Almighty.     So  of  all  pious  acts. 

Spoken  "  -words,"  when,  for  any  cause,  they  happen  to  be 
"sweet,"  are  singularly  potent.  Even  if  they  be  worldly,  they 
both  please,  and  strengthen  : — 

24  A  flow  of  honey  are  words  of  pleasantness,  |^;/J]^;^^^^';^'gy';;^°;„^i,^ 
sweet  to  the  soul,  and  healing  to  the  bone,  j  sweet  to  the  soui,  and 

I  health  to  the  bones. 

They  often  lift  a  man  quite  out  of  serious  distress,  "Bone" 
always  means  our  innermost  and  substantial  being  (Ps.  35  :  10  ; 
Jo.  19:  36).  Firm  men,  and  that  in  the  most  solid  sense,  are 
often  lifted  quite  up  by  a  pleasant  7vo<rd.  But  Solomon  is  aim- 
ing at  religion.  "  Sweet "  voices  there,  are  heavenly.  He  who 
by  kind  speech  entices  the  lost,  is,  indeed,  like  "honey"  to  the 
lip,  and  like  "healing  to  the  bone." 


Chap.  XVI.] .  COMMENTAR  Y. 


239 


With  no  very  traceable  connection,  Solomon  begins  a  new 
subject  by  repeating  the  Proverb  14  :  12.  At  such  places,  per- 
haps, chapters  should  begin  : — 


25  There  is  a  way  that  seems  right  to  a  man ; 
but  its  after  part  are  the  ways  of  death. 


25  There  is  a  way 
thatseemeth  right  unto 
a  man  ;  but  the  end 
thereof  <ir?  the  ways  of 
death. 


"  Seems  right "  is,  "  right"  before  him,  or,  iti  his  estimate. 
"■  After  part;"  not  "  emi"  (E.  V.).  It  is  not  dexterous  figura- 
tive speech  to  speak  of  a  man's  '^end"  as  "ways."  Literally, 
"its  afterwards."  "  Ways  of  death."  The  sense  is,  ways  to 
death. 

"  Death"  then,  a  masculine  noun,  is  what  the  pronoun  in  the 
next  verse  alludes  to  : — 

26  The  laboring  soul  labors  for  it ;  ^  V.tll^tf'^Z^i^ 

for  its  mouth  imposes  it  upon  him.  for  his  mouth  craveth 

^  ^  Jit  of  him. 

"  Laboring."  The  "  way  that  seems  right  to  a  7nan"  involves 
those  honest  toils,  which  appear  to  the  mass  of  the  impenitent 
to  be  the  most  praiseworthy  of  their  attributes  of  life.  "  For 
it;"  that  is,  for  "death"  (v.  25).  The  translation  heretofore 
has  been,  "for  himself"  (E.  V.).  And  I  confess  there  are  likeli- 
hoods that  would  oppose  the  change.  In  the  first  place,  it 
throws  two  Proverbs  together.  In  these  chapters  of  the  book 
they  are  generally  isolated.  In  the  second  place,  it  throws 
pronouns  farther  from  their  base.  Thirdly,  it  mixes  them.  In 
the  second  clause,  singular  suffixes,  both  being  masculines, 
must  seek  for  themselves  different  nouns.  In  the  fourth  place, 
it  is  a  bold  version.  Nevertheless  we  feel  forced  to  choose  it ; 
because  the  old  understanding  seems  meaningless,  and  has  no 
connection  in  the  context.  The  difficulties  marked  above  are 
not  absolute.  Moreover,  Solomon  himself,  in  a  passage  equally 
misunderstood,  (because  all  versions  turn  it  as  they  do  this) 
gives  us  a  precedent  for  the  like  play  of  the  Hebrew,  along  with 
the  plausibility  of  the  like  mistake.  It  is  Eccles.  6  :  6,  7.  It 
stands,  in  the  English  Version,—"  Do  not  all  go  to  one  place  } 
All  the  labor  of  a  man  is  for  his  mouth."     It  is  a  simpler  sen- 


24©  PROVERBS.  '  [Chap.  XVI. 

tence  than  ours ;  and,  therefore,  the  new  version  can  be  made 
more  palpably  to  appear  : — "  All  the  labor  of  a  man  is  for  iis 
mouth."  The  whole  passage  then  reads  thus  : — "  Do  not  all  go 
to  one  place  ?  All  the  labor  of  a  man  is  for  its  mouth,  and  yet 
the  appetite  (literally,  sou/ ;  sometimes,  ma7i',  or  //iroaf,  as  Is. 
5  :  14)  is  not  full."  The  old  rendering  is  inane,  because  it  has 
no  connection.  This  seizes  us  almost  as  soon  as  it  is  uttered ; 
and  yet,  if  such  be  the  sense,  it  is  hard  to  turn  the  text  now  be- 
fore us,  from  the  same  idea.  The  meaning  then  would  be,  that 
the,  seeming,  innocent  man,  being  yet  a  really  guilty  one  (verse 
25th),  is  on  the  way  to  "deaf/i,"  and,  that  that  death  swallows 
everything;  that,  if  he  "  labors  "  he  "  labors  for  it,"  because,  as 
the  other  passage  expounds  it,  all  goes  down  into  its  maw 
"  Death  "  itself  "  imposes  "  the  labor ;  for,  if  he  were  not  dead, 
he  would  not  be  so  saddled.  It  is  the  very  power  of  "  deaf/i  " 
that  "  imposes  it  upon  him."  The  idea  is  that  of  a  pack  bound 
on,  or  the  strapping  of  a  fnule's  burden.  "  Death  "  binds  the 
load  ;  and  the  most  moral  impenitent  is  harnessed  into  an  un- 
profitable toil. 

But  the  Wise  Man  paints  gloomily.  For  that  end,  verse  25th 
was  brought  back,  and  he  unites,  now,  four  verses.  He  fore- 
goes isolated  shapes,  and  throws  four  interdependently  to- 
gether. The  first  has  a  participle.  It,  therefore,  serves  as  a 
preface.  The  others  have  future  verbs,  and  carry  on  the  con- 
nection. The  whole  has  a  simple  grammar,  and  yields  its 
sense  to  the  most  easy  and  to  the  most  artless  exposition  : — 


27  A  worthless  man,  digging  up  evil, 

and  having  upon  his  lips  as  it  were  burn- 
ing fire, 

28  as  a  mischievous  man,  spreads  discord, 
and,  as  a  talker,  separates  away  a  friend ; 

29  as  a  man  of  violence,  deduces  his  neigh- 

bour ; 
and  leads  him  in  a  way  not  good. 

30  Shutting  his  eyes  to  devise  mischiefs, 
pressing  his  lips,  he  has  already  accom- 
plished evil. 


27  An  ungodly  man 
diggeth  up  evil  ;  and  in 
his  lips  there  is  as  a 
burning  fire. 

28  A  froward  man 
soweth  strife  ;  and  a 
whisperer  separateth 
chief  friends. 

29  A  violent  man  en- 
ticeth  his  neighbour, 
and  leadeth  him  into 
the  way  that  is  not 
good. 

30  He  shutteth  his 
eyes  to  devise  froward 
things:  moving  his  lips 
he  bringeth  evil  to  pass. 


"A   worthless   man."     This   is    the    farthest    an    impenitent 


Chap.  XVI.]  COMMENTARY.  241 

moralist  will  go  in  condemning  himself.  He  may  be  a  "  worth- 
less man  "  (a  man  of  Belial,  i.  e.,  of  no  p?-ofit) ;  but  he  is  not  a 
harmful  man.  Solomon  has  met  all  this  in  a  previous  passage 
(6  :  12-14).  He  now  repeats  it.  A  mere  naughty  man,  i.  e.,  a 
'  man  of  naught,  is  a  terrible  injury.  "Digging  up  evil."  In  a 
still  earlier  text  (4  :  16),  he  said,  "  For  the  mere  reason  that 
they  sleep  not,  rest  assured  they  do  mischief."  Now,  he  speaks 
stronger,  and  calls  this  mild  gracelessness — a  digging  up  of  evil. 
Recurring  to  the  potency  of  the  tongue,  he  says, — the  "lips"  of 
such  men,  sweet  as  they  may  seem,  fairly  scorch  and  burn. 
Nay,  their  very  silence  works  like  a  malignant  speech.  He 
would  signalize  the  potency  of  every  example.  And  then,  on 
the  tide  of  assault,  he  grows  fiercer  (v.  28).  "As  a  mischiev- 
ous man ;"  literally,  subversive.  Impenitent  guilt  would  upset 
the  world.  "  As  an  upturning  man"  the  impenitent,  mere  ex~ 
emplo,  "  spreads  discord,"  "  And  as  a  talker  ;  "  literally,  rolling 
out  rapidly.  The  idea  is, — Sin  cannot  keep  silence.  In  its 
quiet  hour  it  speaks,  rolling  out  articulate  influences.  The 
very  idea  is  terrible.  It  "  separates  away  a  friend."  That  is, 
the  world  being  knit  together  by  the  law  of  love,  the  impeni- 
tent separate  it  asunder.  They  separate  man  from  his  race, 
and  destroy  that  highest  friendship  that  he  might  have  with 
the  Almighty.  They  spread  discord.  And,  hence,  another 
sketch: — V.  29.  "As  a  man  of  violence."  This  might  seem 
rhetorically  excessive,  but  so  do  words  of  Christ  (Matt.  12  :  34; 
Jo.  10  :  8).  Unbelief  can  hardly  be  libelled,  and  Solomon's 
very  thought  is,  to  show  how  violent  it  is  !  It  is  the  match  even 
of  hell ;  for  it  derides  it !  It  is  the  robber  even  of  God ;  for  it 
thieves  from  Him.  It  takes  life  without  paying  for  it.  It  as- 
saults the  Maker  upon  His  throne.  It  stares  broadly  at  the 
truth  each  Sunday  when  it  listens,  and  flouts  it,  as  though 
never  heard.  Unbelief  is  "  violence."  And  yet,  as  though  it 
were  the  most  seductive  charm,  it  "  seduces  (one's)  neighbor, 
and  leads  him  in  a  way  not  good."  Examples  of  that  bold  con- 
tempt are  the  most  contagious  of  moral  influences.  For,  to 
avoid  all  possibility  of  mistake  (v.  30),  his  conduct  may  be  of 
the  most  quiet  kind.  "  Shutting  his  eyes  to  devise  mischiefs." 
All  this  was  pictured  in  the  other  passage  (6  :  12-14).  That  is, 
II 


242  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVI 

pressing  the  lids  together,  as  men  do  when  they  are  merely  medi- 
tating gravely.  "  Pressing  his  lips,"  with  that  compressed  thought 
which  these  gestures  so  thoroughly  make  appear.  The  man 
has  done  his  mischief,  even  before  any  overt  act.  "Already." 
This  is  the  force  of  the  perfect  as  among  futures  (see  the  re- 
marks 14  :  i).  The  meaning  is,  example  it  is  impossible  to  re- 
press. Men  will  get  it  from  us,  even  v.^hen  we  are  not  aware 
of  it  ourself.  It  steals  into  our  very  look.  It  lies  in  our  very 
negligence  to  act.  It  swarms  about  the  very  cast  of  the  eye. 
He  \s\iO  presses  his  lips  in  some  inarticulate  design,  is  watched 
by  some  poor  tempted  child,  and  "has  already  accomplished 
evil." 

If  an  amiable  impenitence  is  so  terribly  subversive,  of  course 
a  long  life  of  it  can  hardly  grow  into  honor : — 

%i  Grey  hair,  to  be  a  crown  of  glory,  I  .  3^  The  hoary  head 

O"-     ^^    ^J  '  .  Ci^'  ?j  a  crown  of  glory,  ?/ 

must  be  found  m  the  way  of  righteousness,  it  be  found  in  the  way 

I  of  righteousness. 

If  unbelief  surrounds  itself  with  mischiefs,  the  sooner  it  is  off 
the  stage  the  better.  Long  life  adds  to  its  horrors.  Old  men 
are  the  bane  and  the  pest.  Suppose  this  could  be  written  on 
their  sepulchres  !  The  fathers  of  the  hamlet,  who  lie  in  the 
church-yards  !  how  this  would  change  their  epitaphs !  If  the 
very  glance  of  their  eye  spread  mischief  (v.  30),  how  long  were 
these  men  at  their  deadly  work !  How  precious,  therefore, 
being  a  Christian  ! 

And  how  hard  to  be  : — 


32  He  that  is  slow  to  anger,  is  better  than  the 
mighty ; 
and  he  that  rules  his  spirit,  than  he  that 
takes  a  city. 


32  He  that  is  slow  to 
anger  is  better  than  the 
mighty  ;  and  he  that 
ruleth  his  spirit  than  he 
that  taketh  a  city. 


It  may  be  harder  to  keep  from  toppling  from  a  precipice, 
than  to  lift,  by  sheer  strength,  our  body  over  a  wall.  The 
reason  is  obvious.  A  feather  might  keep  our  balance,  so  we 
could  lean  and  be  safe  ;  but  the  difficulty  is,  where  to  get  it. 
We  have  strength  enough,  if  we  only  had  wherewithal  it  could 
be  applied.  The  difficulty  of  ruling  our  spirits  is,  that  they  are 
ourselves.     The  difficulty  of  an  inebriate  in  resisting  a  desire, 


Chap.  XVII.]  COMMENTARY.  243 

is, — that  it  is  his  desire.  What  can  he  resist  it  with .?  It  might 
be  far  slighter,  and  yet,  if  there  be  nothing  to  oppose,  like  the 
slight  weight  that  topples  one  upon  the  Alps,  it  is  as  sure  to 
ruin  him  as  a  thousand  tons. 

How  blessed  the  fact,  that  all  things  are  determined  by  the 
Almighty  !  Graver  things  have  been  adduced  (vs.  9,  10).  The 
Wise  Man  finishes  with  lighter  things.  He  asserts  a  divine  di- 
rection for  that  which  is  most  given  up  to  the  control  of 
chance : — 


2)2,  The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap ; 

but  its  whole  judgment  is  from  Jehovah. 


33  The  lot  is  cast 
into  the  lap  ;  but  the 
whole  disposing  there- 
of is  of  the  Lord. 


"  Lap  ;"  literally,  bosom  :  a  bosom,  however,  more  extensive 
than  in  our  language ;  and  including  all  the  front  folds  of  the 
person  and  the  dress.  To  lie  in  one's  bosom  (2  Sam.  12:3),  in 
those  days  of  loose  dress,  meant  to  lie  in  one's  whole  embrace. 
It  included  the  "  lap."  It  meant  only  the  "  lap"  when  lots  are 
said  to  be  cast  into  it,  and  more  the  "  lap"  than  (Anglice)  bosom, 
when  gifts  were  poured  in  (Is.  65  :  6,  7),  or  when,  for  that  pur- 
pose, a  man  was  said  to  open  his  bosom.  The  substantive, 
"lot,"  has  an  irregular  and  accusative  look  and  connection 
(see  the  Hebrew)  ;  but  it  does  not  alter  the  sense.  "  Disposing 
thereof"  (E.  V.):  literally,  "judgment."  So  we  translate  it; 
as  though  the  lot  were  a  magistrate  upon  the  bench.  The  lot 
often  gave  weighty  decisions  (Acts  i  :  26).  "Whole;"  every 
corner  of  the  decision.  Its  whole  banded  consequences  are 
ordered  by  "  Jehovah." 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

I  Better    is    a   dry   morsel    and    quietness 
therewith, 
than  a  house  full  of  contentious  feasts. 


Better  is  %  dry 
morsel  and  quietness 
therewith,  than  an 
liouse  full  of  sacrifices 
■with  strife. 


Ther5  are  eight  of  these  Proverbs,  and,  including  Ecclesi- 
astes,  twelve,  in  which  "  the  fear  of  Jehovah  "(15:16),"  love  " 
(15:17),  "righteousness"  (16:8),  "wisdom"  (16:16),  "in- 


244  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVII. 

tegrity  "  in  one's  "  walk"  (19:1;  28:6),  nearness  in  a  neigh- 
bor (27:10),  "quietness"  (Ec.  4  :  6),  even  a  child's  wisdom 
(Ec.  4  :  13),  "  the  sight  of  the  eyes  "  (Ec.  6  :  9),  and  "  the  end 
of  a  thing"  (Ec.  7  :  8),  are  all  praised,  as  "  better,"  though 
accompanied  with  very  little,  than  the  opposite  states,  with 
very  much.  In  this  verse,  the  "  better"  thing  is  "  qiiietness," 
a  word  from  a  root  that  means,  to  be  lax^  or,  relaxed,  and, 
hence,  to  be  at  ease,  or  secure.  In  the  world,  the  maxim 
would  teach,  that  the  plainest  life,  with  "  qtiietness"  and  peace, 
is  "  better "  than  the  daintiest  establishment,  with  constant 
quarrels.  "  A  dry  morsel;"  as  in  contrast  with  the  usual  sop 
loved  in  the  East  (Jo.  13:26).  "Feasts;"  literally,  killi?igs 
(Is.  34:6);  usually,  sacrificial  killifigs  (Lev.  19:6);  and,  as 
^eace  sacrifices  (Lev.  3:1),  comprising  always  a  part  that  by 
law  was  to  be  eaten  by  the  offerer  (Lev.  19:6);  hence  the 
base  of  great  family  banquetings  (Prov.  7  :  14).  We  thought, 
at  first,  that  it  alluded  to  the  atonement,  (literally,  the  sacrifices 
of  strife),  the  meaning  being,  that  the  simplest  life  of  positive 
obedience,  was  better  than  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  sinning  and 
repenting.  That  would  be  too  art-like,  however.  "  Killings  " 
may  mean  ordinary  slaughterings  (not  in  many  passages,  per- 
haps ;  but  see  Zeph.  1:7);  and  "  killings  of  strife,"  like  "  kill- 
ings of  joy  "  (Ps.  27  :  6),  mean,  not  what  strife  gives,  any  more 
than  \v\vdX  joy  gives,  but,  more  simply  "  contentious  (like  joyous) 
killings."  Spiritually,  therefore,  as  Solomon  intends,  the  Pro- 
verb teaches,  that  the  poorest  earthly  bestowments,  with  love 
and  quiet  faith  (15  :  17),  are  better  than  the  most  splendid 
''''feasts,"  and  strife  with  each  other  and  our  Maker. 

Again ;  piety  as  a  simple  service,  is  better  than  blood,  or  an 
imagined  birthright  in  the  church  : — 


2  A  wise  servant  shall 
have  rule  over  a  son 
that   causeth   shame. 


2  A  wise  servant  shall  have  rule  over  the  son 
of  one  who  causes  shame, 
and  in  the  very  midst  of  the  brethren  shaUl^h"e^;Srn'ce''amon; 
share  the  inheritance.  1  '''e  brethren. 


Eliezer  will  show  the  custom  that  suggests  the  type.  He 
was  "  a  wise  servant."  Abraham  thought  he  would  have  to  be 
his  heir  (Gen.  15:2,  3).     All  commentators  put  "  son  "  in  ap- 


Chap  XVIL]  COMMENTAR  Y.  245 

position  with  him  "  who  causes  shame ;"  i.  e.,  make  them  the 
same  person.  But,  to  be  the  same  person,  they  should  be  in 
the  same  form  grammatically  (see  4:3);  and  "  son  "  is  in  the 
construct.  The  causer  oi  shame,  therefore,  is  the  father.  And 
this  is  more  consistent ;  for  a  wise  father  could  uphold  a  son, 
or  could  give  the  "  inheritance  "  to  the  other  "brethren."  In 
the  worldly  sense  there  can  be  no  difficulty.  In  the  spiritual, 
what  noted  instances  ! — in  the  Israelites,  who,  unlike  Abraham, 
failed  to  command  their  households  (Gen.  18  :  19),  and  who 
gave  place  to  their  bought  servants,  the  hated  Gentiles ! — in 
Satan,  who  has  given  place  to  man  (Ps.  8  :  2) ! — in  modern  men, 
who  have  professed  the  faith,  but  have  debauched  their  chil- 
dren, till  they  see  them  hardening  under  their  very  eyes,  and 
some  far  off  waif  gets  before  them  into  the  everlasting  kingdom. 
Better,  says  the  last  Proverb,  the  utmost  poverty,  with  peace 
and  love ;  better,  says  this  Proverb,  the  poorest  hold  upon  the 
church,  if  there  be  the  humbler  hold  upon  the  service  of  the 
Most  High. 

Because,  really,  the  ''''  dry  inorseV  (v.  11)  and  the  servant's 
lot  (v.  2)  may  be  our  happiest  discipline: — 

3  The  fining  pot  for  silver,  and  the  furnace  forsihxrjnd"?he°furf 


for  gold, 
and  Jehovah  as  trier  of  hearts. 


nace  for  gold  :  but  the 
Lord  trieth  the  hearts. 


"  Behold  I  have  refined  thee  but  not  with  silver"  (Is.  48  :  10)  ; 
literally,  in  silver,  and  (^  essentise)  like.  Grace  points  out  a 
difference.  Silver  is  refined  by  getting  the  silver  out  from 
among  the  dross.  Christians  are  refined  by  putting  the  silver 
in  among  the  dross,  and  refining  the  dross  away.  Men  in  a 
natural  state  are  not  an  ore  of  silver,  but  are  dross,  and  they 
are  nothing  else.  He  who  sits  to  purify  them  (Mai.  3  : 3), 
does  not  disengage  the  gold,  but  supplies  it  as  He  goes  along. 
In  other  respects,  however,  the  emblem  is  complete,  (i)  "  The 
furnace  "  takes  out  the  dross.  So  does  "  Jehovah."  (2)  "  The 
furnace  "  burns  out  the  dross.  So  does  Jehovah,  with  biting 
flames.  (3)  "  The  furnace"  is  a  gradual  worker.  So  is  God. 
(4)  In  both  processes  there  is  the  same  mixture  of  trying  and 
refining,  testing  and  pui'ifying,  watching  and  going  on  unth  the 


246  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVII. 

work,  which  appear,  both  together,  whenever  this  emblem  is 
presented  in  the  Bible.  Not  that  God  needs  so  much  to  try 
us,  but  to  show  us  to  ourselves,  which  is  itself  a  part  of  our 
most  effective  sanctification. 

What  thorough  dross  man  is,  appears  in  the  wonder  that 
follows : — 
4  An  evil  doer  gives  heed  to  a  worthless  lip.  |  etS  ifeeltlalTiSl- 

A  lie  listens  to  a  reckless  tongue.  a«rf  a  Har  giveth  ear  to 

'  a  naughty  tongue. 

A  man  most  mischievous  himself,  yields  most  mischievously 
to  the  mischief  of  other  sinners.  "  A  lie  "  is  the  most  weakly 
credulous.  This  is  often  noticed  among  the  earthly.  The 
biter  is  often  most  bit :  the  tyrant  most  tortured.  The  cunning 
is  often  most  caught ;  and,  what  is  singularly  the  fact,  the  skep- 
tic is  often  the  most  believing.  It  is  not  a  complete  Proverb 
though  for  earth,  because  it  is  not  universal.  It  is  spiritually,  as 
with  all  these  other  texts,  that  the  truth  has  no  exception.  The 
greatest  harm  doer  is  Satan ;  and  so  the  greatest  harm  done  is 
to  Satan.  He  is  the  father  of  lies,  and  has  been  most  lied  to. 
He  was  more  deceived  in  Eden  than  his  victim,  and  on  Cal- 
vary than  the  men  who  crucified  their  Lord.  And  all  his  fol- 
lowers, while,  as  we  have  seen,  the  mildest  of  them  have  fire 
upon  their  lips  (i6  :  27)  ;  yet,  take  from  the  world  equal  mis- 
chiefs with  that  which  they  inflict  upon  it.  "An  evil  doer;" 
Hiphil  participle  of  the  verb  to  he  evil.  "  Gives  heed;"  attends 
closely  to.  "  Worthless  ;"  one  of  the  favorite  epithets  for  Sin. 
The  word  is  a  noun,  however :  "  a  lip  "  ^  wortJilessness ; 
■'  naught-y"  lips.,  as  the  old  English  would  most  correctly  ex- 
press it.  The  care  to  put  "  a  liar  "  (E.  V.)  in  the  second  clause 
to  correspond  with  "an  evil  doer"  in  the  first,  (Zockler,  Maurer, 
De  Wette)  is  not  necessary,  and  the  like  mars  the  sense  of  many 
of  these  Proverbs*  (12  :  27  ;   18  :  3).     On  the  contrary,  to  have 

*  As  an  instance  of  this  useless  care,  we  quote,  in  full,  Zockler's  critical  note  on  Chap. 
18  :  3.     "  Instead  of  'W'i»s'n  we  shall  be  obliged  with  I.  D.  Michaelis,  Hitzig,  Umbreit,etc., 

T       T 

to  point  •»«!.»■■.  as  the  parallel,  «.««i"u  (i.  e.,  infamy,  infamous  conduct,  turpitude)  indi- 
cates." A  like  hcrmcncutics  would  forbid  a  man,  who  is  to  be  translated,  ever  to  use  such 
idiomatic  expedients  for  strength.     If  Solomon  meant  to  say  ■t>»>s>-t    why  did  he  not  say 

it  ?     Ought  not  the  translation  to  preserve  the  original  as  much  as  our  tongue  permits? 


Chap.  XVII.]  COMMENTARY.  247 

the  abstract  in  the  second  clause,  is  a  habit  of  Solon  on,  and 
adds  intensiveness  to  the  growing  sense.  Which  is  the 
stronger,  God  is  a  Lover,  or  "  God  is  love "  1  It  is  meant 
to  be  intense  that  the  very  "  lie"  itself,  in  its  very  nature  of 
being  a  lie,  opens  itself,  in  turn,  to  all  other  deceivers.  "  Reck- 
less;" from  a  verb  originally  to  breathe  after,  hence  to  desire, 
hence  to  go  headlong.  "■Naughty"  (E.  V.)  comes  as  we  have 
seen,  by  another  route,  and  would  better  translate  the  other 
expression  (ist  clause). 

One  of  the  "  reckless"  things  a  man  does,  is  to  think  triflingly 
about  "  the  poor."  They  are  God's  creatures.  They  are 
created  just  as  they  are  for  God's  decree  (16  :  4).  They  are 
created  partly  for  our  discipline.  The  relations  of  poor  and 
rich  are  close  with  themselves,  and  close  with  their  "Maker." 
All  life  is,  therefore,  solemn.  The  mocker  forgets  himself, 
being  profane  as  well  as  heartless.  And  when  he  goes  farther, 
and,  comfortably  housed,  "  is  glad  "  when  he  looks  out  upon 
distress,  it  presents  a  picture  of  guilt  that  is  sure  not  to  "  go 
unpunished  " : — 


5  Whoso  mocketh 
the  poor  reproach eth 
h  is  Maker  ;  and  he 
that  is  glad  at  calami- 
ties shall  not  be  unpun- 
ished. 


5  He  that  mocks  the  poor  man,  scorns  his 
Maker. 
He  that  is  glad  of  calamity,  shall  not  go 
unpunished. 

For,  in  truth,  the  whole  family  of  man  might  be  the  joy  and 
the  honor  of  each  other.  These  are  pregnant  texts  ;  and  one 
stroke  is  intended  for  a  whole  assemblage  of  relations.  That 
of  parent  and  child  is  intended  to  embody  others  in  Scripture. 
And  so,  as  in  another -place  (22  :  6,  7),  the  ''poor"  being  spoken 
of,  a  parental  reference  is  made  to  throw  its  light  as  though 
over  a  like  relation  : — 


6  Children's  children 
are  t  if  crown  of  old 
men  ;  and  the  glory  of 
children  are  their  fa- 
thers. 


6  The  crown  of  old  men  are  children's  chil- 
dren ; 
and  the  glory  of  children  are  their  fathers. 

In  heaven,  where  things  will  be  most  clearly  seen,  the  ''poor" 
we  have  helped  will  be  our  ornament ;  and  we,  whom  they  have 
meekly  thanked,  and  from  whom  they  have  humbly  taken,  will 


248  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVII. 

have  been  a  spiritual  benefit  to  them.  All  the  relations  of  life 
v/ill  be  each  other's  joy ;  and  all  the  fidelities  they  have  bred, 
will  be  each  other's  ornament.  So  that  all  the  Providfences  of 
pain  that  throw  the  poor  more  completely  on  the  rich,  and  the 
young  more  completely  on  the  "  old;"  yea,  and  the  "  old"  more 
completely  on  the  young,  instead  of  being  mocked  at  (v.  5), 
should  be  looked  on  as  a  glorious  plan,  both  for  life  and  honor. 
The  lost  cannot  understand  such  things  : — 

7  Excellent  speech  is  not  agreeable  to  the  base,  |  tecomrt'h'not  a'^foo'i^ 
for  the  same  reason  also  that  lying  speech  much  less  do  lying  lips 
is  not  to  the  noble.  '  ^  pnnce. 

"Excellent;"  literally,  something  over.,  abundant ;  then,  pro- 
fitable ;  then,  excellent.  These  ancient  roots  connect  sin  very 
much  with  profitlessness.  "  Speech  ;"  literally,  ///.  "  Is  a^ee- 
able  to ;"  not  "  becometh  "  (E.  V.).  It  is  from  another  verb 
meaning  to  desire.  Excellent  speech  becomes  anybody,  saint  or 
sinner.  "  Base."  This  is  one  of  three  words  usually  translated 
^^fool"  (E.  v.).  But  they  are  all  different.  One  is  from  a 
word  meaning  to  be  turned  away,  to  be  perverse,  and  we  trans- 
late that  '"''fool"  (10  :  10).  One  is  from  a  verb  meaning  to  be 
fat,  and  we  translate  that  "  a  stupid  man  "  (v.  16).  The  other 
is  from  a  verb  meaning  to  wilt,  wither,  or  fall  away ;  in  the 
Pihel,  lightly  to  esteem.  It  is  the  word  we  are  considering.  It 
was  the  name  of  Nabal,  precisely,  and  without  any  change. 
We  translate  it  a  base  one  (v.  21) ;  and  it  corresponds  very  well 
with  "the  noble"  (2d  clause),  which  means  munificent  ox  gener- 
ous. All  three  mean  the  impenitent ;  but  it  is  well  to  preserve 
them  in  their  original  distinctions.  We  come  next  to  a  good 
proof  of  the  position  taken,  chap.  11:31.  ^^ Much  less"  (E. 
v.),  instead  of  deriving  proof  from  this  text,  would  spoil  it. 
The  two  words  are  "  also"  and  because  (see  17:7).  We  should 
derive  out  of  them  no  other  sense.  They  are  intended  to  en- 
force a  fact  by  saying,  that  another  like  fact  is  true  **  also,"  and 
*'  for  "  a  like  "  reason."  And  they  could  be  illustrated  nowhere 
better  than  at  the  point  we  have  reached.  The  "  base  "  hate 
what  is  ^'excellent ;"  and  "  the  noble"  hate  what  is  false;  and  for 
the  kindred  reason  : — men  hate  Avhat  is  morally  opposed  to 


Chap.  XVII.J  COMMENTARY.  249 

them.  The  doctrine  is  very  wide,  and  is,  that  men  cannot  ap- 
preciate, and,  therefore,  do  not  admire  that  moral  life,  which  is 
either  above  or  beneath  them. 

"  Excellent  speech,''  therefore,  is  a  "  gift,"  and  a  gift  that  has 
a  distinct  master.  Other  people  cannot  enjoy  it.  The  inspired 
word,  therefore,  puts  the  article  to  the  noun  ''''gift"  to  give  it 
this  previous  connection,  and  thus  discourses  upon  it : — 


8  The  Gift  is  a  precious  stone  in  the  eyes  of 
him  who  has  it : 
whithersoever  it  turns  it  prospers. 


8  A  gift  is  as  a  pre- 
cious stone  in  the  eyes 
of  him  that  hath  it ; 
whithersoever  it  turn- 
eth,  it  prospereth. 


This  particular  word  ^^ gift"  meant  something  that  bribed  a 
man  either  fairly  or  foully.  It  is,  therefore,  a  graver  word  than 
that  for  a  usual  present.  It  is  a  good  word  for  grace,  and  a 
good  word,  even,  in  the  worldly  Proverb  for  that  sort  of  ^'  gift  " 
that  was  looked  to  particularly  to  prosper.  "Precious  stone;" 
literally,  "  stone  of  grace  .-"  this  was  the  old  expression.  "  Elm 
who  has  it;"  literally,  ^^  its  master"  (as  in  i  :  19).  None  but 
"  its  master  "  in  the  sense  of  him  who  gets  it,  looks  upon  grace 
zs  z.  precious  ge?n.  "Whithersoever  it  turns."  So  is  '''' a  prC' 
cious  stone."  So  is  a  worldly  "^?//."  It  sparkles  whithersoever 
you  turn  it.  So,  without  the  least  exception,  is  The  Heavenly 
"  Gift."  In  whatsoever  direction  we  may  choose  to  turn  it,  "  it 
prospers."  "Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  right- 
eousness, and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 

If  there  be  a  "  Gift"  however,  all  things  depend  upon  the 
friendliness  of  the  Giver  : — 

9  He  that  covers  sin,  seeks  love ;  _       I  ..l^^^ll^nitA 

but  he  who  falls  back  into  an  act,  drives  love :  but  he  that  re- 

^  .        J  peateth  a  matter  sepa- 

away  a  triend.  |  rateth  very  friends. 

Solomon,  in  adopting  this  worldly  maxim,  takes  it  in  all  its 
naturalness.  If  one  has  been  our  enemy,  it  has  been  for  some 
trespass.  The  best  way  to  abate  the  enmity,  is  to  cover  up, 
and  smother  over,  and  thus  erase  from  memory  our  act  against 
him.  He  that  does  this,  "  seeks  love. "  "He  who  faUs  back 
into"  the  wrong,  i.  e.,  iterates,  or  doubles  over  his  offence, 
"  drives  away  "  everything.  The  verb  means  to  fold  back,  or 
II* 


250  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVII. 

double  over,  like  the  yea?-,  which,  ia  Hebrew,  is  thus  derived. 
Spiritually,  a  man  is  not  to  complain  of  the  alienation  of  his 
Maker,  if  he  willfully  retain  his  sin.  ^^  He  that  covers  sin,  seeks 
love."  If  God  has  given  us  a  special  way  for  covering  sin,  and 
we  postpone  it,  and  go  tumbling  back  into  our  acts,  the  strife  is 
ours.  This  special  crime  of  relapsing  after  we  have  done  bet- 
ter, o( falling  back  after  we  have  sought  a  covering  for  trespass, 
is  signal  for  hardening  the  conscience,  and  fatal  for  driving 
^'' away  a  Friend."  '■''Drives;"  literally,  separates.  '"''Act;" 
literally,  tvord ;  English  Version,  "  7natter."  The  use  of  this  noun 
for  affair,  or  ^natter,  is  common  through  all  the  Bible  (Gen. 
20:8). 

Anything  better,  however,  is  signally  a  ^^ gift"  (v.  8);  for, 
while  the  man,  "  7i'ho  has  it "  (v.  8),  can  be  influenced  by  the 
slightest  "  rebuke,"  the  ordinary  sinner  cannot  be  stirred  by 
the  strongest  discipline  : — 


10  Rebuke  penetrates  further  into  a  discern- 
ing man 
than  a  hundred  stripes  into  a  stupid  one. 


10  A  reproof  enter- 
eth  more  into  a  wise 
man  than  an  hundred 
stripes  into  a  fool. 


The  cause  is  obvious.  "  Rebuke  "  requires  a  basis  of  con- 
science. The  lost  man  has  no  conscientious  light.  "  Pene- 
trates;" literally,  ^^'^j  ^(^z^/^ //2/<?.  Not  "  stripes,"  as  a  substan- 
tive, but  the  infinitive  verb.  "  Rebuke  penetrates,  etc.,"  more 
than  smiting  one  who  is  stupid  a  hiindred ;  in  other  words, 
^giving  him  a  hundred,'  as  we  say.  Discipline  cannot  save.  It 
is  only  the  Spirit.  Discipline  can  but  harden  (Is.  1:5).  God 
chooses  to  discipline  as  the  instrument  oi '^ the  Gift"  (v.  8). 
But  without  "  the  gift,"  "  though  thou  bray  a  fool  in  a  mortar, 
in  the  midst  of  grits  with  a  pestle,  his  folly  shall  not  depart 
from  him  "  (27  :  22).  "  Stupid ;"  one  of  the  three  names  for 
the  impenitent  (see  v.  7). 

Yet,  though  anything  better  is  always  a  ''''gift"  still  it  is 
"  only  "  voluntary  and  express  "  rebellion"  that  can  prevent  our 
getting  it,  a  "  rebellion  "  so  spontaneous  that  it  "  goes  in  search 
of  evil :" — 


Chap.  XVII.]  COMMENTARY.  251 

II  Only  rebellion  goes  in  search  of  evil,  n  Aneviiw^nseek- 

and  has  a  cruel  messenger  sent  by  its  very  thereforVa^'c'rud'me": 

self.  senger  shall  be  sent 

against  him. 

Observe  the  word  ;  not  wickedness  j  for  all  men  are  wicked ; 
not  impenitence  or  stupidity,  this  time,  but  "  rebellion  ;'  because 
there  is  nothing  more  voluntary.  "  Only  rebellion"  If  a  man 
truly  is  not  rebellious,  he  is  sure  of  "  the  gift.  Solomon  has 
weighed  these  words,  and  so  did  David  in  the  sixty-eighth 
Psalm  (v,  6).  He  is  speaking  of  victory.  Chains  are  to  be 
shattered ;  and  there  is  a  shout  of  universal  celebration. 
Christ  is  in  the  car  of  triumph,  and  he  is  leading  captivity  cap- 
tive, and  receiving  gifts  as  a  man  (^  essentise).  And  then, 
narrowing  down  the  sorrow  to  only  one  exception  of  the  earth- 
wide  gladness,  he  says, — "  0?ily  the  rebellious"  (our  Versionists 
have  translated  ^^ but,"  but  it  is  the  very  simplest  ^' only")  "only 
the  rebellious  shall  dwell  in  a  dry  place."  Solomon  now  re- 
peats the  admonition.  There  are  creatures  in  the  universe 
that  are  actually  " ///  search  of  evil."  There  are  men  that  are 
summoning  "  a  cruel  messenger"  to  be  "  sent"  against  themselves. 
They  are  not  the  wicked ;  for  thousands  of  wicked  people  are  in 
glory.  Nor  the  ignorant ;  they  are  not  the  poor  or  the  despised. 
They  are  not  even  the  vicious ; — no  !  not  Jew  or  Gentile,  bond 
or  free.  They  are"^;//v  the  rebellious."  A  door  of  mercy! 
and  a  ransom  fixed  for  sin !  and  only  one  class  to  fail !  and 
they  spontaneously  rebels!  These  are  the  men  that  go  "/« 
search  of  evil  j"  and  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  Wise  Man.  The 
trumpet  blast  at  the  end  they  put  to  their  own  lips.  The 
"  cruel  messenger  "  that  shall  be  sent,  they  send.  No  Dry  Tor- 
tugas  for  any  of  the  rest.  Their  doom  at  last  is  the  decision  of 
their  free  impenitence 

Therefore : — 

12  Let  a  bear  robbed  of  her  cubs  meet  a  man :    /?  Let  a  bear  robbed 

'  of  her  whelps  meet  a 
man,  rather  than  a  fool 
in  his  folly. 


but  not  a  fool  his  folly. 


For  the  "fool,"  O  what  a  meeting  !  when  he  has  been  robbed 
of  every  earthly  chance  !  and  is  dead  eternally !  and  the  "  F0II7," 
that  has  robbed  him,  is  shut  up  with  him  in  everlasting  misery ! 


252  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVII. 

How  he  will  gnash  his  teeth  at  it!  ^^ Fool j"  the  stupid 
man  (see  v.  i6).  We  translate  ''''fool"  as  demanded  by  the 
energy  of  the  sentence.  '''"Folly;"  a  different  root  {perverse- 
ness),  and  meant  thus  usually  to  be  translated.  "//^  his  folly  " 
(E.  v.).  There  is  a  preposition  before  the  word,  and  it  has  mis- 
led the  commentators  to  translate  it  "  ///  "  (E.  V.),  and  to  spoil 
all  the  text.  The  whole  is  thus  rendered  vapid.  The  meeting 
of  the  "fool"  and  "folly  !"  is  thrown  out.  The  commentators 
have  not,  so  much  as  one  of  them,  observed  it.  The  meeting 
of  the  ''''fool "  is  supposed  to  be  with  others,  his  folly  making 
him  dangerous;  whereas  the  preposition  |3  is  before  "man  "  as 
well  as  before  "folly  j"  and,  in  the  usage  of  the  language,  is 
required  by  the  verb  to  meet.  "  Let  a  bear  robbed,  etc.,  ?neet  in 
a  mati  (or  with  a  man)  and  not  a  fool  in  (i.  e.,  tvith)  his  folly." 
" Me^t j"  literally,  an  infinitive;  "a  meeting  of  a  bear.,  etc.," 
(i.  e.,  let  that  be)  "  rather  than  of  the  fool.,  etc." 

Not  only  will  the  fool  himself  glare  madly  at  his  own  infatua- 
tion, but  must,  if  he  reason  rightly,  exonerate  the  Almighty  : — 


13  Whoso  returns  evil  for  good, 

"evil  shall  not  depart  from  his  house. 


I-?  Whoso  rewardeth 
evil  for  good,  evil  shall 
not  depart  from  h  i  s 
house. 


The  first  clause  describes  sin  as  a  rendering  of  "  evil  for 
good."  The  last  clause  describes  "evil"  as,  in  that  case,  in- 
capable of  departing  from  one's  house.  If  the  only  way  to  dis- 
lodge "  evil"  is  by  "good"  and,  instead  of  that,  we  meet  "good" 
by  "  ^^77,"  obviously  "  ^e-//"  must  hold  its  ground.  "House  " 
that  is,  all  our  interests.  "  Evil "  must  control  the  whole  of 
them,  because  it  refuses  to  be  supplanted  by  "good." 

If  such  conduct  is  to  cease  at  all,  it  were  better  that  it  cease 
at  once.  If  a  fool  is  to  crush  his  folly,  let  him  do  it  instantly. 
If  good  is  ever  to  vanquish  evil,  let  us  claim  it  now.  If  any 
one  dreams  that,  inasmuch  as  when  God  pleases.  He  makes 
even  His  enemies  to  be  at  peace  with  Him,  He  will  do  that  for 
Him,  and  that,  therefore,  he  will  some  day  seek  this  peace  Avith 
his  Maker,  the  Wise  Man  urges  him,  if  that  be  his  dependence, 
to  let  that  day  be  to-day : — 


Chap.  XVIL]  COMMENTARY.       ,  253 

14  A  breaker  of  a  way  for  waters  is  the  begin- 1    \%  The  beginning  of 

^  .  .         .  ^       ■'  \  strife   IS  as  when  one 

ning  of  strife  ;  1 1  e  1 1  e  t  h    out  water  ; 

therefore   break   off  contention   before   itj^SrbXVTtT; 

pours  forth.  |  meddled  with. 

As  usual,  there  is  a  worldly  and  a  spiritual  application. 
Feuds  grow.  They  are  most  manageable  at  first,  and  may  be 
perfectly  overwhelming  afterward.  A  slight  difference  trickles 
the  water  over  the  dyke.  It  slowly  widens,  and  then  goes 
tumbling  into  a  tide  that  laughs  as  "it  pours  forth."  But  Solo- 
mon is  thinking  of  an  eternal  quarrel.  It  begins  with  impeni- 
fency.  It  grows  angry  and  inveterate  with  each  refusal  to  be 
reconciled.  "Break  off;"  literally,  to /w/;?^,  to  ^<?a/.  The  impli- 
cation is,  that  it  requires  an  emphatic  eff"ort.  The  sinner,  at  any 
cost,  should  stop  his  great  "  strife,"  and  "  break  off  contention," 
before  the  crevasse  goes  widening  into  a  perpetual  overflow. 
"A  breaker  of  a  way;"  not  "  «i-  when  one,  etc."  (E.  V.),  but  a 
masculine  participle,  in  apposition  with  "  the  beginning,"  which 
is  feminine,  but  which  is  here  personated  as  though  it  were  a 
living  agent.  ^^  Pours  forth  j"  a  verb  much  debated.  Many 
prefer  to  render  it  ''^ grows  hot"  (Umbreit).  It  occurs  only  in 
Hithpahel,  only  in  Proverbs,  and  but  three  times  altogether. 
We  shall  encounter,  therefore,  the  other  instances  (18:1; 
20  :  3).  The  meaning  of  rolling  forth  in  a  rushing,  tearing  way 
(as,  for  example,  18:  i,  where  it  is  applied  to  eager  selfishness), 
is  best ;  and  best  also  for  the  sense.  "  Grouts  hot "  would  be  a 
very  mixed  metaphor,  for  we  are  already  taken  possession  of 
by  the  figure  of  an  incipient  inundation. 

Of  two  things  the  sinner  may  be  entirely  satisfied  : — 

15  He  that  justifies  the  wicked,  and  he  that 

condemns  the  righteous, 
even  both  of  them  are  an  abomination  to 
Jehovah. 

That  "  both  "  should  be,  the  expression  "  even  "  seems  to 
point  to  as  wonderful.  They  are  both  very  plain  propositions ; 
and  yet  neither  of  them,  in  the  mind  of  the  sinner,  is  free  from 
half  conscious  surprise.  That  God  "  will  by  no  means  clear 
the  guilty  "  (Ex.  34  :  7),  and,  therefore,  that  "without  the  shed- 
ding of  blood   there   is   no   remission"   (Heb.    9:22),   when 


15  He  that  justifieth 
the  wicked,  and  he  that 
condemneth  the  just, 
even  they  both  are 
abomination  to  the 
Lord. 


254  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVII. 

learned,  is  half  the  gospel.  To  learn  it  easily,  would  imply 
that  "then  hath  the  offence  of  the  cross  ceased  "  (Gal.  5:11). 
God  will  not  condemn  Himself  in  His  "  righteous  "  action,  and 
He  cannot  justify  the  wicked  without  a  mediator;  and  Solomon, 
without  being  able  to  clear  all  the  difficultic-s,  sets-in  this  sen- 
tence as  one  of  the  great  timbers  of  thought,  which  he  looks  to 
to  defend  the  gospel.  There  are,  obviously,  vast  difficulties ; 
but,  unless  a  man  comes  within  the  possibilities  of  law,  he  can- 
not possibly  be  delivered. 

For,  example,  there  is  this  difficulty  : — 

16  Why  is  this.? — a  price  in  the  hand  of  al    16 wherefore wM^r* 

cfiiTM'/l   »>^or.  a  price  in  the  hand  of  a 

SlUpia  man  fooI  to  get  wisdom,  see- 

to  get  wisdom;  and  no  heart.?  i"?.f^  ^"^'^  "°  ^=^" 

'  ^  to  it  ! 

There  can  be  no  more  radical  perplexity.  The  gospel  may 
be  very  complete,  but  what  of  that  if  we  have  "no  heart?" 
This  is  the  difficulty  of  difficulties.  It  will  never  be  solved. 
What  matters  it  to  the  lost  man  to  have  everything .?  Christ, 
and  his  cross,  and  his  home,  and  his  eternal  glory,  all  pur- 
chased for  him,  and  all  easily  within  his  offer,  but  ''heart"  ne- 
cessary for  its  acceptance,  and  ''heart"  the  gift  of  the  Al- 
mighty, and  "heart"  not  given.?  The  man  that  could  settle 
that  question,  could,  I  doubt  not,  out-think  Gabriel.  Solomon 
does  not  settle  it.  But,  (as  in  all  these  sentences)  he  puts  in 
great  timbers  of  thought,  which  tend  greatly  to  hold  up  our 
faltering,  and  strengthen  our  faith.  Such  are  the  next  twelve 
Proverbs,  which  have,  in  all,  more  than  usual  mutual  connec- 
tion.    For  example,  first : — 


17  At  all  times  the  Friend  loves; 

and  a  brother  is  born  for  straitness. 


17  A  friend  loveth  at 
all  times,  and  a  brother 
is  born  for  adversity. 


Undoubtedly  " //^ar/ "  must  be  given,  and  to  give  "heart" 
(Jer.  24  :  7) ;  to  get  possession  of  "heart"  (15  :  32) ;  and  even  to 
measure  out  "hearts  "  (24  :  12),  are  all  expressions  that  are  to 
be  found  in  Scripture.  Bright  as  the  promise  is,  it  is  dead 
without  "  heart ;"  and  God  must  give  it.  Now,  as  I  say,  Solo- 
mon cannot  answer  this  question  baldly;  but  he  gives  modify- 


Chap.  XVII.]  COMMENTARY.  255 

ing  doctrines.  In  the  first  place,  he  insists  upon  the  benevo- 
lence of  God.  He  puts  the  emphatic  characteristic  first: — 
"  At  all  times,"  The  sinner  need  not  sit  moodily  to  wait.  "  At 
all  times  the  Friend  loves  ;"  the  idea  being : — "  heart  "  must  in- 
deed be  given,  but  the  being  that  gives  it,  is  a  ''friend;"  He  is 
not  only  a  ''friend,"  when  He  chooses  to  be,  but  Jle  loves  at  all 
times.  And  we  have  this  fact  administered  to  our  unbelief, 
that,  however  we  may  ring  the  change  upon  our  need  of 
" heart"  and  God  only  as  bestowing  it,  nevertheless,  we  have 
this  to  keep  the  balance,  that  the  God  who  bestows  it,  is  always 
our  "  Friend  "  that  He  is  "  kind  even  to  the  unthankful ;"  "  not 
willing  that  any  should  perish ;"  desiring  not  the  death  of  the 
sinner,  but  that  all  should  turn  to  Him  and  live ;  and  that  if 
there  be  "  straitness  "  in  some  of  these  hard  doctrines  of  the 
cross,  there  is  One  "  bom  for"  this  very  thing,  to  relieve  the 
straightnesses  of  our  estate,  and  to  bring  us  out  into  a  large 
room.  We  are  to  notice  the  article.  It  does  not  impair  the 
Proverb  for  its  secular  use.  We  have  such  an  idiom;  "the 
friend"  i.  e.,  the  true  friend.  Even  a  worldly  friend,  to  be 
worth  anything,  must  be  for  all  times;  and  what  is  a  brother 
born  for,  but  for  distress?  But  spiritually,  the  article  is  just 
in  place.  There  is  but  One  Only  "Friend;"  and  a  "Brother," 
who  would  not  have  been  "born"  at  all,  but  for  the  distress  and 
"  straitness  "  of  His  house. 

And  now  another  doctrine  comes,  which  fits  in  on  the  other 
side  of  the  difficulty.  While  the  "Friend"  is  loving  at  all 
times,  we  are  always  welcoming  our  enemy.  Why  should  we 
complain,  if  we  are  directly  bargaining  with  him  ?  Because, 
"  wherefore  should  a  living  man  complain,  a  man  for  the  pun- 
ishment of  his  sin  V  (Lam.  3  :  39). 

.,'  .    •^         T,^Jr.  I     38    A    man  void    of 

18  A  man  without  sense  strikes  nanas,  understanding  striketh 

assuming  over  again  a  suretyship  in  the  han<is,  ..«^^^becometh 
very  presence  of  his  Friend.  I  of  his  friend. 

Such  Proverbs  were  explained  earlier  (6:1;  11  :  is)-  They 
forbid  suretyships,  and  act  as  secular  good  sense  in  any  of  the 
Proverbs  invented  or  selected  by  Solomon.  But  they  illustrate 
one  grand  principle,  that  all  the  Proverbs  are  for  a  spiritual  end. 


256  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIT. 

Once  in  this  book,  all  mere  secularity  is  dismissed,  and  we 
must  insist  upon  the  religious  purposes  for  which  they  were 
brought  in.  The  ''''friend'"  in  a  former  instance  (6  :  i),  is  God 
Almighty.  The  "  .y//'«//^(?r"  is  the  fallen  Adam.  Our  hope  is 
to  urge  our  Friend  (6  :  3-5);  to  fall  at  His  feet,  and  take  no 
denial,  till  He  let  us  off;  to  give  neither  sleep  to  our  eyes,  nor 
slumber  to  our  eyelids,  till  we  have  escaped  as  a  roe  from  the 
hand,  or  as  a  bird  from  the  hand  of  the  fowler.  This  is  our 
wisdom.  Hence  this  Proverb  recounts  our  folly ;  for  the  lost, 
day  by  day,  goes  and  renews  his  bond,  and  that  "  in  the  very 
presence  of  his  Friend,"  One  of  these  expressions  is  peculiar  : 
"  Assuming  over  again  a  suretysJdp :"  literally,  "  assuring  a 
sjiretyshipy  The  word  ''''suretyship'"  is  found  but  once  any- 
where else  (i  Sam.  17  :  18).  The  meaning  of  the  verb  and 
noun  together,  seems  to  be,  the  reassuring  of  a  surety,  the  re- 
pledging  of  a  pledging  j  in  more  modern  phrase,  the  renewing 
of  a  surety  bond.  The  sinner  "  in  the  very  presence  of  his  Friend,'^ 
i.  e.,  in  the  very  face  of  Christ,  who  would  let  him  off,  binds 
himself  in,  renewedly,  under  the  old  covenant ;  steps  up,  and 
takes  everything  on  himself,  as  though  it  were  a  new  obliga- 
tion ;  and  then  complains  of  the  Maker  because  He  holds  him 
to  a  bond,  which  he  thus  day  by  day  has  voluntarily  reassumed. 
"  Sense  ;"  literally,  "  heart,''  the  very  word  used  in  starting  the 
difficulty.  We  translate  "  se7ise  "  to  express  more  definitely  that 
want  of  the  ''''fool  "  which  the  English  word  heart  does  not  in- 
clude in  it.  Perhaps  it  might  be  better  always  to  translate 
''heart." 

The  very  cavils  that  the  sinner  makes,  shows  that  he  is  not 
eager  to  depart  out  of  iniquity.  The  cavils  may  be  plausible; 
but  the  spirit  is  not  honest  with  which  they  are  entertained  : — 

iQ  He  loves  sin  that  loves  contention;  I    '9  .He  loveth  trans- 

-'  111  I'll-  1  •  gression    that  loveth 

and  he  that  sets  high  his  gate,  seeks  rum.     strife;  andhciUatex- 

alteth  his  gate  seeketh 
I  destruction. 

"  Sets  high  his  gate ;"  a  figure  that  is  probably  misunder- 
stood. The  version  that  has  been  given  of  it,  is,  that  it  means 
pride,  that  stately  pageantry  that  carves  and  arches  the  ap- 


Chap.  XVII.]  COMMENTARY.  257 

proaches  to  a  palace.  The  children  have,  perhaps,  got  it  bet- 
ter : — 

"  Open  the  gates  as  high  as  the  sky  ; 
To  let  King  George  and  his  troops  pass  by." 

It  probably  means  belligerence.  A  moat,  over  which  issued 
armed  bands,  with  banners  and  mounted  spearmen,  required 
high  space  to  let  them  go  forth.  "  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye 
gates,  etc."  The  soul  that  fixes  itself  that  way  against  the  Al- 
mighty, ready  to  march  out  upon  Him  on  any  occasion  of 
quarrel,  really  "seeks  ruin."  The  closing  verses  (27,  28)  ad- 
vise silence  and  restraint.  This  is  the  opposite  temper.  The  soul 
"  loves  sin"  who  hugs  this  "contention"  with  its  Maker  ;  and  he 
that  squares  himself  to  meet  every  difficulty,  and  "  sets  high  his 
gate  "  that  he  may  march  out  at  every  occasion  of  debate,  is 
really  making  certain  his  "  sin,"  and  deliberately  seeking 
"  ruin." 

How  much  better  to  smooth  down  our  difficulties,  than  to  be 
out  of  harmony  with  the  whole  creation  !  and  what  good  can  it 
do  to  set  ourselves  a-crook  with  the  very  universe  to  which  we 
belong ! — 

20  The  crooked  in  heart  cannot  find  good:      L  ^°  ^^."^^^  5^','',? 

...    CI  '  froward    heart   nndeth 

and  he  that  is  subversive  m  his   tongue,  no  good ;  and  he  that 
must  fall  as  being  an  evil.  |  }^i^  PTJ^tl^tchiT' 

"  Crooked."  That  is  the  meaning  of  the  root.  "  Subversive ;" 
from  a  verb,  to  turn  over.  Revolutionary,  we  would  say  in  civil 
matters.  A  man  who  is  revolutionary  in  his  speech,  would 
"  fall,"  even  under  earthly  governments,  "  as  being  an  evil." 
"/«/(?  mischief"  (E.  V.).  None  of  the  commentators  translate 
as  we  do.  The  reason  is,  that  there  is  the  preposition  "/;/." 
The  preposition  in  (Hebraice)  may  mean  "  as  "  (3:26;  Ps. 
39  :  6).  It  means  "  as"  far  more  often  than  we  have  heretofore 
imagined.  Translated  "  ijito"  it  gives  a  very  bald  and  vapid 
sense.  Translated  "  as"  it  gives  a  very  striking  one.  It  gives 
one  coincident  with  the  thought  in  hand.  It  makes  the  caviller 
perish  out  as  a  noxious  thing.  And  it  gives  a  meaning  which 
has  appeared  already  in  this  book  (13  :  17),  and  which,  in  that 


258  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVII. 

very  much  relieved  and  very  much  brightened  passage,  was 
also  against  the  thought  of  all  the  expositions.    Solomon,  there- 
fore, rebukes  cavilling  as  unnatural  and  evil. 
Now  he  turns  to  God  : — 


21  When  one  has  a  stupid  child  it  is  his  sorrow ; 
and  he  is  not  glad  who  is  father  of  the  base. 


21  He  that  begetteth 
a  fool  doeth  it  to  his 
sorrow  ;  and  the  father 
of  a  fool  hath  no  joy. 


These  fifth  commandment  Proverbs  are  very  wide  in  their 
reaching.  This,  of  course,  has  its  secular  sense,  and  a  lower 
spiritual  reality;  but  its  purpose,  in  this  connection,  is  with  our 
great  "  Father  "  in  the  Heaven.  What  would  it  profit  Him  to 
make  us  miserable.''  Where  is  the  gain  to  Him  if  we  are  im- 
penitent or  "  base  ?"  He  tells  us  that  He  strives  for  our  salva- 
tion (Job  7:18);  that  punishment  is  His  strange  work  (Is. 
28  :  21) ;  that  "  He  doth  not  afflict  willingly  "  (Lam.  3  :  2,Z)  \ 
and  that  He  yearns  over  us  with  tender  regard,  that  all  may 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  This  particular  "  timber" 
in  the  debate  is,  the  demand  upon  the  impenitent  sinner, — 
what  particular  good  it  can  be  to  his  "  Father"  in  the  Heavens 
to  keep  him  "  base  "  or  "  stupid?" 

If  the  lost  really  wish  salvation,  why  not  prefer  the  more 
cheerful  side  of  the  question  of  difficulty  ? — 


22  A  glad  heart  helps  forward  a  cure; 

but  an  upbraiding  spirit  dries  the  bones. 


22  A  merEy  heart 
doeth  good  Hie  a  medi- 
cine:  but  a  broken 
spirit  drieth  the  bones. 

"  Cure."  We  had  supposed  it  might  be  "  medicine  "  (E.  V.). 
Our  idea  was  that  of  helping  a  medicine^  doing  it  good  (see 
15  :  13),  as  the  verb  is  strictly;  the  idea  being,  that  a  medicine, 
which  otherwise  might  be  weak,  "  a  glad  heart  "  makes  strong, 
and  "helps"  in  its  battle  with  the  sickness.  But  the  verb, 
which  is  its  primary,  means  to  thrust  away,  like  bandages  from 
a  thorough  "  cure;  "  finally,  it  meant  to  cure,  and,  as  far  as  we 
can  fix  it,  the  noun  means,  not  a  medicine,  but  a  final  "cure." 
In  the  world  at  large,  cheerfulness  is  an  immense  gift ;  but  in 
religion,  as  the  sixth  of  the  twelve  points  he  makes,  the  Wise 
Man  wishes  to  say,  that  hopefulness  is  strength  (Neh.  8 :  10) ; 
that  it  is  better  to  look  cheerfully  upon  God,  than  with  com- 


Chap.  XVII.]  COMMENTARY.  259 

plaints ;  that  if  we  are  to  be  cured  at  all,  "  a  glad  heart "  Avill 
"  /ie/J>"  it ;  and  that  the  "  upbraiding  spirit"  (see  the  discussion 
about  this,  15:13),  literally,  (Niphal  causative)  "//^^  spin'f 
caused  to  be  an  upbraiding  one"  i.  e.,  this  very  cavilling  spirit, 
"dries  the  {very)  bones;"  i.  e.,  reaches  the  innermost  life  with  its 
fatal  influences. 

If  God  were  unjust  to  man,  it  would  be  very  expensive  to 
Him.  If  man  be  unjust  to  God,  it  is  very  expensive  to  him. 
The  first  must  upturn  a  universe ;  the  second,  destroy  a  soul : — 


23  A  gift  out  of  the  bosom  the  wicked  has  to 
take 
to  turn  the  paths  of  judgment. 


23  A  wicked  man 
taketh  a  gift  out  of  the 
bosom  to  pervert  the 
ways  of  judgment. 


Let  us  be  careful  in  this  quarrel.  The  unjust  party  has  to 
pay  for  it.  "  A  gift;"  that  sort  of  "  gift"  (v.  8)  that  is  used  as 
an  inducement  for  something.  "  Out  of  the  bosom;"  the  front 
folds  of  the  dress,  including  the  "lap"  (Ex.  4:6,  7),  where 
lots  were  cast  (16  :  33),  and  where  presents  were  both  received 
and  brought  (21  :  14).  This  need  not  be  the  version;  for  the 
same  Hebrew  might  read, — "  A  gift  otit  of  the  bosom  of  the 
wicked  he  has  to  take,  etc."  The  form  of  the  noun  (bosom)  is 
good  for  each ;  the  sense,  for  both  ;  and  it  might  read  better 
impersonally,  than  either : — "//  takes  a  gift  out  of  the  bosom  of 
the  wicked  to  turn  aside  the  paths  of  judgment."  We  have  no  pre- 
cedent, however,  for  such  a  use  of  np3  '■>  ^^^  the  difference  is 

not  important.     "  Judgment  "  is  a  very  fixed  thing.     To  per- 
vert it,  and  that  remedilessly,  would  unfix  creation. 
Eighthly ;  God  has  a  far  better  chance  to  know  : — 


24  Wisdom  is  before 
him  that  hath  under- 
standing :  but  the  eyes 
of  a  fool  are  in  the 
ends  of  the  earth. 


24  Before  the  very  face  of  the  discerning  is 
wisdom  ; 
but  the  eyes  of  the  stupid  are  at  the  end 
of  the  earth. 

Heaven  is  able  to  know  so  much  more  plainly  than  Hell ! 
The  very  thing  which  is  the  best  enlightener,  the  minds  of  Hell 
will  be  entirely  without.  "  The  depth  saith,  It  is  not  in  me; 
and  the  seU  saith.  It  is  not  in  me.  Destruction  and  death  say, 
We  have  heard  the  fame  thereof  with  our  ears."     Hell,  there- 


26o  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVII. 

fore,  will  always  cavil.  If  saints  judge  better  than  sinners,  how 
much  bettef-  God  than  saints!  "  Wisdom  is  before  (His)  very 
face,"  while  "the  eyes,"  not  "of  the  stupid"  only,  but  of  Gab- 
riel himself,  must  be,  in  the  respect  of  the  contrast,  "  at  the 
{very)  end  of  the  earth."  '■'■ -At  the  end."  Not  in  the  middle, 
where  the  thing  can  be  best  judged,  but  at  the  dark  extremity. 
Ninthly;  the  old  idea  again  of  "a  father"  and  "a  son;"  only 
heightened.  It  is  "vexation"  now;  it  was  milder  before  (v.  21). 
Why  should  God,  out  of  any  wantonness,  give  birth  to  sin- 
ners .'* — 


25  A  vexation  to  a  father  is  a  stupid  son, 
and  a  grief  to  her  who  bare  him. 


25  A  foolish  son  is  a 
grief  to  his  father,  and 
bitterness  to  her  that 
bare  him. 

God  breeds  us  more  really  ten  thousand  times  than  we  do 
our  children.  We  live  in  Him.  He  breeds  us  eternally.  He 
brings  us  into  being  each  morning.  Why  should  He  sustain, 
each  patient  moment  a  thing  of  sorrow  .?  He  cannot  do  it 
wilfully.  And,  therefore,  this  Proverb,  woven  in  here  on  this 
fabric  of  defence,  has  an  obvious  use  in  making  out  the  vindi- 
cation. 

Tenthly ;  cavils  are  natural  to  the  fallen  heart,  for  they  reign 
even  in  the  Christian : — 


26  Also  to  punish  the 
just  is  not  good,  nor 
to  strike  princes  for 
equity. 


26  Even  deserved  punishment   to  the  right- 
eous does  not  seem  good 
when  designed  to  chasten  the  willing  with 
a  view  to  holiness. 

How  densely  this  is  put!  "Even."  This  seems  to  have 
been  treated  as  a  word  de  trop.  King  James'  men  make  it 
'■'■  also ;'  as  though  Solomon  grew  tired  of  sameness,  and  broke 
the  monotone  by  a  new  opening  vocable.  But  with  the  above 
rendering  it  takes  its  usual  sense.  "Punishment;"  literally, 
imposition,  or  amercement.  "Righteous."  This  word  and  ''pun- 
ishment" bear  the  weight  of  the  word  "<ftr//."  ""Even  the 
righteous"  who  ought  to  know  better ;  and  "  even  punishment" 
which  the  righteous  at  least  ought  to  be  willing  to  bear.  No- 
thing is  more  natural  than  this  picture  of  believers.  But  the 
text  is  stronger  yet:— (i)    '' Even  punishment  "    (2)    ''even" 


Chap.  XVII.]  COMMENTARY.  261 

when  sent  upon  "  the  righteous  ;"  (3)  "  even"  when  sent  for  chas- 
tisement, for  the  express  purpose  of  making  the  good  man  bet- 
ter; even  this,  (so  cavilling  is  the  heart,)  rarely  seems  good 
^^ even'' to  the  Christian.  l^iiQiaWy,^^ is  good"  (but  see  Gen. 
16:6;  20:15;  Deut.  23:16).  "When  designed  to;"  simply 
3  prefixed  to  an  infinitive.  "Chasten;"  literally,  sinite.  "The 
willing."  This  is  the  primary  meaning;  usually,  generous; 
hence,  noble j  so  translated,  v.  7.  But  to  a  Hebrew  eye,  ''''unit- 
ing" was  still  the  root ;  and  here  it  is  the  better  meaning.  The 
"  r^(^is'///<?2^j"  have  already  been  spoken  of  (v.  11).  '"'' The  7vill~ 
ing  "  are  the  saints ;  and,  to  smite  "  the  wini?ig"  is  a  hard  thing 
to  be  reconciled  to,  "  even  "  though  it  be  ^5^,  i.  e.,  7cnth  a  view 

to  (see  Ps.  44  :  23),  uprightness  or  "holiness."  The  preposition 
here  is  decidedly  capable  of  such  a  meaning  (see  also  Judges 
9  :  17;  Deut.  12  :  i).  We  rarely  stop  to  notice  other  exposi- 
tions, because  the  canvassing  of  our  own  usually  includes  what 
we  could  say  against  them. 

Eleventhly ;  admitting,  honestly,  that  there  is  still  difficulty 
left  (v.   16),  what  can  we  do  better  than  be  silent  .''— 


27  He  that  restrains  his  words,  knows  knowl- 
edge; 
and  he  that  is  cool  in  spirit,  is  a  discerning 
man. 


27  He  that  hath 
knowledge  spareth  his 
words  ;  and  a  man  of 
understanding  is  of  an 
excellent  spirit. 


The  words  are  precise.  It  is  the  fact  that  he  "  knows  knowl- 
edge," that  impels  a  man  to  restrain  his  words.  If  he  did  not 
know  knowledge  ;  if  he  had  not  light.,  and  did  not  know  it  when 
he  saw  it ;  if  he  did  not  see  light  in  God,  and  know  it  when  he 
has  seen  it,  and  really  see  enough  of  it  to  convince  him  that 
"  God  is  light,"  he  could  not  stand  the  darkness.  The  unfor- 
tunates in  hell  have  no  light  to  help  them  to  endure  the  dark. 
But  the  saint,  knowing  knowledge,  and  seeing  that  it  exists  in 
God,  is  balanced  enough  against  the  mysteries  to  enable  him 
to  restrain  his  words.  "Cool;"  from  the  verb,  to  be  cold. 
^^  Cool j"  not  passionate,  with  "a  high  gate"  ready  to  march 
out  against  the  Most  High. 

So  strong  is  this  last  point  (wisely  put  the  last,  for  it  is  the 
recourse  of  the  Christian,  when  all  reasonings  fail  to  relieve  all 


262  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

his  difficulties)  that  the  Wise  Man  asserts  that  this  silence  is  a 
chief  mark  of  piety  : — 


28  Even  a  fool  is  counted  wise  if  he  hold  his 
peace ; 
a  man  of  discernment,  if  he  shut  his  lips. 


28  Even  a  fool,  when 
he  holdeth  his  peace, 
is  counted  wise  ;  and 
he  that  shutteth  his 
lips  is  esteemed  3.  man 
of  understanding. 

It  is  so,  secularly.  Such  Proverbs  are  in  all  nations.  It  is 
so,  religiously ;  and  so  thoroughly  so,  that  if  a  man  do  shut  his 
lips,  he  is  "wise."  If  a  man  really  defers  to  God,  and  really  bows 
in  silence  to  the  Almighty,  he  does  kncno  knaivledge  (v.  26) ; 
that  is,  he  has  seen  the  light,  and  seen  enough  of  it  in  God  to 
assure  him  in  His  holy  Providence.  The  "  fool"  is  a  wise  man, 
when  he  is  silent,  and  when,  in  meek  submission,  he  bows  to 
what  he  cannot  understand. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

These  divisions  into  chapters  are  comparatively  recent ; 
and  are  of  no  imperative  authority.  They  show  the  opinion 
of  certain  learned  men  as  to  divisions  of  subjects;  and  we 
marked  twelve  statements  in  answer  to  17  :  16,  as  terminating 
with  the  seventeenth  chapter,  and  as  finding,  in  the  27th  and  28th 
verses,  a  fitting  close  to  such  a  series  of  replications.  But  the 
scent,  though  colder,  can  be  followed  further.  There  is  a 
marked  separateness  of  idea  in  this  chapter  (18)  at  the  expira- 
tion of  the  9th  verse.  An  interval  indicates  this,  left  by  some- 
body longer  ago  than  Ave  have  any  history  of  the  text.  And 
yet  the  line  of  thought,  more  feebly,  is  traceable  distincdy 
afterwards.  That  i6th  verse  of  the  last  chapter  is  a  very 
pregnant  one.  Solomon  seems  to  linger  upon  it;  and  it  will 
be  through  some  period  of  the  book,  before  the  trace  of  it  so 
disappears,  as  to  seem  no  longer  present  in  the  mind  of  inspira- 
tion. We  are  to  learn  in  the  first  verse,  that  the  cavils  of  the 
lost  are  not  worthy  of  being  respected,  because  they  are  not 
aiming  after  anything  "  stable,"  but  only  following  present  im- 
pulse : — 


Chap.  XVIIL]  COMMENTAR  Y.  263 


The  aims  of  a  man  left  to  himself  are  at 

the  mere  dictate  of  desire ; 
against  everything  stable  he  lets  himself 

roll  along. 


Through  de'^ire  a 
man,  having  separated 
himself,  seeketh  and 
intermeddleth  with  all 
wisdom. 


-  *' A  man  left  to  himself."  This  is  the  Niphal  participle  of 
the  verb  to  separate  away,  which  occurs  16  :  28  and  17:9.  It 
is  there  translated,  ^^  drives  away"  (e.  g.,'^  a  friend").  It  is 
there  speaking  of  the  isolation  which  the  lost  man  makes  for 
himself  in  the  universe.  The  separated  one  (Niphal)  here, 
therefore,  is  the  impenitent.  "  The  aims  of  a  man  left  to  him- 
self" is  really  a  translation  of  but  two  words,  and  nieans,  liter- 
rally, — a  separated  one  seeks.  "  At  the  mere  dictate  of  desire" 
is  but  one  noun  with  a  preceding  "5,  a  ^  meaning  after,  or 
according  to.  The  noun  is  from  a  root  meaning  to  incline,  to 
have  a  bent,  which  grew  to  mean,  to  long.  The  noun,  therefore, 
means  a  longing.  The  sentence  means,  that  when  a  man  gets 
separated  from  his  place  in  the  universe,  he  seeks,  or  has  a  pur- 
suit, simply  after  his  present  betit,  or  longing.  And  then,  as  the 
second  clause  :  "  Against  everything  stable  he  lets  himself  roll 
along."  ''Everything  stable."  This  is  the  common  substan- 
tive, all,  with  the  word  thoroughly  discussed  under  a  previous 
passage  (2  :  7).  This  word,  (E.  V.),  is  there  translated  ''sound 
wisdom,"  and  here,  "  ivisdom."  It  is  derived  from  the  verb 
fTl2Ji.   It  means  that  which  will  ^l'^  or  j-Zd;;/^ with  some  stability? 

T   T 

yielding  the  sense, — the  lost  man  sits  careless  to  what  is  "  sta- 
ble." He  does  not  regard  it.  He  strikes  for  what  he  desires. 
A  pretty  thing  for  him  to  cavil !  since  "  against  everything  stable 
he  just  lets  himself  roll."  This  last  verb  is  the  one  in  v.  14  of  die 
last  chapter,  where  we  are  commanded  to  break  off  "  contention 
before  it  pours  forth  "  (or  bears  itself  along).  In  the  first  clause 
the  word  "  at,"  or  according  to,  would  seem  superfluous  to  the 
lexicographers;  who  quote  this  verse  and  others  as  showing 
that  the  verb  to  seek  takes  sometimes  b-  The  clause  would 
then  mean,— ^  separated  one  seeks  his  own  craving,  which 
would  be  very  intelligible.  But  a  search  into  the  passages 
seems  to  reveal  that  the  ^  has  a  separate  force,  and  means, 
rather,  that  the  lost  man's  pursuits  are  according  to  his  cravings, 


264  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

just  as  God's  seeking  or  inquisition  (Ps.  lo:  15)  is  according  to 
sin.  The  whole  meaning,  therefore,  is,  that  the  lost  man  is  in 
high  chase,  under  the  spur  of  appetite,  and  ruthlessly  bears 
down  ''''  everything  stable." 

The  next  verse  intimates  that  his  "  desire  "  is  not  wisdom  : — 


2  The  stupid  has  no  delight  in  discernment, 
but  in  his  heart's  acting  itself  out. 


2  A  fool  hath  no  de- 
light in  understanding, 
but  that  his  heart  may 
discover  itself. 


Why  should  a  sinner  set  himself  up  as  a  judge  of  right,  when 
he  "has  no  delight"  in  the  thing  he  judges  of.?  "Acting  it- 
self out."  One  can  hardly  help  imagining  that  this  Ilithpahel 
has  the  same  force  as  that  in  the  last  verse.  They  are  both 
rare  Hithpahels,  and  very  similar.  The  sense  would  then  be, — 
"  The  stupid  /las  no  delight  in  discernment,  but  in  his  heart's  " 
having  its  full  sweep  (i.  e.,  rolling  itself  along).  That  would  be 
a  very  good  meaning.  Still,  there  is  no  mistaking  the  superior 
claim  of  another  verb  that  means  to  fnake  naked.  Hence,  in 
the  Hithpahel,  to  fnake  oneself  naked.  It  really  includes  more 
than  bearing  oneself  along.,  it  may  be ;  viz.,  as  in  the  instance 
of  the  text,  delighting,  not  only  in  laying  the  heart  bare,  or  act- 
ing it  out  nakedly  (as  the  sinner  undoubtedly  does),  but  having 
it  conceitedly  shoiv  itself.  For  the  wise  love  wisdom  on  its 
own  account,  and,  therefore,  are  best  fitted  to  judge  about  it. 
■'  The  stupid"  like  one  of  the  mothers  before  Solomon,  is  no 
kin  to  the  child,  and  only  desires  it,  to  parade  a  false  posses- 
sion. 

Next  comes  the  charge,  that  cavilling  is  natural  to  a  condi- 
tion of  impenitence ;  and,  therefore,  the  born  caviller  is  not  fit 
to  judge  of  the  Most  High: — 

-L  When  the  wicked  enters,  there  enters  also]    3  When  the  wicked 

O  '  Cometh,   then    cometh 

COntemptUOUSneSS  ;  |also   contempt,    and 

and  with  disgrace,  reproachfulness.  iprJ.Lch.'''''"""""''  '" 

"  Contemptuousness  "  and  "  reproachfulness  "  do  not  stand 
here,  as  the  commentators  would  translate,  for  being  contemned, 
or  being  reproached,  meaning,  that  a  "wicked"  man  will  be  con- 
temned, and  a  disgraced  man  reproached,  which  would  be  the 
most  vapid  of  all  truisms  :  but  that,  when  a  "  ii<ickcd  "  man  "  en- 


Chap.  XVII.]  COMMENTARY.  265 

ters"  or  comes  upon  the  stage,  that  creature,  the  most  degraded 
of  the  universe,  and  who  has  the  least  right  to  show  any  con- 
tempt^ is  the  very  person  to  be  the  most  contemptuous ;  and  the 
mortal  who  is  himself  most  disgraced,  shows  the  readiest  mind 
to  cry  shame  upon  and  to  reproach,  and  that  even  the  Most 
High.  Doubtless  there  is  secular  truth  in  all  this.  The  dis- 
graced citizen  is  often  the  most  reproachful.  But  Solomon  adds 
it  as  another  great  timber  in  his  structure  of  defence ;  that  our 
lost  heart  is  the  wrong  thing  to  lean  to  in  its  upbraidings  of 
Jehovah;  seeing  that  the  more  Wisdom  takes  her  flight>  the 
more,  by  experience,  we  are  found  to  contemn  and  upbraid  her. 
Men's  utterances  are  "  deep ;"  why  should  not  also  be  the 
Almighty's  1 — 


4  Deep  waters  are   the   words   of  a  man's 
mouth ; 
a  gushing  stream  is  the  fountain  of  wis- 
dom. 


4  T  h  e  words  o  f  a 
man's  mouth  are  as 
deep  waters,  and  the 
well-spring  of  wisdom 
as  a  flowing  brook. 


Talleyrand  defined  speech  to  be  the  art  of  concealing  one's 
opinions.  Speech,  even  without  any  attempt  at  concealment, 
must  be  endlessly  deep  and  wide  as  uttering  all  our  being. 
Who  can  translate  all  its  outgoings  ?  If  this  be  so  with  man, 
who  shall  judge  of  God,  and  censure  His  obscurer  revelations  ? 
Solomon  is  satisfied  with  one  great  difference, — that  while 
man's  speech  is  "  deep,"  God's  speech  is  both  "  deep"  and  living. 
One  has  a  vital  source.  The  other  is  dead  and  stagnant. 
Grant  that  both  are  obscure.  One  is  the  darkness  of  a  pool, 
the  other  the  breadth  and  gush  of  an  overflowing  water.  We 
ought  to  submit  to  mystery  in  God,  for  the  tide  of  His  utter- 
ance is  to  flow  forever. 

God  cannot  be  partial  to  the  "wicked."  If  He  is  strict 
against  "  the  righteous,"  can  He  be  less  so  against  the  lost  ?  If 
He  rule  His  saints  by  law,  and  make  them  accept  a  substitute, 
can  He  ruin  His  kingdom  of  righteousness  by  forsaking  all 
"judgment"  with  the  wicked  ?     Therefore  : — 


5  Partiality  to  a  wicked  man  is  not  good, 
to  the  turning  aside  of  the  righteous  in 
judgment. 


5  /i  t's  not  good  to 
accept  the  person  of 
the  wicked,  to  over- 
throw the  righteous  in 
judgment. 


266  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

"Partiality;"  literally,  a  lifting  of  the  countenance.  \  lift  a 
man's  countenance^  when  I  cheer  him  up.  I  lift  a  child's  coun- 
tenance, when  I  look  at  him  merrily,  or  look  pleased  again 
after  wrath.  Very  rarely  in  the  Bible  it  is  applied,  as  ex  origine, 
to  that  cheering  of  a  man  up,  or  recovering  of  him  after  being 
dejected;  but,  usually,  it  is  translated,  to  ^''respect  the  person" 
(E.  v.;  Lev.  19:  15);  for  it  got  the  meaning  of  cheering,  or 
brightening  a  face  for  personal  or  partial  reasons.  "Partiality" 
therefore,  is  a  very  good  general  meaning.  "  To  the  turning 
aside."  This  is  merely  ^  with  an  infinitive.  It  means,  with  the 
result  of ''''  tur?iing  aside."  "  The  righteous."  This  is  the  mere 
adjective.  It  may  refer  to  God,  or  anybody.  It  does  refer  to 
any  **  righteous  "  interest.  It  is  not  right  to  sacrifice  righteous- 
fiess  to  wickedness;  or  to  he  partial  io  the  lost,  at  the  expense 
of  justice.  "  Tumi  fig  aside."  This  has  usually  another  noun 
after  it,  as,  for  example,  the  turning  aside  (of)  the  widoiv  from 
her  right.  Here,  that  other  is  understood,  and  "  turning 
aside  "  grew  to  stand  alone  (Is.  29  :  21)  as  meaning  to  defraud, 
or  injure.  Such,  therefore,  is  another  great  principle.  If  God 
is  thought  to  be  vengeful  and  malign,  what  is  He  to  do .?  Is 
He  to  sacrifice  the  justice  of  the  good  in  partiality  to  the  im- 
penitent and  wicked  1 

Four  reasons  are  next  given  which  should  turn  "  a  stupid 
man,"  away  from  the  "quarrel,"  and  stamp  him  unfit  to  ques- 
tion the  Deity;  first,  that  he  is  "  tz  stupid  tnan"  and  none  but 
stupid  men  ever  get  into  quarrels,  and  that,  without  much  differ- 
ence whether  it  be  on  one  side  or  the  other;  second,  that  his 
"quarrel"  has  injured  him  already,  and  proved  its  folly  by  its 
mischievous  effects  ;  third,  that  he  loves  the  "  quarrel  "  (a  most 
suspicious  circumstance) ;  that  instead  of  grieving  over  hard 
"words,"  when  uttered  against  the  Maker,  he  likes  them;  they 
"  are  dainty  morsels,  and  go  down  to  the  very  chambers  of  the 
belly  ;"  and  fourthly,  that  he  is  not  a  creature  holding  off  out  of 
helpless  incapacity  of  "heart"  (which  is  the  great  cavil),  and 
waiting  on  neutral  ground  till  God  shall  do  him  justice  ;  far  from 
it !  he  has  taken  a  determined  side;  complaining  that  God  does 
not  choose  him,  he  has  chosen  for  himself;  and,  instead  of  wait- 
ing for  God  to  work,  he  has  acted  voluntarily,  making  himself 


Ghap.  XVIII.l  COMMENTARY.  267 

lax,  as  the  inspired  man  expresses  it,  by  which  is  meant  dis- 
couraging himself  from  the  faith ;  making  himself  more  a  rebel 
than  he  thinks,  and  by  these  very  cavils  "  the  brother  of  him  who 
is  Q."  positive  destroyer.     Let  us  throw  the  four  together  : — 

6  A  fool's  lips  enter 
into  contention,  and 
his  mouth  calleth  for 
strokes. 


7  A  fool's  mouth  is 
his  destruction,  and  his 
lips  are  the  snare  of  his 
soul. 

8  The  words  of  a  tale- 
bearer are  as  wounds, 
and  they  go  down  into 
the  innermost  parts  of 
the  belly. 

9  He  also  that  is 
slothful  in  his  work  is 
brother  to  him  that  is 
a  great  waster. 


6  The  lips  of  a  stupid  man  come  into  a  quar- 
rel ; 

and  it  is  his  mouth  that  gives  a  name  to 
blows. 

7  The  mouth  of  a  stupid  man  is  ruin  to  him- 

self; 
and  his  lips  are  a  snare  to  his  soul. 

8  The  words  of  a  talker  are  as  dainty  mor- 

sels, 
and,  as  such,  go  down  to  the  very  chambers 
of  the  belly. 

9  Even  he  who  discourages  himself  in  his 

duty, 
is  the  very  brother  of  him  who  is  a  master 
of  destruction. 

"  The  lips  of  a  stupid  man  come  into  a  quarrel."  This  is  true, 
secularly.  Either  one  or  both  of  the  parties  in  a  "-quarrel "  are 
stup'd  men.  They  would  not  quarrel  if  they  were  smart.  But 
in  the  "quarrel"  with  God,  how  eminent  the  truth  stated! 
One  cause  of  the  "quarrel"  is,  that  an  ungodly  fool  undertakes 
to  judge  of  his  punishment.  "  It  is  his  mouth  that  gives  a  name 
to  blows."  "  Gives  a  name  to  "  literally,  calls  to  j  "  He  called  to 
the  light,  Day!"  (and  so  named  it  day.  Gen.  i  :  5).  Our  Eng- 
lish Version  has  it,  "  his  mouth  calldh  for  strokes."  The  other 
usage  is  so  common,  and  the  sense  given  by  it  so  striking, 
that  we  cannot  even  pause  in  its  choice.  Why  should  we.? 
when  it  is  far  the  more  idiomatic,  and  far  the  more  expressive 
line  of  interpretation?  V.  7-  "The  mouth  of  a  stupid  man  is 
ruin  to  himself."  That  bodes  ill.  Can  his  plea  be  just,  if  he 
hardens  as  he  makes  it  ?  Nothing  depraves  a  man  faster  than 
hard  thoughts  of  Jehovah.  And  Solomon  would  use  the  lesson 
in  both  directions ;  first,  the  folly  of  the  debate  if  it  does  us 
mischief;  and,  second,  the  suspiciousness  of  what  we  say,  if 
saying  it  corrupts,  and  tangles  the  utterer  in  "  a  snare  to  his 
soul."     V.  8.  If  they  are  honest,  our  difficulties  should  give  us 


268  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

pain.  The  Wise  Man  reminds  us  that  they  give  us  pleasure. 
A  great  earnest  nature  would  be  sad  at  cavilling  with  God. 
Solomon  charges  that  it  becomes  a  "dainty."  The  "talker" 
and  the  listener  like  it.  He  adds  this  to  the  suspicious  circum- 
stance. "  Dainty  "  with  the  speaker,  they  "go  doiun  "  with  the 
hearer,  and,  in  the  quaint  old  Hebrew,  "  to  the  very  chambers 
of  the  belly."  V.  9.  Nor  let  the  soul  deceive  itself  with  the 
idea  that  it  is  merely  passive.  Many  think  that  they  only  wait  for 
God,  and  that  they  are  to  be  encouraged  and  apologized  for  by 
their  actual  discouragement.  Isaiah  throws  this  into  language. 
They  are  eager  that  He  should  save  !  "  Let  him  make  speed  and 
hasten  his  work,  that  we  may  see  it ;  and  let  the  counsel  of  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel  draw  nigh  and  come,  that  we  may  know 
it  "  (Is.  5  :  19).  But  the  sentiment  of  the  Proverb  is,  that  the 
soul  has  no  middle  ground  where  it  can  wait  for  a  blessing. 
"  He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against  me  "  (Matt.  12  :  30).  The 
"  fearful,"  as  well  as  the  "  abominable,  are  to  have  their  part, 
etc."  (Rev.  21:8).  The  principle  of  cavilling  shows  activity, 
and  denotes  a  distinct  advance  in  positive  corruption  (Rom. 
2  : 8).  And,  therefore,  however  relaxed,  as  the  expression 
means,  (it  is  a  Hithpahel,  and  means  loosening,  or  discouraging 
oneself),  this  relaxing  is  so  self-willed  as  to  make  a  man 
"  brother,"  as  the  Proverb  propounds  it,  to  him  whom  he  would 
regard  as  "a  master  of  destruction."  "Duty;"  literally,  tnes- 
sage  ;  often,  serz'ice  ;  English  Version,  "work."  It  is  literally 
the  message,  as  of  a  great  prince ;  and  may  best,  therefore,  be 
translated  as  "  duty."  "  Master  of  destruction  "  like  "  master" 
in  several  other  Proverbs  (i  :  19);  denoting  a  man  who  has  a 
thing  or  wields  it;  not  a  master  in  the  sense  of  being  a  pro- 
ficient, but  in  the  more  idiomatic  sense  of  having  the  thing  or 
doing  the  work  that  the  term  may  indicate;  the  meaning  being, 
that  the  mere  "  worthless  man "  (see  those  pictures  already 
given,  6:12;  16  :  27-30),  or  the  mere  discouraged  unbeliever, 
though  he  may  be  really  thoughtful,  is  so  positively  a  man  of 
sin  in  his  holding  off,  that  he  is  to  be  impugned  as  rebellious 
(17  :  11),  and  is  "brother  of  him"  who  is  an  absolute  destroyer. 

Here,  very  anciently,  an  interval  is  fixed  ;  whether  by  Solomon 
or  those  later,  it  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  determine.     It  oc- 


Chap.  XVIII.]  COMMENTARY.  269 

curs  in  the  most  ancient  manuscripts,  and  indicates  in  the  eye 
of  him  who  fixed  it,  some  change  of  thought.  Nevertheless, 
there  is  still  a  lingering  of  the  old  scent  upon  the  track  of  in- 
spiration : — 


I  o  The  name  of  Jehovah  is  a  tower  of  strength ; 
the  righteous  runs  into  it,  and  is  lifted  high. 


10  The  name  of  the 
Lord  is  a  strong  tower  ; 
the  righteous  runneth 
into  it,  and  is  safe. 


"  The  name  ;"  that  is,  in  this  figurative  sense,  the  character  as 
it  may  be  seen  revealed  (Mai.  3  :  16);  not  the  mere  title,  but 
something  deeper ;  not  the  entire  character,  but  something  less 
deep ;  the  character,  as  it  may  be  known,  and,  therefore,  as  it 
is  used  as  a  "  name"  and  may  be  handled  by  the  people.  "  The 
name  of  Jehovah  "  is  His  revealed  character.  This,  we  have 
seen,  is  soiled  by  the  lost  man,  because  it  is  cavilled  at  by 
doubt  and  crimination.  "  The  righteous,"  the  Wise  Man  de- 
clares, makes  it  "  a  tower  of  strength."  This  is  true,  first,  more 
superficially.  To  "  the  righteous"  God  is  good,  and  he  nestles 
and  shelters  himself  in  that;  "runs  in"  to  the  nurture  of  God's 
love,  and,  in  the  comfort  of  this  "  strong  tower"  "  is  hfted  high." 
But,  second,  there  is  a  profounder  sense.  The  very  "  name  " 
that  is  cavilled  at  by  the  lost,  is  the  foundation  of  the  Chris- 
tian's safety.  "  What  the  law  could  not  do  in  that  it  was  weak 
through  the  flesh,"  God  did  by  His  "  name."  He  gave  it  to 
Christ's  humanity.  More  specifically  speaking.  He  used  it  in 
the  "  name"  of  His  own  righteousness,  to  balance  our  guilt,  and 
to  give  weight  and  value  to  the  price  of  His  redemption.  We 
are  repeatedly  said  to  be  saved  by  the  "  7iame "  of  God  (Ps. 
54  : 1  ;  John  17:11,  12).  And  this  is  the  meaning.  The  per- 
fect holiness  of  God,  which  the  lost  man  would  upbraid,  is 
what  is  vital  in  the  cross  of  Christ.  It  is  not  only  "  a  strong 
tower"  but  our  only  defence.  And  the  act  of  faith  is  a  re- 
nouncing of  self,  and  a  snatching  at  " the  name"  that  is,  the 
righteousness  or  substituted  standing  of  our  Great  Deliverer. 

Unbelief  seeks  worldly  refuges : — 


11  The  competency  of  a  rich  man  is  the  city 
of  his  strength ; 
and  as  a  high  wall  in  his  imagination. 


II  The  rich  man's 
wealth  is  his  strong 
city,  and  as  an  high 
wall  in  his  own  con- 
ceit. 


2  70  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIIL 

"Competency."  This  word  is  usually  translated  "•wealth'' 
(E.  V.) ;  and  not  incorrectly  so.  But,  as  its  original  root  is  a 
verb  meaning  to  be  light,  easy  (see  Hiphil,  Deut.  i  :  41,  "  Ye 
acted  lightly  to  go  up  ") ;  and  as  this  easiness  (Our  Saviour  calls 
it  "  trust,"  Mar.  10  :  24.)  is  the  snare  intended  to  be  complained 
of,  it  is  exceedingly  well  to  retain  the  primary  idea.  "The 
city  of  his  strength. "  Better,  in  the  opinion  of  the  impenitent, 
than  "a  tower  of  strength"  (v.  10),  because  he  can  live  in 
it,  and  do  well.  "  A  high  wall ;"  i.  e.,  to  fence  him  off  from 
distress.  This  refuge  is  denounced  by  Habakkuk  (Hab.  2  :  9), 
"  Woe  to  him  that  coveteth  an  evil  covetousness  to  his  house, 
that  he  may  set  his  nest  on  high."  "Imagination;"  literally, 
image,  or,  collectively,  imagery  (Ez.  8  :  12,  "chambers  of  im- 
agery.") "In  his  imagination,"  is,  therefore,  "in  his  image"  or 
(;2  essenti?e)  "as  his  image."  Wealth,,  therefore,  as  "  a^high 
wall"  to  the  "rich,"  is  only  3.  phantasm,  ox  "image."  So  is 
spiritual  "  competency,"  where  he  derives  it  in  any  way  as  of  him- 
self. 

Nay,  it  is  a  peril : — 


12  Before  ruin  the  heart  of  man  is  lofty; 
and  before  honor  is  humiliation. 


12  Before  destruction 
the  heart  of  man  is 
haughty  ;  and  before 
honour  is  humility. 


Not  "a  high  wall,"  therefore  (v.  11),  but  a  special  exposure. 
"Humiliation."  " ZT/zw/ZZ/y"  is  not  a  good  translation  (E.  V.), 
for  it  leaves  out  the  affliction  that  produced  it.  "  Affliction  "  is 
not  a  good  translation,  for  it  leaves  out  the  humility  in  which 
it  must  result.  The  root  of  the  word  means  to  labor  ;  hence  to 
be  afflicted  J  hence  to  be  humbled.  The  best  translation  is  one 
that  unites  the  afflictive  and  the  virtuous  3.%" humiliation"  does, 
it  being  the  desired  result.  The  clause  is  often  illustrated  on 
earth,  but  always,  in  the  "  honor  "  or  glory  that  is  on  high. 

Such  being  the  "  7iame  "  of  God  and  the  danger  of  any  other 
dependence,  the  lost  man  ought  to  be  very  sure  before  he  at- 
tempts to  assail  it : — 

I X  He  that  answers  a  thing  before  he  listens ;      '3  "'  ^^^\  answer- 

-.•      r   \\       •  ^      -yr  ^      -i  •  j      i  •  '     cth  a  matter  before  he 

it  IS  lolly  Itself  to  him,  and  also  shame.          heareth  //,  it  ?>  foiiy 

and  shame  unto  him. 


Chap.  XVIII.]  COMMENTARY.         .  271 

Secularly,  this  is  beyond  a  doubt.  Judicially,  here  is  a  great 
outrage ;  socially,  a  something  very  impolite ;  but  religiously,  a 
thing  altogether  a  "shame."  Men  born  yesterday  might  cer- 
tainly afford  to  listen.  Life  is  a  wide  thing;  and  might,  at 
least,  be  acted  through,  before,  in  the  darker  points,  we  insist 
upon  a  judgment.  "  Folly  itself. "  This  emphasis  is  put  by  a 
pronoun.  These  pronouns  are  usually  implied ;  when  ex- 
pressed, they  are  always  emphatic.  '■''Folly ;"  and,  therefore, 
mischief;  ""shame  •"  and,  therefore,  ill  desert.  These  elements 
often  appear- together. 


14  The  spirit  of  a  man  may  control  his  sick- 
ness ; 
but  a  spirit  of  upbraiding — who  can  carry 
that .? 


14  The  spirit  of  a 
man  will  sustain  his  in- 
firmity :  but  a  wound- 
ed spirit  who  can  bear? 


To  give  all  up,  and  simply  lie  back  and  rnurmur,  is  bad  even 
f  )r  worldly  disorders;  but  Solomon  derives  out  of  it  a  much 
more  profound  spiritual  sense.  "  The  spirit  of  a  man,"  at  least 
among  those  to  whom  Solomon  wrote,  had  truth  enough  to 
save  him,  if  he  would  only  listcfi.  "  Control."  The  original  is 
" contain,"  as  wine  in  a  bottle.  "Sickness;"  literally,  what  is 
physical ;  but,  in  this  same  book  employed  for  the  spiritual 
malady  (23  :  35).  If  the  soul,  therefore,  would  lie  quiet,  and 
yield  to  its  own  light,  it  would  be  joined  by  what  was  higher, 
and  would  contaiji  or  '"''  control ''  its  own  malady;  God  helping, 
as  He  would,  would  check,  and  get  the  better  of  it ;  "but  a  spirit 
of  upbraiding;"  and  by  this  is  meant  precisely  the  ''''quarrel" 
(17  :  19)  with  God  which  has  been  so  long  discussed,  is  what 
ruins  all.  It  is  upon  them  that  are  contentious,  and  will  not 
obey  the  truth,  Rom.  2  :  8  (that  truth  being  in  all  of  them 
through  "  the  invisible  things,"  which  are  seen  "  by  the  things 
that  are  made,"  Rom.  i  :  20)  that  the  apostle  denounces  "  tribu- 
lation and  wrath,  indignation  and  anguish."  Not  that  men  can 
save  themselves,  but  that  they  would  save  themselves  under 
God's  influences  if  they  did  not  contend  with  Him  ;  that  it  is 
"  rebellion  "  that  turns  the  scale  (P-s.  68:6);  that  there  is  light 
enough  in  every  man  to  draw  him  to  saving  light  if  he  would 
only  follow  it;  that  this  ceasing  to  contend  is  itself  the  decisive 


272  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

gift ;  and  that  on  this  very  account  it  is  the  great  sorrow  of  the 
sinner  that  he  has  this  **  spirit  of  upbraiding"  which,  in  the  spir- 
itual world,  no  mortal  malady  "  can  carry."  "  Wounded  spirit'" 
(E.  v.).  We  have  discussed  this  previously  (15  :  13;  17  :  22). 
There  are  really  two  verbs, — to  strike^  and  to  upbraid.  One  is 
HDD,  the  other  n5!<2-     It  is  seen  that  they  are  very  different. 

T    T  T      T 

One  can  throw  its  mantle  over  this  case  only  by  interpolating 
a  letter.  The  other  covers  it  without,  and  in  a  regular  way. 
Both  would  be  necessarily  Niphals  (passives) ;  the  one  meaning 
struck^  or  wounded,  ours  meaning  upbraided,  or  (read  causa- 
tively,  as  Niphals  sometimes  are),  made  reproachful,  i.  e.,  made 
to  upbraid.  We  have  examined  all  the  instances.  Some  seem 
better  with  one  word,  and  some  with  the  other ;  and  so  the 
lexicons  (strangely  enough)  divide  them.  All  read,  however, 
with  our  word ;  and  all  do  not  with  the  other.  Ours,  not  re- 
quiring the  interpolation  of  a  letter,  and  carrying  a  sense  vital 
in  some  of  the  cases,  we  ought  to  choose  it  for  all.  The  Eng- 
lish Version  has  serious  difficulties.  That  "  t/ie  spirit  of  a  man" 
will  "  sustain'  him,  but  "  a  wounded  spirit"  cannot  be  sustained, 
is  striking,  secularly  ;  but  what  then  in  religion  ?  We  nurse  the 
tenet  that  there  is  no  Proverb  not  religious  :  nay,  none  not 
where  it  is,  solely  that  it  may  have  a  meaning  in  the  gospel. 

And  now  another  appeal !  Can  the  sinner  lay  his  hand  upon 
his  heart  and  say,  that  he  cares  for  wisdom  in  such  a  sense  as 
that  he  is  really  seeking  it.?  What  right  has  he  to  judge  of 
"knowledge  "  if  he  does  not  care  for  it.?  And  how  wise  to  dote 
on  "  knowledge,"  and  all  the  more  eagerly  to  draw  to  it,  if  he 
seriously  has  his  difficulties,  and  really  wrestles  with  them,  and 
cares  for  them  with  a  bewildering  agitation : — 


15  A  heart  made  discerning  gains  in  kno\yl- 
edge; 
and  the  ear  of  the  wise  seeks  knowledge. 


15  The  heart  of  the 
prudent  getteth  knowl- 
edge :  and  the  ear  of 
the  wise  seeketh  knowl- 
edge. 


This  is  a  beautiful  fact.  Wisdom  gathers  wisdom.  Snow 
gathers  snow,  as  we  roll  it  on  the  ground.  A  wood  gathers 
wood^  like  all  vegetable  or  vital  growths.  A  sinner  stands  dead 
like  a  blasted  oak;  but  a  saint,  not  only  lives  by  growing,  but 


Chap.  XVII I.]     *      COMMENTARY.  273 

grows  by  living.  Let  the  caviller  really  push  into  the  thing, 
and  try  to  get  it,  and  try  what  he  will  think  of  it  when  actually 
gotten,  before  he  contemns  the  "  knowledge  "  and  justice  of  the 
skies. 

Let  him  try  this,  not  only  for  its  effect  upon  himself,  but  upon 
God :— 


16  A  man's  gift  mak- 
eth  room  for  him,  and 
bringeth  him  before 
great  men. 


16  The  gift  of  a  plain  man  makes  room  for 
him, 
and  brings  him  before  the  great. 

This  was  understood  in  those  Eastern  countries.     "  A  plain 
man;"  literally,  "a  man"  (D"!5^)  ;  but  man,  in  that  humbler 

T    T 

name,  which  is  often  intentionally  distinctive  (Is.  2:9).  A 
peasant  with  a  fine  diamond,  could  work  his  way  among  the 
proudest  kings.  Did  the  sinner  ever  try  the  like  in  his  cavil- 
ling difficulties.?  "Why  is  this.?"  he  asks  (17  :  16),  "a  price 
in  the  hand  to  get  wisdom,  and  no  heart.?"  Well !  did  he  ever 
use  a  present .?  Did  he  ever  bribe  God.?  I  mean,  gwe  Him 
something.?  Did  he  ever  offer  Him  this  very  ''heart"  which 
needs  to  be  added  to,  and  better  "-heart"  given.?  Has  he 
brought  it  just  as  it  is.?  for,  the  worse  he  thinks  it  is,  the  better 
for  a  "  gift ;"  for  lo  !  "  the  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit ; 
a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise  " 
(Ps.  51  :  17).  If  the  sinner  (one  of  creation's  peasants)  rea-lly 
wishes  to  know  God,  and  to  get  out  of  a  clouded  government, 
and  to  have  room  made  for  him  that  he  may  be  brought  before 
The  Great,  let  him  try  that  High  Dignitary  with  a  '' gift  "  only 
seeing  that  it  be  sincere  and  honest,  and  such  a  sacrifice  as  a 
king  might  value. 

For,  after  all,  what  is  the  use  of  quarrelling  with  God.?  It  is 
only  our  side  of  the  case ;  and  one  flash  of  the  Judgment  will 
overwhelm  us  with  the  other  : — 


17  He  who  is  righteous  as  first  in   his  own 
quarrel 
shall  have  his  neighbor  come  and  search 
him. 


17  He  that  is  first  in 
his  own  cause  seemeth 
just  ;  but  his  neigh- 
bour  cometh  and 
searcheth  him. 


One  clause  is  literal.     The  first  stands  much  shorter  in  the 


274  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

Hebrew.  It  reads  thus : — "  A  righteous  one,  the  first  m  his 
quarrel  /'  and  has  a  brevity  which  (Anglice)  is  practically  too 
great.  The  "  righteous  "  is  not  a  righteous  man  pro  vero,  but 
only  righteous  he  having  the  first  chance  to  speak.  How  true 
this  is,  men  for  the  first  time  in  a  court,  can  easily  imagine. 
Each  last  strong  speech  comes  out  victorious.  Now  the  lost 
has  done  all  the  strong  speaking  as  yet.  Wait  till  God 
speaks,  and  the  case  will  look  very  differently. 

There  is  another  principle.  Solomon  appeals  to  the  consid- 
eration of  the  status  quo.  When  men  differ,  they  often  choose 
some  brute  decision,  and  anything  being  too  hard  to  see 
through,  they  settle  it  by  arbitrament  of  chance  : — 


i8  The  lot  quiets  contentions, 
and  parts  the  mighty. 


i8  The  lot  causeth 
contentions  to  cease, 
and  parteth  between 
the  mighty. 


A  fortiori,  the  sinner.  He  is  not  "  mighty;"  and,  therefore, 
can  better  afford  to  submit.  His  "lot"  is  already  cast,  and  he 
must  take  it  as  his  established  heritage.  He  does  not  think  it 
all  wrong,  for  he  sees  in  it  much  right.  Let  him  accept  the 
status  quo;  and,  as  there  is  a  free  gospel,  let  him  seize  it  as  his 
lot,  and  wait  for  a  more  full  solution  till  his  Neighbor  searches 
him. 

For  Solomon  goes  on  to  urge, — See  how  much  we  are  losing 
by  the  quarrel : — 

19  When  a  brother  is  revolted  away,  it  is  from  i^'^^A^^.'^her  offend- 

a  city  of  strength  ;  than  a  strong  city  ;  and 

d.        ■•  i"i        i.1        'u  c  ' I.       \their  contentions   are 

contentions  are  liKe  the  bar  of  a  cita-lnj-ethe  bars  of  a  castle 

del. 

Here,  as  in  the  17th  verse,  the  second  clause  is  literal ;  the  first 
clause  is  necessarily  lengthened  out.  The  first  clause  in  Hebrew 
is, — "  A  brother  revolted  away  from  a  city  of  strength."  There 
are  but  four  vocables;  (i)  "  A  brother'  (merely  the  noun  with- 
out the  article)  ;  (2)  "  revolted  away  "  (merely  a  participle — the 
Niphal  (passive)  participle  from  the  verb  to  revolt ;  meaning 
^^  revolted"  ox  carried  aivay  by  revolt^;  (3)  ^^frofn  a  city"  (a 
noun  with  a  preposition) ;  and  (4)  "  of  strength,"  (another 
noun,  but  with  the  force  of  an  adjective,  as  though  it  read, 


Chap.  XVIII.J  COMMENTARY.  275 

from  a  strojig  city) ;  the  whole  meaning  that  one  "  brother  " 
"  revolted  away  "  from  another,  is  "  revolted  from  a  citv  of 
strength"  that  being  what  one  is  to  all  the  rest.  In  other 
words,  brothers  are  a  shelter  to  brothers,  and  quarrels  lock  up 
that  resort;  or,  as  the  last  clause  expresses  it,  "  contentions  are 
like  the  bar  of  a  citadel."  Notice  that  a  brother  is  not  only  a 
commoner  defence,  but  "  a  citadel  "  and  "<?  bar  "  to  that  keep 
shuts  a  man  out  of  his  best  earthly  dependence.  It  is  a  fine 
adage,  even  for  this  world,  and  a  case  hard  to  comprehend, 
that  all  commentators  should  have  turned  it  into  another 
meaning.  But  when  applied  to  our  Great  Brother,  and  to  our 
God  and  King,  it  is  one  of  the  noblest  of  inspired  texts.  He 
who  offends  our  Brother  Prince,  shuts  a  H-igh  Tower  (Ps. 
18 :  2).  He  who  quarrels  with  our  Surety,  snaps-to  the  lock  of 
a  "  Citadel;"  and  then,  alas!  it  shall  be,  just  as  the  wild  rush 
of  embittered  enemies  should  have  roused  him  to  enter  in. 
"  Harder  to  be  won"  {E.  V.).  This  is  all  made-up  language. 
The  "  city"  and  the  "  castle"  (E.  V.)  with  other  commentators 
are  only  made  to  represent  the  inexpugnable  nature  of  a 
quarrel;  and  all  the  idea  oi''''  shelter"  and  fact  of  the  ''''  stro7ig 
city  "  which  one  brother  might  be  to  the  other ;  which  wealth  is 
fancied  to  be  by  its  possessor  (v.  11) ;  which  the  name  of  God 
is  (v.  10)  (with  the  varied  figure  of  "a  high  tower"),  all  com- 
mentators have  entirely  let  go.  "  Citadel  "  derived  from  a  root 
meaning  high.  A  "  castle  "  (E.  V.)  may  be  a  citadel  or  not,  as 
may  happen.  Some  castles  have  a  citadel.  We  choose  the 
word  " citadel"  because,  among  other  reasons,  the  Hebrew  was 
applied  to  what  unquestionably  was  a  "  citadel"  I  mean  a  very 
strong  defence,  that  frowned  upon  the  City  of  David  (i  Ki. 
16:18). 

But  a  difficulty  in  the  way  of  taking  Solomon's  advice,  is, 
that  men  will  talk  as  they  feel.  Though  "  death  and  life  are  in  the 
hand  of  the  tongue,"  yet  "just  as  they  love  it  each  man  shall 
eat  its  fruit."  It  is  very  easy  to  depict  one's  peril;  but  deeper 
than  all  our  arguments  lies  this,  that  "  out  of  the  abundance  of 
the  heart,  the  mouth  will  speak  "  (Matt.  12  :  34) : — 


276  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIII. 


20  From  the  gains  of  a  man's  mouth  his  belly 

is  satisfied; 
as  it  is  the  product  of  his  own  lips,  he  is 
satisfied  himself. 

21  Death   and   life   are   in   the  hand   of  the 

tongue ; 
and  just  as  they  love  it  each  man  shall  eat 
its  fruit. 


20  A  man's  belly 
shall  be  satisfied  with 
the  fruit  of  his  mouth  ; 
and  with  the  increase 
of  his  lips  shall  he  be 
filled. 

21  Death  and  life  (T>-« 
in  the  power  of  the 
tongue  ;  and  they  that 
love  it  shall  eat  the 
fruit  thereof. 


There  are  two  translations  possible  for  each,  laiting  both  of 
these  Proverbs  together.  By  one  the  verbs  to  be  "satisfied 
from  "  and  to  "  eat  "  mean  merely  to  "  be  filled  with  "  (E.  V.), 
and  to  actually  incur.  By  the  other,  we  have,  to  be  satisfied 
with,  or  to  have  a  taste  for,  meaning  actually  to  enjoy.  The 
former  has  very  little  force  ;  the  latter  more  grammar,  great 
freshness  of  thought,  and  more  advance  upon  each  previous 
expression.  V.  20.  "  From  the  gains  of  a  man's  mouth :"  from 
what  he  earns  by  labor.  The  mouth  in  those  countries  was  a 
foremost  instrument  for  business.  "His  belly  is  satisfied;" 
that  is,  his  common  wants  are  supplied.  "  As  it  is  the  product 
of  his  own  lips;"  i.  e.,  as  it  is  his  own  pleasure,  viz.,  what  has 
received  an  impulse  as  his  own  free  activity.  "  He  is  satisfied;" 
and  to  make  it  more  emphatic,  and  to  point  the  contrast,  we 
make  it,  " /?^  is  satisfied  himself."  That  is,  not  only  is  his 
"  belly  satisfied"  taking  cognizance  of  his  common  wants,  but 
'"'' he  is  satisfied;"  the  idea  being,  that  a  man  must  be  '''' satisfied" 
with  what  he  utters ;  else,  why  did  he  utter  it .?  nay,  more,  that 
there  is  an  invincible  congeniality  of  character  between  a  man 
and  all  that  he  puts  forth.  I  said  there  was  more  grammar  in 
this  : — Now,  ^^  gains"  has  the  preposition  before  it,  and  directly 
means  that,  with  which  the  belly  is  satisfied ;  but  ^^ product  "  has 
no  preposition  before  it,  as  it  would  have  if  it  were  a  mere  par- 
allel assertion.  It  stands  absolutely.  The  force  of  the  accusa- 
tive justifies  the  prefix  ^^  as"  (see  E.  V.  John  i  :  14).  The  word 
"jaZ/jT/f^^"  rarely  justifies  the  rendering  "  with"  (E.  V.)  with- 
out a  preposition ;  at  least,  where  it  does  so,  the  primary  idea 
is  "as  to  j"  as,  for  example  (Ex.  16:  12),  "satisfied  as  to  hread." 
Our  understanding  of  v.  20  is,  that  as  the  outward  wants  of  a  man 
are  satisfied  by  his  daily  acts,  so  he  himself  is,  and  that  simply 


Chap.  XVIII.]  COMMENTARY.  277 

as  his  acts,  or  because  of  the  intimate  sympathy  between  the 
man  and  what  he  does.     This  thought  is  still  clearer  in  the 
verse  that  follows : — V.  21.  "  Death  and  life  are  in  the  hand  of 
the  tongue."     There  can  be  no  doubt  that  men's  conduct  (for 
**  tongue"  is  but  the  leading  instrument  of  it)  determines  "  death" 
or  "  life;"  yet,  in  spite  of  the  adventurous  hazard,  their  love  to 
it  (or,  literally,  "■just  as  they  love"  this  or  that  sort  of  "  tongue" 
i.  e.,  action),  they  "  shall  eat  its  fruit"  and  incur,  of  course,  its 
fearful   responsibilities.      "  The   good   man   out   of  the   good 
treasure  of  his  heart  bringeth  forth  good  things ;  and  the  evil 
man  out  of  the  evil  treasure  of  his  heart  bringeth  forth  evil 
things."     "Death   (or)  life"  are  not  able  to   decide    a   man 
against  his  "  tongue   "  for  it  lies  near  his  will;  and  he  must  use 
it   as   he   likes,— or   loves.     "Hand-"    see   discussion  (3:18). 
"Hand"  means  (not  " poiuer"  E.  V.,  but)  agency:     "Death 
and  life"  lie  in  the  agency  of  the  tongue.     We  retain  "hand"  as 
the  Hebraistic  idiom.     Another  sense,  very  striking,  but  which 
we  postpone  to  what  we  have  given,  would  make  "  love  "  to  the 
tongue,  mean  care   over   it,  or   looking   after   it.     The  sense 
would  then  be,  that,  as  the  "  tongue "  instrumentally  can  give 
life,  he  who  loves  his  "  tongue"  that  is,  in  the  sense  of  looking 
after  it,  shall  "eat  its  fruit."     This  narrows  the  meaning  of 
" love  j"  varies  from  the  verse  preceding;  and  clashes  with  the 
whole  passage.     We  prefer  the  first.     And  before  leaving  it,  let 
me  call  attention  to  the  plural  and  the  singular  in  the  second 
clause  (see  3:18).     "  According  as  they  love  it,  each  man."     It 
is  out  of  this  play  of  numbers  that  we  derive  our  word  "  each." 
It  is  not  there,  literally.     One  man  prefers  one  tongue,  and  one 
another;  but  according  as  they  prefer,  each  one  shall  "eat  its 
fruit." 

Terribly  swayed  by  passion,  what,  therefore,  is  better  for  a 
man  than  his  most  intimate  friend } — 


22  IVhoso  findeth  a 
wife  findeth  a  good 
things  and  obtaineth 
favour  of  the  Lord. 


2  2  He  that  has  found  a  wife,  has  found  a  good 
thing, 
and  shall  draw  forth  favor  from  Jehovah. 

Let  me  not  repeat  too  often  that  there  is  a  secular  and  a 
spiritual  in  every  Proverb.     These  two  are  not  apart,  but  fiow 


2  78  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XVIII. 

easily  into  each  other.  Secularly,  "  a  wife,"  is  the  highest 
treasure.  It  is  a  vapid  thing  to  stop  to  say,  a  good  7in'fej  and 
the  Bible  many  times  hurries  on  without  any  such  distinction 
(comp.  4:3).  A  bad  ''''wife  "  is  no  "wife"  at  all.  A  wife  is 
in  the  holiest  of  all  relations;  in  this  world  the  most  powerful 
for  good.  The  lost,  needing  " heart"  to  go  back  to  that  old 
difficulty  (17  :  16),  the  best  instrument  to  drag  him  up  from 
that  state  (15  :  24),  and  get  it  given  to  him,  is  a  near  friend 
(17:  17;  18:24);  and  who  is  a  near  friend  if  not  a  wife? 
(31  :  11).  "'Heart"  it  seems  God  must  bestow,  and  the  prob- 
lem it  appears  is,  to  get  it  drawn  out  of  Jehoz'ah.  Who  is 
better  for  this  than  a  pious  luifel  The  great  object  is  to  find 
one,  for  it  would  seem  that  she  may  be  lost  among  the  indiffer- 
ent mass.  A  good  marriage  is  a  means  of  grace  ;  for,  "  he  that 
has  found  a  wife,  has  fovind  a  good  thing,  and  shall  draw  forth 
favor  from  Jehovah. "  Of  course  any  relation  that  is  near  and 
potent  is  covered  by  the  passage.  The  '''wife"  like  the  "fa- 
ther "  of  other  Proverbs,  is  the  head  sample  of  a  class. 

Once  more,  as  to  cavils;  is  it  not  better  for  a  sinner,  "poor 
man  "  as  he  is,  to  talk  a  little  more  modestly  about  One  so  high 
above  him  : — 

23  The  poor  man  speaks  in  supplications  ;       I    ^3  The  poor  useth 

'-'  f         .    ,  ^  f^  .'  entreaties:    but    the 

but  the  rich  man  utters  back  strong  thmgs.  rich  answereth  rough- 

'ly- 

The  angels  smile  at  the  way  the  sinner  cavils.  He  reverses 
what  the  Proverb  pronounces  natural.  For  He  who  is  Su- 
premely "Rich,"  is  meek  and  tender;  and  he  who  is  profoundly 
poor,  is  loud  in  his  reproach  ! 

Now,  one  lesson  more.  Men  should  be  more  modest  as 
against  the  friendship  of  God ;  when  they  have  such  sad  ex- 
perience of  the  friendship  of  each  other  : — 


24  A  man  thai  hath 
friends  must  show  him- 
self friendly  ;  and  there 
is  a  friend  that  sticketh 
closer  than  a  brother. 


24  A  man  of  friends  is  apt  to  be  broken  all  to 
pieces; 
but  there  is  that  loves  cleaving  closer  than 
a  brother. 

"  A  man  of  friends  ;"  a  man  of  many  acquaintances.     "  Is  apt 
to  be;"  an  English,  all  (.ind  very  regularly)  expressed  by  the 


Chap.  XVIII.]  COMMENTARY.  279 

Hebrew  ^,  because  it  is  the  ^  of  result^  as  before  an  infinitive. 
"  Broken  all  to  pieces  :"  or  the  Hithpohal  of  the  verb  meaning 
to  break  in  pieces :  the  significance  of  the  whole  being,  that  a 
man  of  ^vide  acquaintance  is  apt  to  break.  Human  friendships 
cost.  In  the  strife  to  appear  well ;  in  the  time  it  takes  ;  in  the 
industries  they  scatter ;  in  the  hospitalities  they  provoke,  and 
in  the  securityships  they  engender,  broadening  our  socialities 
will  try  every  one  of  us  well.  It  is  not  so  with  Heavenly 
friendships.  All  spiritual  communisms  bless.  And  there  is  a 
Friend  who  loves,  in  the  genuine  nature  of  that  act,  with  a 
love  "  cleaving  closer  than  a  brother ;"  who  loves  when  other 
friends  fail ;  and,  though  there  is  a  secular  use  referring  to 
solid  human  friendships,  yet  they  are  but  the  shadow  of  the 
divine.  All  disappoint :  save  that  one  "  closer "  love  that 
cleaves  to  us  when  "a  brother"  fails  us.  There  is  a  different 
sense  (see  Zockler  in  loco);  and  very  striking;  though  not, — 
"  Should  show  himself  friendly  "  as  of  our  English  Version. 
Our  English  Version  too  patently  mistakes  the  root.  It  is 
3?5>-l  and  not  T\'3'^-     The  sense  referred  to,  is  one  that  takes  the 

T     T  T     T 

verb  in  its  other  meaning,  namely,  to  do  ill,  or  to  turn  out  badly. 
"  A  man  of  friends  "  would  then  mean  a  man  profuse  in  his 
friendships.  It  would  mean, — he  must  turn  out  badly.  Jeho- 
vah, who  is  the  object  of  our  cavil,  is  careful  when  He  makes 
His  proffers.  Hence  the  antithesis  of  the  Proverb.  God  does 
not  scatter  love :  and  all  the  more  on  this  very  account  should 
you  trust  Him,  because  where  He  does  love  He  cleaves  fast, 
while  "  a  man  of  (many)  friends"  that  is,  profuse  in  friendliness, 
is  hollow,  and  "  shall  turn  out  badly."  This  is  a  fine  truth,  and 
would  suit  the  sentence  if  it  were  going  a-begging  for  a  sense. 
But  the  other  rendering  has  the  more  original  claim;  suits 
better  the  passive  character  of  the  form ;  translates  better  the 
antecedent  part;  and  agrees  with  the  only  other  case  where 
this  Hithpohal  is  used,  viz.,  Is.  24:19:  where  our  English 
Version  (adding  "  utterly"  for  a  prefixed  infinitive,  see  passage) 
seems  to  render  it  aright,  "  The  earth  is  utterly  broken  down." 
"■  Closer  than"  derives  its  idea  from 'the  verb  to  cleave.  It  is 
expressed  as  a  usual  comparative,  simply  by  the  prepj^sUicn  '•^. 


28o  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  next  Proverb  teaches  the  lesson  th'at  "  a  man's  life  con- 
sisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth" 
(Luke  12  :  15) ; — 


I  Better  is  a  poor  man  walking  in  his  in- 
tegrity, 
than  he  that  is  crooked  in  his  speech,  and 
as  such  a  fool. 


Better  is  the  poor 
that  walketh  in  his  in- 
tegrity, than  he  that  is 
perverse  in  his  lips,  and 
is  a  fool. 


This  idea  is  repeated  in  other  verses  of  the  chapter.  "  The 
pleasure  of  the  commonest  sort  of  man  is  his  kindness;*  and 
better  off  is  a  poor  man  than  a  false  man  of  the  better  sort  "  (v. 
22).  "The  fear  of  Jehovah  serves  as  a  life;  and  he  that  is 
satisfied  with  it,  has  a  dwelling.  He  shall  not  be  visited  as  an 
evil  "  (v.  23).  What  we  are  to  understand  by  it  is,  that  "in- 
tegrity," or  "  kindness,"  or  "  the  fear  of  Jehovah  "  (by  which- 
ever of  the  names  we  choose  to  call  it)  is  itself  a  life,  and  a 
whole  enjoyment,  and  better,  therefore,  than  worldly  interests 
which  are  nothing  of  the  kind.  "  Walking."  This  is  an  East- 
ern figure,  and  we  have  failed  to  substitute  it  by  a  Western 
one.  A  way  in  the  East  means  a  man's  total  course.  "  Walk- 
ing^' therefore,  means  his  total  life  or  being.  "  Enoch  tualked 
with  God  "  (Gen.  5  :  22),  when  he  lived  with  Him  in  all  his 
conduct.  "  Better  is  a  poor  man  walking  in  his  integrity," 
refers,  therefore,  to  a  man  not  living  in  his  money,  nor,  indeed, 
in  his  horses  or  in  his  hounds,  not  living  in  his  integrity  (and 
we,  therefore,  rejected  that  English),  but  '''' walking  "  in  it,  i.  e., 
spending  his  whole  time  in  it,  staying  in  that  way;  of  course, 
taking  his  pleasure  in  it  (see  v.  22).  "  Than  he  that  is  crooked 
in  his  speech;"  literally,  as  to  his  lips.  We  have  seen  that 
"  speccJr  means  7u/iole  conduct.  The  mouth,  in  those  days,  was 
the  great  implement  of  action.  It  is  so  still.  The  commonest 
laborer  bargains  out  and  orders  out  half  of  his  living  by  his 
mouth.  "  Crooked  in  s/ccc/i,"  means  speaking  (i.  e.,  acting) 
athwart  of  Vihat  we  ourselves  know  in  many  particulars ;  first, 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTARY.  281 

athwart  all  moral  truth;  second,  athwart  deep  personal  con- 
viction ;  third,  athwart  all  personal  interest  (as  our  text  im- 
plies). A  Christian  talks*  straight,  because  he  speaks  (acts) 
coincidently  with  all  of  these.  A  sinner  is  crooked  of  lip,  be- 
cause he  says  what  he  does  not  think,  and  traverses  for  his  lusts 
all  the  best  principles  of  his  more  conscientious  nature.  "  And 
as  such."  This  is  the  emphatic  pronoun.  It  should  always  be 
translated;  most  generally  as  '■''himself''  The  meaning  then 
would  be  that  wealth  was  but  a  poor  equivalent  for  being  "  a 
fool ;"  because  wealth  was  outside  of  a  man's  being,  but  the  ^''  fool " 
was  /n'mself  But  a  reproduction  of  this  text,  slightly  altered, 
occurs  chap.  28  :  6.  In  that  verse,  "  7i'ajs  "  takes  the  place  of 
*'  lips,"  and  "  ric/i"  takes  the  place  of  "  a  fool."  Otherwise  the 
verses  are  identical.  It  would  not  do  to  translate  "  in  himself 
rich"  for  that  is  just  the  opposite  of  being  the  fact.  We  have 
selected,  therefore,  "  as  such  "  as  answering  perfectly  to  both, 
"  Better  is  the  poor  havi?ig  his  whole  walk  in  his  integrity,  than 
he  that  is  crooked  in  his  speech,  and  as  such  a  fool."  A  man  may 
be  a  Christian,  and  still  be  found  "  crooked  in  his  speech."  There- 
fore the  expression  is  quite  significant,  that  the  crookedness 
must  reach  his  inmost  character,  and  he  must  walk  in  it,  and 
must  walk  in  nothing  else.  It  must  mark  him.  On  the  other 
hand  (28  :  6),  a  man  may  be  ^^  crooked  in  his  vr&ys,"  and  yet, 
for  all,  again,  may  be  a  poor  penitent,  and  may  be  "  rich"  in 
gospel  fashion.  The  "  as  such  "  cuts  off  all  possibility  here. 
The  poor  man  is  better  than  the  rich  man  when  the  rich  man 
has  not  the  "wealth  that  endureth;"  when  his  wealth  lies 
outside :  when  inwardly  he  is  utterly  poor ;  when,  to  state  it  as 
in  the  28th,  he  is  '^  crooked  in  his  ways,  and  as  such  a  rich  man." 
"Integrity  /'  from  a  root  meaning  whole. 

The  very  title  ''fool"  (v.  i),  suggests  an  objection.  If  I  am 
a  fool,  how  can  I  help  it  ?  The  next  Proverb  boldly  assails 
this  difficulty : — 

2  Even  because  it  has  no  knowledge  life  is 
no  good; 
but  he  that  is  hasty  of  foot  is  he  that  misses. 

"  Even  "  is  a  word  too  important  to  be  changed  or  lost ;  and, 


2  Also,  i/tai  the  soul 
ie  without  knowledge, 
it  is  not  good  ;  and  he 
that  hasteth  with  his 
feet  sinneth. 


282  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 

therefore,  "  also"  (E.  V.)  spoils  everything.  The  innocentest 
of  all  faults  might  seem  ignorance.  "  Even  "  this,  the  inspired 
Proverb  says,  takes  away  all  "good"  from  "life."  The  only 
sin  (when  philosophically  stated)  is  ignorance.  The  "  chains  " 
that  confine  the  lost  (2  Pe.  2  : 4)  are  "  darkness."  The 
change  that  overtakes  the  saved  is  light  (2  Cor.  4  :  6).  The 
graces  that  adorn  the  Christian,  all  flow  from  a  new  intelli- 
gence. Our  text  is  literally  exact.  If  the  man  "  has  no  knowl- 
edge," and  that  of  a  deep  spiritual  sort,  his  "life  is  no  good;" 
that  is,  it  possesses  none,  and  is  itself  a  horrid  evil.  And  yet 
the  concluding  clause  very  largely  relieves  the  difficulty.  The 
man,  knowing  there  was  something  wrong,  ought  to  pause,  and 
grope  about  for  the  light,  just  as  all  would  in  a  dark  cavern. 
Instead  of  that,  he  rushes  darkly  on.  Here,  the  inspired  finger 
is  put  upon  the  precise  mistake.  We  are  warned  that  we  are 
in  blindness.  Why  not  hesitate,  then,  and  cast  about  us  ?  We 
push  on,  when  we  know  that  we  are  in  the  dark.  This  is  the 
photograph  of  the  impenitent.  He  knows  he  lacks  light;  and 
yet,  instead  of  seeking  it;  or  else,  at  least,  of  stopping,  he 
dashes  on;  robbing  himself  of  all  possible  excuse;  for, 
though  "  because  it  has  no  knowledge^  life  is  no  good,  yet  lie  that 
is  hasty  of  foot  is  the  one  that  misses."  ^^ Misses."  It  is  a 
common  word  for  "  .y/V/i' "  (E.  V.).  But  its  original  sense  is, 
"  misses."  It  is  as  well  to  keep  the  original  for  its  own  sake. 
Our  Bible  sometimes  does  (Judges  20  :  16).  Often  it  is  much 
the  more  expressive  (8  :  36  ;  Is.  5  :  24).  Always  it  is  at  the 
root  of  the  sense,  even  when  it  is  translated  "  sifis."  And  here 
it  is  indispensable.  When  a  man  "  has  no  knowledge"  and, 
therefore,  "«<?^<7^^,"  in  his  "///>"  (literally,  in  his  "breath;" 
usually,  soul ;  sometimes,  appetite);  and  when  he  does  not  stop 
to  remedy  the  difficulty,  but  when  he  pushes  on  with  that  light 
which  is  in  him,  which  is  darkness  (Matt.  6  :  23),  he  becomes 
doubly  chargeable  with  his  guilt,  and  misses  pardon  as  a  wilful 
consequence. 

And  yet,  the  Wise  Man  says,  he  ignores  this  point  of  wilful- 
ness, and  in  his  heart  is  angry  with  the  Almighty : — 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTAR  F.  283 


3  The  folly  of  a  man  subverts  his  way ; 
and  then  his  heart  is  angry  with  Jehovah. 


3  The  foolishnftss;  of 
man  perverteth  h  i  s 
way;  and  his  heait 
fretteth  against  the 
Lord, 


"Subverts;"  that  is,  totally  upsets  and  ruins,  so  that  it  is  no 
"  way  "  at  all.  Nothing  could  describe  more  truly  the  sinner's 
path,  because  it  does  not  reach  even  the  ends  that  he  himself 
relied  upon.  Death  arrives,  too,  to  wreck  it  totally.  And 
though  he  has  resisted  the  most  winning  arts  to  draw  him  unto 
Christ,  yet,  at  each  sad  defeat,  "liis  heart  is  angry  with  Je- 
hovah." 

4  A  competence  adds  many  friends:  I    ■*  Wealth  maketh 

..  ,    '■  .  ^  .  i-  .         many  triends  :   but  the 

but  the  poor  is  separated  even  from  the  1  poor  is  separated  from 
friend  he  has.  i  his  neighbour. 

Here,  first,  is  a  secular  Proverb,  with  its  obvious  and  no- 
torious reality.  Second  follows  the  moral  use  to  warn  men, 
and,  most  of  all.  Christians,  against  such  selfishness,  and  against 
wrong  direction  of  their  common  friendships.  But,  third,  (as 
in  chap.  14  :  20),  a  great  evangelic  thought !  Our  Redeemer 
teaches  it  (Matt.  13:12).  "He  that  hath  to  him  shall  be 
given,  and  he  shall  have  more  abundantly ;  but  from  him  that 
hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  which  he  seemeth  to 
have."  A  certain  form  of  poverty  will  separate  us  even  from 
God.  "Competence"  (see  22  :  7);  literally,  ^^ ease ;"  that  state 
of  purse  that  makes  men  ea'sy  in  their  circumstances.  There  is 
the  usual  intenseness.  Wealth  "  adds  friends."  Poverty  takes 
the  friends  we  have.     It  will  be  so  in  the  eternal  world. 

The  hardship  of  a  curse  for  poverty  (v.  4),  like  the  hardship 
of  a  curse  for  ignorance  (v.  2),  is  met  by  some  of  the  sarhe 
ideas  (6  :  14).  The  universe  cannot  tolerate  a  discord  (v.  19). 
One  great  object  of  the  universe  is  to  illustrate  truth  (Ec. 
3:14).  "The  judgments  of  God  are  according  to  truth" 
(Rom.  2  :  2),  and  must  necessarily  be  death  to  error.  All  men 
are  witnesses  (Is.  44  :  8).  If  they  have  witness  of  the  truth 
well  and  good  ;  they  are  in  consistence  with  the  universe.  If 
they  have  witness  of  falsehood,  it  must  go  badly ;  for  there  is 
no  use  frr  falsehood,  except  punitively,  in  the  whole  creation: — 


284  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 


5  A   deceived  witness  shall  not  go  unpun- 
ished; 
and  he  whose  breath  is  lies  shall  not  escape. 


5  A  false  witness 
shall  not  be  unpunish- 
ed ;  and  he  that  speak- 
eth  lies  shall  not  es- 
cape. 


The  9th  verse  repeats  this  text  with  the  exception  of  the  last 
word,  which  is  ^''perish"  (E.  V.),  or,  more  literally,  "  be  lost." 
"  A  deceived  witness  ;"  literally,  "  a  witness  of  falsehoods."  We 
make  the  change  to  avoid  an  equivoque.  "  Cannot  go  xno.- 
■£imnsla.Qdi-^  WtQXsWy,^^  shall  Jiot  be  held  innocent."  As  the  forms 
are  more  pregnant  in  Hebrew,  we  can  read  "  cannot,"  and 
thereby  have  expressed  the  intrinsic  impossibility.  "  Breath  ;" 
meaning  the  inborn  and  natural  impulse.  By  all  means  let  the 
sinner  get  rich  (v.  7),  for  the  poor  man  he  is,  and  the  "  de- 
ceived witness  "  he  is  (v.  5)  in  his  present  state,  creation  itself 
will  not  be  able  to  endure. 

One  way  of  gaining  favor  is  by  "  generous "  personal  sacri- 
fices : — 


6  Many  court  a  generous  man  ; 

and  every  one  is  the  friend  of  a  man  of 

gifts. 


6  Many  will  entreat 
the  favour  of  the 
prince  ;  and  every  man 
is  a  friend  to  him  that 
giveth  gifts. 

Again  (v.  4),  there  are  three  gradations  of  the  Proverb  : — 
First,  a  secular  one.  It  had  its  broad  meaning  in  the  world, 
where  possibly  Solomon  found  it.  Second,  a  moral  one.  It 
reflects  upon  a  course  not  creditable,  and  not  to  be  followed  by 
those  of  true  principles  of  life.  But,  third,  a  gospel  one ;  and 
this  was  Solomon's  aim.  Such  was  its  true  connection.  Here 
it  agrees  with  other  passages  (v.  4;  14:  20).  For.  conduct  not 
creditable  to  man,  like  that  of  the  Unjust  Judge  (Luke  16:8), 
is  made  to  illustrate  the  conduct  of  the  Almighty.  If  men  des- 
pair of  their  safety,  and  complain  of  the  results  of  their  ig- 
norance (v.  2)  and  poverty  (vs.  5,  7),  let  them  try  to  get  up 
some  gift ;  let  them  essay  to  approach  God  with  bribes ;  let 
them  try  being  a  little  ^^ generous"  to  Him  ;  giving  Him  a  little 
of  their  time  ;  offering  to  Him  ;  bestowing  on  Him  almost  any 
gift,  which  men  in  the  world  around  them  might  not  value.  It 
will  work  like  a  charm  with  Him.  And  why  should  we  hesi- 
tate to  try  it  with  God  7  since,  as  our  Proverb  says,  it  works  so 
notoriously  well  with  men.     "Court;"  literally,  *^  stroke  the  face . 


Chap  XIX.]  COMMENTARY.  285 

of"  "  A  generous  man  f  usually,  a  ^^priftce  "  (E.  V.),  or  Jioble. 
But  ■willing,  liberal,  is  the  literal  sense  ;  and  has  the  right  to 
come  in  when  it  suits.  "Man  of  gifts;"  "  inan  of  a  gift,"  lite- 
rally. We  make  such  sacrifices,  harmlessly,  to  English  idiom. 
Pleading  poverty,  as  men  are  apt  to  do,  when  urged  to  be 
generous,  the  Proverb  rolls  back  (v.  4)  to  the  idea  that  men 
must  look  out  about  this  matter  of  poverty  in  their  relations 
with  the  Most  High.  Poverty  will  stand  up  as  crime  at  the 
day  of  judgment.  Christ  (Luke  19  :  20)  states  the  plea  as  ac- 
tually made,  and  utterly  demolished.  "  I  feared  thee  because 
thou  art  an  austere  man,  etc."  (Luke  19  :  21) . — 


All  the  brothers  of  a  poor  man  hate  him, 
for  the  same  reason  that  his  neighbors  also 

keep  at  a  distance  from  him.      , 
As  one  snatching  at  words  they  come  to 

stand  towards  him. 


7  All  the  brethren 
of  the  poor  do  hate 
him  ;  how  much  more 
do  his  friends  go  far 
from  him  ?  he  pursueth 
tlieni  "with  words,  yet 
they  are  wanting  to 
him. 


The  comment  may  be  just  the  same  as  in  vs.  4  and  6.  There 
are  three  aspects  of  the  verse  : — first,  the  secular  and  notorious 
one  ;  second,  the  moral  of  that,  or  admonitory  one  ;  and,  third- 
ly, what  might  be  called  parabolic ;  that  is,  the  gospel  use  of 
what  stands  precisely  on  the  level  of  the  pattern  of  the  Unjust 
Judge.  "  For  the  same  reason  that."  We  have  stated  our  ob- 
jections to  ''  how  much  more''  (E.  V.)  under  other  passages 
(11:31).  The  above  is  the  literal  significance.  "Towards 
him."  The  textus  receptus  alters  this  by  a  letter,  so  that  it  reads 
";w/."  Thereby  hangs  a  difference  between  one  force  of  the 
passage  and  another,  both  accordant,  but  each  quite  distinct. 
They  are  as  follows.  If  the  Hebrew  be  {)^,  ^^  not,"  then  the 
translation  may  be, — ''''  He  follows  words  (i.  q.,  promises  of  these 
supposed  friends),  and  they  are  not"  (i.  e.,  they  disappoint  him). 
If  the  Hebrew  be  (i'^)  "  towards  him"  then  the  translation  may 
be,  as  one  pursuing  (or  turning  hostilely  against)  "words"  (i.  e., 
seeking  a  pretext  in  mere  ^'' words,"  whereby  they  can  throw 
him  off)  are  they  towards  him.  Evangelically,  the  Wise  Man 
admits,  for  the  moment,  the  charge  of  the  sinner,  that  the  Al- 
mighty seeks  to  throw  him  off,  and  does  so  by  the  hardest  deal- 
ings against  him.     "  I    knew  thee   that   thou   art   an   austere 


286  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 

man,  etc."  He  just  accepts  the  charge,  as  God  does  on  the  day 
of  judgment  (Matt.  25  :  27),  and  pushes  to  the  idea, — that,  if 
*'  poor"  men  do  so  badly  at  the  bar  of  God,  they  had  better  look 
out  in  time  and  get  rich.  *'  Thou  oughtest,  therefore,  (i.  e.,  for 
that  very  reason,  if  the  chance  was  small)  to  have  put  my 
money  to  the  exchangers."  We  must  have  some  coin  of  the 
realm  at  the  last  day.  The  Proverb  counsels  us  to  be  sure  to 
get  it.  He  tells  us  poor  people  do  ill  in  this  world.  He  as- 
sures us  they  will  do  worse  in  another.  He  advises  us  {sifuilia 
similibus)  to  "  make  friends  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness ;" 
that,  by  all  means,  we  may  have  some  of  that  form  of  wealth, 
that  will  serve  to  introduce  us  into  "  everlasting  habitations  " 
(Lu.  16  :  9). 

He  tells  them  in  the  next  verse  what  the  passage-money  into 
the  other  world  must  be  : — 

8  He  that  gains  heart  loves  his  own  soul.  ^j^*,  ''^^^  getteth 

"-'  wisdom  loveth  his  own 

soul  ;  he  that  keepeth 
understanding  shall 
find  good. 


He   that    keeps   watch   over   discernment 
meets  the  result  of  finding  good. 


We  have  shown  already  (17  :  16)  how  important  this  under- 
standing of  the  word  "  heart "  is  to  the  unravelling  of  many 
passages.  It  means  sanctified  mind  or  soul,  in  a  great  many 
instances.  Men  are  said  to  want  ^^  heart"  (i.  e.,  to  tua?it  sense, 
as  we  have  sometimes  translated  it,  out  of  deference  to  the 
English  idiom).  Their  want  was  simply  piety  (9:4).  Men 
are  said  io  get  ^^  heart"  (15  :  32);  and  to  increase  "heart"  with 
corresponding  intentions  in  the  inspired  Word.  The  coin  of 
the  realm,  therefore,  is  "heart."  We  get  "heart"  by  sanctifi- 
cation.  We  get  sanctification  as  a  free  gift.  We  get  it,  instru- 
mentally,  by  watching  over  discernment ;  that  is,  when  we  quit 
hastening  with  our  feet  (v.  2),  and  pray  and  ask  that  we  may 
discern  our  duty.  We  are  to  call  in  every  possible  aid,  and 
trust  wholly  to  Almighty  help.  God  offers  to  create  us  a  new 
"heart ;"  and  "he  that  gains  heart  loves  his  own  soul;  [and]  he 
that  keeps  watch  over  discernment,  meets  the  result  of  finding 
good."  "Keeps  watch  over;"  that  grand  duty,  to  "attend." 
"Meets  the  result  of."  This  English  has  nothing  to  underlie  it, 
but  the  little  particle  i,  meaning  to,  or  unto,  for,  or  with  "  the 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  587 

result  of."     Let  any  one  attempt  to  translate  more  briefly,  and 
he  will  see  how  pregnant  are  the  words  of  Hebrew. 

The  slothful  servant,  not  heeding  all  this  about  the  "  ex- 
changers," and  still  keeping  his  pound  rolled  up  in  a  napkin,  the 
inspired  Solomon  recurs  to  the  old  idea: — There  is  really  no 
place  for  him  in  a  wise  creation  : — 

q  A  deceived  witness  shall  not  go  unpun-  .9,,-^  fl'^^  witness 

-'  .    ,       ,  o  i'  shall  not  be  unpunish- 

ed ;  and  he  that  speak- 
eth  lies  shall  perish. 


ished ; 
and  he  whose  breath  is  lies  shall  be  lost. 


This  is  the  fifth  verse  over  again,  with  one  exception.  In- 
stead oi''  shall  not  escape"  (v.  5),  it  is,  "shall  be  lost"  (v.  9). 
The  English  version  is,  "  shall  perish."  The  root  means  to 
lose  oneself  by  wandering  about.  The  cognate  Arabic  means  to 
flee  atvay  wild  in  the  desert.  Our  text  has  the  (Niphal)  passive. 
The  spirit,  therefore,  that  habitually  breathes  out  falsities,  and, 
so,  acts  constitutionally  athwart  of  what  is  true,  is  best  des- 
cribed by  keeping  to  the  original ;  that  is,  instead  of  perishitig 
in  the  broader  and  vaguer  way,  he  wanders  off  and  is  lost  in  the 
wilderness  of  his  own  deceptions. 

Would  heaven  really  suit  such  a  "  stupid"  one  ? — 

10  Delight  is  not  suited  to  a  stupid  man  ;  seemjffor'l  fool! 

much  less  for  a  servant 
to  have  rule  over 
princes. 


for  the  same  reason  also  that  it  is  not  to  a 
servant  to  rule  princes. 


"  is  not  suited  to."  The  original  root  means  to  sit.  We  have 
the  same  idiomatic  usage.  A  thing  may  sit  well  upon  a  person  in 
any  of  many  ways.  It  may  becojne  him.  It  may  agree  with  him 
(physically).  It  may  please  him.  There  are,  at  least,  these 
three  senses.  In  chap.  17:7  ("  Excellent  speech  does  not  suit 
the  base  ")  it  partakes  of  the  last  sense ;  in  the  present  text,  of 
the  first.  The  meaning  h,— Delight  does  not  seem  proper  for  a 
fool ;  and  it  remains  for  the  illustration  of  the  Proverb  to 
know  the  commoner  or  the  more  eminent  sense  in  which  its 
special  language  is  intended  to  be  taken,  (i)  In  its  secular 
form  its  truth  is  obvious.  (2)  In  its  higher  but  intermediate  form, 
it  means  that  an  ungodly  sinner,  here  called  "  a  stupid  man,"  on 
his  way  to  death  and  judgment,  is  so  shockingly  off  in  all  m- 


288  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 

terests  of  his  being,  that  "  delight"  is  a  mockery ;  it  is  anything 
but  suited  to  his  state.  And  to  have  him  stand,  as  he  often 
does,  superior  to  Christians,  overawing  Christian  life,  and  re- 
pressing Christian  eminence  of  character,  is  indeed  a  servant 
ruling  a  prince ;  and  is  as  good  an  instance  as  could  be  met,  of 
something  that  does  not  suit^  or,  as  the  original  has  it,  does  not 
sit  well.  (3)  But  Solomon  would  carry  it  a  story  higher.  He 
means  to  continue  his  pursuit  of  the  impenitent.  He  means  to 
tell  them  that  their  "  delight"  in  itself  considered,  would  not 
sit  well ;  that  to  reward  a  fool  would  bring  dishonor  upon  gov- 
ernment ;  and  to  release  the  outlaw  from  his  bonds,  would 
really  be  to  elect  the  slave  to  a  post  higher  than  the  ^^ princes." 
"  Much  less  "  (E.  V.) ;  susceptible  of  the  same  comment  as 
before  (v.  7). 

The  necessity  of  punishment,  however,  does  not  preclude  the 
truth  that  it  is  God's  "  strange  work  "  (Is.  28  :  21) : — 


II  The  intelligence  of  the   commonest-  man 
gives  slowness  to  his  anger; 
and  it  is  his  honor  to  pass  over  an  offence. 


II  The  discretion  of 
a  man  deferreth  his 
anger ;  and  I'i  is  his 
glory  to  pass  over  a 
transgression. 


If  men,  as  they  grow  more  sensible,  forgive  easier,  and  "it  is 
(their)  honor  to  pass  over  an  oflfence,"  the  implication  is,  that 
thus  must  it  be  with  the  All  Wise.  Complaint  is  foolish  ;  for 
eternity  will  reveal  that  Jehovah  took  no  pleasure  in  punishing 
us.  "  The  commonest  man ;"  literally,  *'  a  man,"  but  a  man  under 
that  title  which  all  through  this  book  (20  :  24),  as  in  Isaiah  2  : 9, 
distinguishes  itself  from  another  title  (see  30  :  2),  which  means 
a  man  of  the  better  sort.  This  bearing  of  the  word  is  very  often 
noticeable,  where  we  do  not  translate  it  (21  :  29).  In  this 
Proverb  it  gives  two  points  of  heightened  emphasis: — First, 
even  "  the  conunonest  man"  thinks  it  well  to  forgive.  How  much 
more  the  Almighty!  And,  second,  even  '''the  com7no?iest  man" 
when  intelligent,  forgives  the  easier:  how  much  more  the  Great 
"Intelligence .'"  He  who  best  understands  His  "honor"  would 
not  be  likely  to  inflict  punishment  unless  where  it  was  impos- 
sible that  there  should  be  a  final  "escape"  (v.  5). 

Therefore,  when  it  does  come,  it  must  be  by  much  the  more 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTARY,  289 

horrible.  It  is  the  *'  wrath  of  the  Lamb  "  (Rev.  6  :  16).  It  is 
the  remorseful  visit  of  what  we  were  warned  to  get  freed  of  in 
time.  It  is  "  the  wrath  of  a  king  ;"  and,  therefore,  all  the  more 
terrible  as  not  for  itself  but  for  His  government.  "  Behold  the 
goodness  and  severity  of  God"  (Rom.  11  :  22) ;  severe,  because 
of  a  necessity;  but  good,  gently  and  of  His  own  pleasure  : — 


12  The  roaring  as  of  a  young  lion  is  the  wrath 
of  a  king; 
and  as  dew  upon  herbs  is  his  favor. 


12  The  king's  wrath 
is  as  the  roaring  of  a 
lion  :  but  his  favour  is 
as  dew  upon  the  grass. 


"Young  lion."  The  old  are  treacherous,  and,  on  some  ac- 
counts, more  dangerous.  They  hang  about  springs  and  paths 
and  weak  camps,  to  snatch  children  and  old  men.  They  make 
up  by  stealthiness  what  they  lack  in  speed ;  and  in  hunger,  what 
they  lack  in  power  to  wander  and  be  fed.  The  ''•young  lion" 
in  the  nobility  of  his  powers,  is  the  best  emblem  of  God,  Om- 
nipotent when  He  does  strike,  and  all  the  more  terrible,  when 
roused,  for  the  generosity  and  splendors  of  His  nature. 

God  would  not  wilfully  have  a  disagreeable  "  son  "  (17:21, 
25).  He  would  not  wantonly  bring  Himself  into  such  close 
connection  with  the  troublesome,  as  a  husband  is,  with  a  tur- 
bulent and  contentious  woman  : — 


13  The  ruin  of  his  father  is  a  stupid  son  ; 
and  a  continual  dropping  are  a  wife's  con- 
tentions. 


13  A  foolish  son  ii 
the  calamity  of  his 
father ;  and  the  con- 
tentions of  a  wife  are  a 
continual  dropping. 


"The  ruin;"  literally,"///^  ruins."  Commentators  seem  so 
much  more  than  usually  impressed  with  the  plural  here,  as  to 
translate  it  strongly,  '■'nun  upon  ruin"  But  the  usual  pluralis 
excellentice  is  all  that  we  need  conceive.  The  Proverb  is,  of 
course,  secular ;  so  is  the  next.  But  the  idea  with  Solomon 
seems  to  be, — The  relation  between  God  and  the  soul  is  of  the 
very  closest  sort.  A  "father"  and  "a  son;"  nay,  a  husband 
and  "  a  wife,"  are  not  so  closely  intertwined  as  God  and  the 
disagreeable  offender.  He  would  not  willingly  beget  a  de- 
praved soul.  He  would  not  wilfully  marry  into  a  horrible 
house.  It  is  true,  He  could  correct  the  difficulty: — 
13 


290  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 


14  House  and  competence  are  an  inheritance 
from  fathers  ; 
and  a  thrifty  wife  is  from  Jehovah. 


14  House  and  riches 
are  the  inheritance  of 
fathers  ;  and  a  prudent 
wife  is  from  the  Lokd. 


All  that  can  make  a  son  happy,  and  all  that  can  correct  the 
most  unpleasant  relations,  are  possibilities  with  God.  And 
yet  three  states  of  fact  must  lie  together  in  a  form  all  of  them 
to  be  believed  : — First,  God  cannot  want  disagreeable  and  poor 
relations.  Second,  He  could  have  agreeable  and  rich  ones ; 
and,  thirdly,  He  actually  does  have  some  of  the  meanest  kind. 
All  this  seems  taught  by  Solomon.  Then  what  would  he  be 
understood  as  pressing  on  the  part  of  the  sinner  1  God  is  a 
father,  '^o  father  likes  to  have  a  bad  son.  God  can  make 
good  sons.  "House  and  competence,"  i.  e.,  every  conceivable 
good,  "  are  an  inheritance  from  "  this  Father.  He  can  hand  them 
down  at  will.  Nevertheless  He  does  not  hand  them  down. 
He  has  notoriously  bad  sons.  He  has  spirits  shut  up  with  His 
Spirit  in  closer  relation  than  a  husband  with  a  hateful  "  wife ;" 
and  they  are  abominable  to  Him,  like  the  dripping  of  the  rain. 
And  yet  the  altering  of  such  incongruousnesses  is  the  high 
gift  of  God.  The  Wise  Man  does  not  say,  these  are  no  mys- 
teries; but  he  fixes  other  great  bearings  for  us.  (i)  God  cer- 
tainly is  not  wanton  in  our  fate.  (2)  God  certainly  is  not 
helpless  to  improve  it.  God,  therefore,  is  the  Being  to  whom 
to  look.  We  should  turn,  therefore,  industriously  to  the  work 
of  making  friends  with  God ;  and  we  should  do  it  all  the  more 
earnestly  and  soon,  because  that  is  the  part  that  He  has  set  for 
us  in  His  Holy  Word.  "Thrifty;"  from  a  verb  meaning  to  be 
wise,  and  hence,  by  consequence,  to  be  prosperous.  "  Thrifty  " 
implies  both.  The  text  is  usually  read,  as  meaning,  that  fathers 
can  proidde  wealth,  etc.^wX.  a  wife  is  the  gift  of  Heaven.  The 
theology  is  not  good.  Wealth  is  eminently  from  God.  It 
rather  means  that  a  wife  is  house  and  wealth.  That  is  to  say, 
it  arranges  them  as  kindred  gifts.  As  fathers  provide  house 
and  ease  for  themselves  and  their  children,  so  God,  our  Highest 
Father,  provides  our  own  and  His  own  intimate  relations. 

Defending  God  as  not  wilfully  a  bad  Father,  Solomon  comes 
back  to  man.     Mysterious  as  may  be  God's  holding  off  from 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTARY.  291 

man  when  He  could  help  him  if  He  would,  man's  holding  off 
from  God,  instrumentally,  has  no  mystery  whatever.  He  can 
come  to  Him  if  he  will.  We  hold  the  blessing  in  our  own 
hands : — 

15  Sloth  causes  a  deep  sleep  to  fall  down  ;       ( ^.^^nt  a  S"  i^p'l 
and  an  idle  soul  shall  starve.  and  an  idle  soui  shall 

I  suflfer  hunger. 

The  expression,  "  deep  sleep,"  is  derived  from  a  verb  mean- 
ing to  snore  ;  and  is  the  word  used  for  the  "  sleep  "  of  Adam, 
when  the  rib  out  of  which  Eve  was  made,  was  taken  from  his 
side.  The  Hiphil,  "  causes  to  fall,"  is  the  same  verb  there  em- 
ployed. "  Idle ;"  from  a  verb  meaning  to  lei  fall,  betokening 
the  remiss  condition  of  an  utterly  "  idle  "  man.  The  inspired 
Proverb  accounts  for  our  not  hearing  the  roaring  of  the  lion, 
i.  e.,  the  wrath  of  the  Great  King  (v.  12),  by  the  effect  of 
"sloth,"  which  is  so  ''deep"  in  the  spiritual  world,  as  to  cast 
into  a  torpid  slumber.  Nevertheless,  notice !  It  preserves  the 
Hiphil  form;  '' causes,  etc.,"  \mY,\y\ng  that  ''sloth"  never  loses 
its  voluntariness.  It  "causes"  wilfully  the  "sleep."  A  man 
cannot  change  his  heart ;  I  mean  cannot  touch  it  with  his  fin- 
ger, as  a  potter  can  the  clay  ;  but  there  are  certain  voluntary 
acts  which  either  raise  or  ruin  it.  Without  denying  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  inspired  man  tells  how  observ- 
ing the  law,  instrumentally  decides  our  salvation  :— 

16  He  that  guards  the  commandment,  guards 
himself: 
in  scattering  his  ways  he  dies. 

"Guards;"  not  "  keeps  "  (E.  V.)  ;  though  "keeps"  has  crept, 
in  our  language,  (doubtless  through  King  James'  version),  half 
into  the  sense  of  "guards"  (see  4  :  23)-  ^''P  "^^ans  to  re- 
tail G^«ar^  means  to  watch.  The  root  of  the  present  word 
means  to  bristle,  then  to  watch  close,  either  from  the  bristling 
of  spears,  or  from  a  sharp  stare.  Undoubtedly  it  means  to 
watch.  And  there  is  a  philosophy  in  these  favorite  words 
-\)3^*  and  ll^^,  which  cover  this  ground  in  Scripture;  viz.,  that 
conscience  is  vagrant.     We  have  to  watch.     Like  the  mind  it- 


16  He  that  Iceepeth 
the  commandment 
Iceepeth  his  own  soul : 
but  he  that  despiseth 
his  ways  shall  die. 


292  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 

self,  it  is  hard  to  hold  it  to  the  point.  Attention  is  our  whole 
voluntary  work.  And,  to  a  most  amazing  degree,  the  Scrip- 
ture is  framed  upon  this  idea.  We  are  to  "  remember  now 
{pur)  Creator  "  (Ec.  12:1).  We  are  to  "  remember  the  Sabbath 
day  "  (Ex,  20  :  8).  We  are  to  "  observe  to  do,  etc.,"  (this  very 
word  "guard")  see  Deut.  5  :  i,  32,  et passim.  "  Wherewithal 
shall  a  young  man  cleanse  his  way  ?  By  tah'ng  heed  (this  same 
y\ox^  guarding)  thereto  according  to  thy  word  "  (Ps.  119:9). 
"Guards  himself :"  (the  same  word).  This  is  an  iron  link  of 
sequence,  which  no  Anti-Calvinistic  thought  can  shake.  He  who 
stands  sentry  over  "the  commandment,"  stands  sentry  over 
"  himself;"  literally,  "  his  soul."  There  is  no  helplessness  in  man 
other  than  that  " tardema"  or  "deep  sleep"  (v.  15),  which 
"  sloth"  wilfully  casts  him  into ;  and  which  a  voluntary  slothful- 
ness  perpetually  increases  and  maintains.  *'  The  fault  is  not  in 
our  stars,  but^n  ourselves,  that  we  are  aliens."  The  Proverb 
advances  upon  this  in  the  second  clause.  What  more  volun- 
tary than  a  man's  way?  It  has  a  voluntary  goal.  It  has  a 
daily  journeying.  And  it  includes  all  that  is  voluntary.  Seize 
a  man  at  any  moment.  All  that  he  is  upon,  is  part  of  his  life's 
travel.  Now  a  Christian  has  but  one  way.  So  far  forth  as  he 
is  a  Christian,  he  has  but  one  end,  and  one  path  for  reaching 
it.  There  is  a  beautiful  unitariness  in  his  journeying.  It  is  a 
habit  of  Scripture  to  turn  attention  to  the  scattered  life  of  the 
lost.  They  have  no  one  end.  "  If  thine  eye  be  single  thy 
whole  body  shall  be  full  of  light,"  says  the  Saviour  (Matt. 
6  :  23).  Thou  "  hast  scattered  thy  ways  to  the  strangers,"  says 
Jeremiah  (3:  13);  this  same  expression.  "Why  gaddest  thou 
about  so  much  to  change  thy  way  "  (Jer.  2  :  36)  .?  " Despiseth  " 
(E.  V.)  suits  the  lexicon,  and  suits  the  sense ;  for  certainly  a 
lost  man  has  less  respect  for  his  way  and  life  than  the  pardoned 
believer;  Xiwt"  scattering"  is  equally  legitimate  and  common; 
more  strengthened  by  analogy,  and  more  in  keeping  with  the 
first  clause,  where  the  verb  to  guard  stands  more  opposed  to 
vagrant  and  distraught  ideas.  "  Dies;"  see  Job  5  :  2.  Corrup- 
tion is  seated  in  the  soul,  but  not  out  of  reach  by  any  means.  A 
man  can  increase  it.  What  we  do  outside  kills  inwardly.  A 
man's  counting-house  might  seem  to  have  little  to  do  with  the 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTARY.  2.93. 

state  of  his  soul,  but  it  is  shaping  it  all  the  time.  If  he  scatters 
his  ways,  he  is  killing  his  soul ;  and  what  we  are  to  remark  is 
that  there  is  an  ipso  actu  condition  of  the  effect  (as  in  11  :  19), 
which  is  expressed  in  the  Hebrew.  The  vagrancy  of  a  morn- 
ing's worldliness  is  that  much  more  death,  as  punctually  ad- 
ministered as  any  of  the  chemistries  of  nature.  The  form  is 
participial.  It  is  "  in  scattering"  or  as  "  scattering,"  his  ways, 
that  "  he  dies." 

Not  only  a  vaguer  and  more  general  obedience.,  but  pointed 
gifts,,  the  Wise  Man  recommends  to  the  believer.  Open  gene- 
rosities, he  would  argue,  are  a  better  thing  than  that  vaguer 
guarding  of  the  law  (v.  16)  which  most  readers  might  under- 
stand in  the  previous  sentence  : — 

17  He  that  shows  favor  to  the  poor  man,  makes  ,pYn?hVpoohen<r<lt{: 
a  borrower  of  Jehovah ; 
and  his  transaction  pays  him. 


upon  the  poor  lendetK 
unto  the  Lord  ;  and 
that  which  he  hath 
given  will  he  pay  him 
again. 


The  off-hand  sense  is  no  doubt  correct ;  and,  as  a  worldly 
maxim,  often  the  munificent  are  rewarded  in  this  world.  A 
book  of  anecdotes  might  swell  the  list  endlessly  of  men  paid 
for  doing  good.  But  we  are  not  to  suppose  the  generous  to 
suffer,  and  the  saint  might  lose  by  being  paid  in  money.  The 
saint  might  need  the  chastisement  of  pecuniary  distress.  We 
are  not  to  suppose,  therefore,  this  sense  to  be  the  grand  one. 
But  the  meaning  is  that  obedience,  if  it  be  spiritual,  is  a  posi- 
tive thing ;  that  it  involves  large  and  generous  sacrifices ;  that 
it  is,  to  "visit  the  fatherless"  (Jas.  1:27),  and  to  feed  the 
hungry  (Matt.  25  :  35) ;  and  that,  in  the  grandest  sense,  he 
that  does  these  things,  "  makes  a  borrower  of  Jehovah ;  "  and 
that  the  transaction,  under  the  grand  head  of  guarding  his  otun 
soul  (v.  16),  will  pay  him  better  than  any  less  positive,  and 
more  mystic  species  of  obedience.  ''Makes  a  borrower  "  the 
simple  Hiphil  of  the  verb  to  borrotv.  It  may  be  fancy,  but 
causing  to  borrow  seems  to  be  more  expressive  than  (as  an 
equivalent)  to  lend  (E.  V.).  We  can  make  God  borrow  of  us 
at  any  time  among  the  widows  and  the  orphans  (Matt.  25  :  40; 
Jer.  49:11).  "Transaction;"  from  a  verb  meaning  to  deal, 
whether' well  (11  :  17);  or  ill  (Gen.  50  :  15).     It  is  not,  there- 


294  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 

fore,  equivalent  to  gift  (E.  V.),  and  is  the  nominative,  not  the 
accusative  (E.  V.).  It  is  not  ^  gift  paid  back,  but  a  dealing  or 
''^transaction^''  agreeing  with  the  verb  as  subject,  and  itself, 
therefore,  thoroughly /^_y/;^^  the  believer. 

t>^ol  guardi?ig  the  cofnmandment  (v.  i6),  and  not  making  sac- 
rifices (v.  17),  what  ought  God  to  do  with  us?  If  He  does  not 
abandon  us  to  our  "  deep  sleep"  (v.  15),  He  ought  to  chastise  us. 
The  Proverb  pictures  this  in  an  earthly  parent.  He  ought  to 
chastise  his  son,  not  to  destroy  him  : — 

18  Discipline  thy  son   because  there  is  now  I  ^^fi^^^^^l.^"  j^^y  ^^°^ 

hope  5  and   let   not    thy   soul 

but  to  kill  him  lift  not  up  thy  soul.  '^^^^  ^'' ""'''  "^'"^• 

The  lower  and  the  higher  in  this  Proverb  are  beautifully 
perfect.  As  an  ordinary  maxim,  it  is  armed  with  two  auxili- 
aries which  make  it  singularly  complete.  First,  that  there  is  a 
time  for  rescue,  and  to  hit  that  time  is  the  sole  purpose  of  chas- 
tisement; and  second,  that,  on  this  very  account,  benefit,  not 
resentment,  is  to  mingle  with  the  act.  "Discipline  thy  son  be- 
cause there  is  now  hope."  If  there  were  no  "//ope,"  it  would 
not  be  worth  while  to  "  discipline  "  and,  therefore,  the  Apostle, 
as  well  as  Solomon,  labors  with  the  idea  of  how  impertinent 
wrath  is  in  parental  chastisement.  "  Fathers,  provoke  not  your 
children  to  wrath,  lest  they  be  discouraged."  The  direction 
fairly  wreaks  with  practical  utility.  " Discipline  thy  son"  not 
'''' ivhile"  (E.  v.),  simply,  but  "because  there  is  now  hope." 
*  But  to  kill  him;"  this  is  the  plainest  sort  of  Hebrew.  It  is  a 
wonder  that  it  has  been  so  kept  back.  "  Bring  them  up,"  says 
the  Apostle  (Eph.  6  :  4)  kindly,  i.  e.,  to  use  his  most  tender 
expression,  "in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  But 
do  not  bring  passion  in,  or  "  provoke  (them)  to  wrath."  "  To 
kill  him"  as  Solomon  expresses  it,  "lift  not  up  thy  soul."  Do 
not  wish  him  dead.  Do  not  venom  discipline  by  naked  ani- 
mosity. This  is  the  human  aspect.  But  now  for  the  fine  ;nodel 
of  Jehovah  : — "  He  does  not  afflict  willingly  "  (Lam.  3  :  11). 
.He  follows  this  maxim ;  "  Discipline  thy  son  because  there  is  now 
hope."  But  Solomon  wishes  plainly  to  declare  that  to  kill  him 
He  docs  not  lift  up  His  soul.     He  takcth  no  pleasure  in  the 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTARY.  295 

death  of  him  that  dieth,  but  that  all  should  turn  and  live  (Ez. 
2,1  :  11).  It  is  evidently  these  great  timbers  of  thought  that 
Solomon  is  eyeing  at  the  bottom  of  his  structure.  He  is  settling 
them  along  in  place.  Secularly,  they  may  have  but  little  con- 
nection. Spiritually,  they  are  all  n\orticed  close ;  and,  what  is 
strictly  to  be  noticed,  they  are  all  coincident  with  New  Testa- 
ment expressions.  "Z///  nof  up  thy  soul ;'  simply.  Do  not  de- 
sire J  a  most  common  Hebrew  idiom.  "  Unto  thee,  O  Lord, 
do  I  lift  up  my  soul  "  (Ps.  25  :  i).  "  Who  hath  not  lifted  up 
his  soul  unto  vanity  "  (Ps.  24  :  4).  "  At  his  day  thou  shalt  give 
him  his  hire ;  neither  shall  the  sun  go  down  upon  it ;  for  he  is 
poor,  and  lifteth  up  his  soul  unto  it."  The  meaning  is,  that 
either  to  wife  or  children  we  are  not  to  "  be  bitter  "  (Col.  3:19); 
and  that  God,  in  the  height  of  His  judgments,  warrants  this 
great  point  of  doctrine,  that  to  kill  us  He  lifts  not  up  His  soul. 

Why  does  He  punish  us,  therefore.?  For  either  of  two 
reasons,  either  first,  to  chastise  us  for  our  own  profit,  or  second, 
to  judge  us  for  the  expiation  of  our  guilt.  Both  are  useful  pro- 
cesses, but,  Alas!  one  only  to  ourselves.  The  Proverb  that 
follows  adds  this  second  philosophy  of  punishment :— 

■r.  «  !•  1'ri.  _„«n1<-,r>  1      10    A   man   of  great 

19  Roughness  of  anger  lifts  away  penalty ,        1   ^^^j^  ^^aii  suffer  pun- 
but  if  it  delivers,  it  must  do  so  continually.  ishment^;_for^^f  thou 

I  must  do  it  again. 

Could  anything  be  more  keen .?  It  is  the  exact  rationale  of 
the  Pit.  All  pain  expiates.  In  fact,  expiation  is  the  very  ne- 
cessity of  torment.  All  guilt,  like  the  weight  of  a  clock,  begins 
to  expend  itself  when  punishment  begins.  If  we  could  hold 
still ;  that  is,  if  we  could  keep  from  sinning,  and  ages  rolled 
away,  who  can  say  that  the  horrible  pit  might  not  expiate  the 
sum  of  our  offence .?  At  least,  punishment  expiates  ;  and  Solo- 
mon boldly  declares,  "  Roughness  of  anger  lifts  away  penalty." 
But  then  he  gives  a  further  philosophy,  when  he  says,—"  But  If 
it  deUvers  "  (i.  e.,  the  "  anger,''  for  the  verb  is  feminine),  if  the 
sweep  of  the  "  anger"  slowly  "  lifts"  the  ''penalty"  i.  e.  by  being 
it,  and  thus  exhausting  the  guilt,  still  what  does  it  profit .?  Sin 
goes  rolling  on,  and  increasing  above  the  penalty.  If  wrath 
works  out  any  part  of  it,  there  is  more  behind.     The  account  is 


296  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 

never  caught  up  with.  This  is  a  strong  text.  A  stronger  for 
eternal  punishment  we  have  never  met  with.  It  states  the 
whole  necessity.  The  Almighty  begins  to  punish,  but  as  He 
gets  great  mountains  paid  off,  more  comes  piling  on.  The 
grand  penalty  of  sin  is  death  ;  and  it  is  by  dint  of  that,  that 
there  can  be  no  permanent  deliverance,  except  by  Him  "  who 
hath  abolished  death,  and  hath  brought  life  and  immortality  to 
light  through  the  gospel"  (2  Tim.  i  :  10).  Our  English  render- 
ing, ^^  shall  suffer  punishment"  (E.  V.),  comes  from  the  fact 
that  the  verb  means  ^^  lifts  "  as  well  as  "  lifts  aiuay."  But  if  we 
were  to  adopt  that  rendering,  we  would  gain  nothing  in  the 
grammar,  and  sink  the  sense  (as,  however,  all  do),  and  gain  in- 
stead an  unconnected  and  immaterial  expression.  "  Rough- 
ness" by  a  change  of  reading,  would  be  "  One  great."  The 
bearing  would  be  the  same.  So,  ''''  if  it  delivers  ;  //must,  etc.," 
by  the  usual  grammatical  equivoque,  as  between  the  third  per- 
son feminine  and  the  second  person  masculine,  may  read,  "  if 
thou  etc.  "  (E.  v.).  Either  will  suit  the  amended  reading;  but 
"//,"  as  referring  to  ''''anger"  is,  of  course,  set  closer  to  the 
sense.  "  Roughness  "  or  greatness,  whichever  the  word  be,  is 
not  out  of  place.  Of  course,  the  rougher  the  anger,  the  faster 
is  penalty  worn  away. 

If  such  be  the  philosophy  oi  judgment,  how  much  wiser  to 
choose  chastisement : — 


20  Hear  counsel,  and 
receive  instruction, 
that  thou  mayest  be 
wise  in  thy  latter  end. 


20  Hear  counsel,  and  let  discipline  in; 

that  thou  mayest  be  wise  in  thine  after  his 
tory. 

Observe  the  finger  on  our  only  want !  It  is  not  "counsel,"' 
for  that  is  given;  or  "discipline,"  for  that  presses  upon  the 
soul.  It  is  to  "hear  counsel,  and  let  discipline  in."  Observe  the 
intimation  of  our  only  difficulty.  It  is  not  pain,  for  the  saint 
has  often  more  of  this  than  the  sinner.  It  is  not  even  our  hell- 
ish pains,  for  they  will  never  be  our  worst  calamity,  and  might, 
if  sin  could  stop  (see  19:19),  wear  themselves  away.  It  is  our 
darkness.  The  Proverb  states  the  great  object  of  the  sinner,  a 
passing  from  darkness  to  light.  Our  chains  are  darkness.  The 
great  problem  is  a  resiliency  from  death,  a  getting  up  from  cor- 


21  There  are  many 
devices  in  a  man  s 
heart  ;  nevertheless  the 
counsel  of  the  Lord, 
that  shall  stand. 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTARY.  297 

rupiion.  How  beautifully  this  fits  upon  the  other  (v.  19)! 
'■''Anger  "  may  indeed  wear  away  '"''penalty"  but  the  misery  is, 
when  it  has  done  so,  "  //  vmst  do  so  continually. "  Observe  the 
great  remedy  against  this  continued  trespass.  "  Hear  coitfisel 
and  let  discipline  in,  that,"  instead  of  being  a  fool,  forever,  "  thou 
may  est  Toe  wise  in  thine  after  history."  ^^  Let  discipline  in." 
The  verb  in  Kal  means  to  confront.  In  Pihel,  as  here  em- 
ployed, it  has  a  permissive  sense, — to  suffer  to  cofifront,  or  to 
"  let  in."     For  "  after  history  "  see  5  :  4  ;  14:12. 

The  '■'' coimsel"  that  it  is  recommended  to  us  to  "'hear" 
(v.  20),  is,  nearly  or  more  remotely  as  the  case  may  be,  "  the 
counsel  of  Jehovah  "  (v.  21).  There  is  something  in  the  very 
idea  of  that,  viz.,  the  advice  of  our  Maker,  that  ought  to  hasten 
us  to  take  it : — 

21  Many  are  the  schemes  in  the  heart  of  a 
man  of  the  better  sort ; 
but  the  counsel  of  Jehovah  as  such  stands. 

"  Counsel."  This  word  sometimes  means  ''purpose  "  (Job 
5  :  13,  E.  v.).  The  original  includes  both  ideas.  The  "  counsel" 
that  a  man  holds  within  himself  is  either  for  himself  or  others. 
It  fits  him  either  for  advice  or  action.  The  counsel  of  Jehovah, 
therefore,  is  that  which  He  enjoins,  or  that  which  He  employs, 
just  as  it  may  happen.  But  one  is  consentaneous  with  the  other. 
It  is  that  which  He  enjoins,  of  course,  in  the  twentieth  and  in 
the  present  verse.  And  the  idea  of  the  present  verse  is,  that  we 
had  better  comply,  and  take  it,  because,  as  what  it  is,  it  must 
be  sure  to  stand.  "Many  are  the  schemes,  etc."  That  is, 
varied,  and  not  unitary  like  God's,  are  the  plans  "  in  the  heart 
of  a  man."  But  what  is  the  use  of  them?  How  can  any  of 
them  prosper,  if  they  differ  from  the  plans  of  God .?  Where  is 
the  chance  for  a  Creator  to  fail  in  anything .?  If  He  advise  us, 
He  can  sustain  us.  How  singular,  if  the  case  could  happen,  that 
an  Eternal  Providence  should  venture  an  advice,  and  a  crea- 
ture's scheme  could  turn  out  to  be  the  wiser  of  the  two.  "  As 
such."  This  is  an  emphatic  pronoun  (see  Class  X).  If  we 
were  to  translate,  " //^^//,"  we  should  throw  the  emphasis  too 
much  upon  the  "  counsel."     Its  being  "  the  counsel  of  Jehovah 


13* 


298  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 

is  the  great  emphatic  difference  ;  and  "  as  such"  as  against  human 
"  schemes"  how  notoriously  it  is  obliged  to  stand  /  "  A  man  of 
the  better  sort."     This  is  simply  '2"jj^,  one  of  the  names  for 

''''man."  We  do  not  always  translate  itas"^////<?  better  sort." 
But  it  is  rarely  chosen  listlessly.  Here  it  creates  an  emphasis. 
The  most  imposing  "  schemes  "  belong  to  the  intelligent  and 
great.  The  world  is  full  of  them.  How  foolish  to  build  them 
up !  Jehovah  advises  a  whole  new  behaviour  for  His  creatures. 
How  mad  to  scheme  away  from  it !  For,  many  be  the  schemes 
of  the  very  most  intelligent  of  men  ;  but  the  counsel  of  Jehovah.,  as 
such,  must  be  the  one  to  stand. 

Moreover,  if  the  most  eminent  of  men  fail,  unassisted,  how 
sweet  to  know  that  the  humblest  of  men  succeed,  nay,  find 
their  success,  in  their  very  fear  of  the  Almighty  !  How  sweet 
to  know  that  the  counsel  of  God  is  in  the  very  line  of  our  moral 
necessities  ! — 


22  The  pleasure  of  the  commonest  sort  of    "  T''^. '^^K  °f  » 

^       ■      1  •      1   ■     J  man    is   his    kinane*s ; 

man  is  his  kindness;  and  a  poor  man /^  better 

and  better  off  is  a  poor  man  than  a  false, '^^"  ^''"■ 

man  of  the  better  sort.  I    23  The  fear  of  the 

23  The  fear  of  Jehovah  serves  as  a  life  ;  ^rkTlfJ' Hatn'^i 
and  he  that  is  satisfied  with  it  has  a  dwell-.shaiiabidesatisfied:he 

•     _       1.         1      11  1.  1-  •    -i    J  •^       shall   not  be    visited 

ing;  he  shall  not  be  visited  as  an  evil,  (with  evil. 

"Pleasure;"  from  a  verb  to  desire.  That  it  should  mean 
^'pleasure"  is  by  no  very  difficult  analogy.  It  sometimes  means 
a  charm  (Gen.  49:26;  see  Gesenius),  i.  e.,  a  "pleasure"  to 
others ;  which  is  a  still  more  distant  association.  "  Man ;" 
C"5^,  in  the  first  clause,  and  "C-J^,  in  the  second.     By  all  means 

we  claim  an  intended  difference.  No  man  is  so  coarse  that 
being  kind  does  not  become  his  "pleasure."  And,  however 
"  poor"  the  "man"  may  be,  he  is  unspeakably  "better  oflf"  than 
he,  who,  though  apparently  of  a  better  grade,  is  "false"  to  that 
higher  nature.  V.  23.  "  The  fear  of  Jehovah  "  is  the  secret  of 
such  inward  "/A'(7-<-//;r."  "  The  fear  of  Jehoi-ah"  is  "a  life." 
"  He  that  is  satisfied  with  it  has  a  dweUing."  It  is  like  house 
and  home.  It  is  an  entire  living  to  the  spirit.  It  both  shel- 
ters and  entertains.     And  it  is  not  only  "  a  life  "  in  itself,  but 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTARY. 


299 


the  man  who  possesses  it,  "  shall  not  be  visited  as  an  evil."  In 
former  sentences  (see  13  :  17  and  17  :  20)  the  warrant  for  the 
expression  as  is  to  be  found  in  the  ^  essentia:.  Here  it  is  from 
a  noun  in  apposition.  The  meaning  is  alike.  The  wicked  are 
swept  out  as  evils.  The  righteous  have  escaped  that  extirpa- 
tion. "  The  fear  of  Jehoi'ah''  is  "  a  life"  in  itself ;  and  further- 
more, it  so  gives  "  life"  that  a  Christian  is  no  longer  an  "  evil" 
and  no  longer,  therefore,  has  to  be  confined  and  trampled. 
"Serves  as  ;"  simply  the  preposition  5.  ^^  Satisfied."  A  man 
"  satisfied "  with  fearing  God,  can  live  in  it  as  a  man  can  in  a 
house.  It  has  a  sense  of  the  richest  permanence.  "  Kindness" 
which  is  but  one  part  of  it,  is  itself  a  delight.  And  beyond  all 
its  quiet  refreshments  comes  the  superadded  intimation  that  it 
rids  us  of  the  fate  of  being  cast  out  "  as  an  rcil." 

If  a  good  be  so  near  us,  then  why  not  snatch  it .''  This  is 
the  next  confronting  of  a  paradox.  If  love  be  itself  a  '''' plea- 
sure" and  "  the  fear  of  Jehoz'ah  "  so  permanent  "  a  life  "  that 
"  he  that  is  satisfied  with  it "  greets  it  as  an  eternal  "  dwelling" 
then  why  not  more  possess  it  "i  and,  as  "  the  word  is  nigh  "  us 
(Rom.  10  :  8),  why  not  a  prompter  "  hand  "  upon  anything  so 
close  upon  our  seeking  t 

This  Solomon  explains  : — 

24  The  sluggard  hides  his  hand  in  the  dish;      HidtAuhand' inT" 
and  will  not  so  much  as  bring  it  to  his  bosom,  and  win  not  so 

.I  •  much  as  bring  it  to  his 

mouth  agam.  „,outh  again 

"  Dish;"  not  ^^ bosom"  (E.  V.) :  more  felicitous  as  ''dish,"  and 
superior,  as  it  is  now  found,  in  philologic  probability.  In  East- 
ern countries  men  thrust  their  "  hand  in  the  dish,"  We  see 
this  from  the  speech  of  our  Saviour.  "  He  that  dippeth  his 
hand  with  me  in  the  dish  "  (Matt.  26  :  23).  Two  points  of  the 
figure  are  to  be  held  high  : — First,  the  nearness  of  the  hand  to 
the  mouth,  and,  therefore,  the  ease  of  partaking ;  and,  second, 
the  pleasantness  of  the  food,  nay,  its  necessity,  to  the  indolent 
partaker.  Could  there  be  a  more  faithful  picture  ?  The  counsel 
of  the  Lord;  it  must  stand  (v.  21).  It  agrees  with  the  very 
hunger  of  our  nature  (v.  22).     And  yet,  though  its  full  advan- 


300  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XIX. 

tage  is  set  directly  within  our  grasp,  we  are  too  dull  to  lift  a 
hand. 

This  terrible  torpor  trouble  is  the  thing  to  unsettle.  It  must 
do  much  good,  whether  chastening  or  vindictive  ;  either  bene- 
fiting ourselves,  or  else,  in  our  Example,  them  who  witness 
it:— 

25  Smite  a  scorner,  and  it  makes  the  simple  and\he"'iimp!e  wrb": 


wise ; 
and   reproof   for    the    discerning    causes 
knowledge  to  be  discerned. 


ware  ;  and  reprove  one 
that  hath  understand- 
ing, and  he  will  under- 
stand knowledge. 


"Makes  wise;"  a  Hiphil.  In  many  glosses  (E.  V.  et  al.)  it 
loses  its  causative  sense,  and  reads  ''''will  beivare"  (E.  V.). 
But  we  have  examined  every  case,  and  are  rarely  persuaded  of 
any  intransitive  signification.  In  this  text  there  is  no  need  of 
it.  "  Simple  ;"  not  the  "  scorner,"  necessarily,  (who  is  smitten), 
but  either  he  or  any  of  the  "  simple  "  who  may  be  looking  on. 
So  in  the  last  clause;  not  the  rep?-oved  simply,  but  witnesses. 
"Reproof"  is  a  Hiphil  infinitive.  Judgment  is  a  great  en- 
lightener;  and  hell  itself  will  help  the  universe  to  discern  knowl- 
edge. 

The  wisdom  of  throwing  off  sloth  (v.  24),  and  listening  to 
correction  (vs.  20.  25),  is  enforced  by  the  idea  that  depravity 
grows.  Not  only  are  lighter  sins  a  sign  that  we  v/ould  commit 
the  heavier,  but  they  are  an  actual  apprenticeship  to  crime,  and 
a  school  for  a  deeper  wickedness  : — 

26  He  that  preys  upon  a  father,  will  drive  out  ,  ?%  "«  that  wasteth 

\  /«/*  father,  a«rfcnaseth 

a  mother  ;  away  his  mother,  is  a 

a  son  who  awakens  shame,  will  also  utterly  shame' ^ and ''brinjeth 

disgrace.  I  reproach. 

The  youth  who  will  cheat  his  "  governor  "  under  the  sportive 
plea,  that  the  "  old  man  "  can  stand  it,  is  nourishing  those  traits, 
which  would  "  drive  out  a  mother  "  from  the  shelter  left  for  her 
age.  "  Drive  out  y"  literally,  "  make  flee"  or  cause  the  "  mother  " 
to  be  glad  to  get  away.  Partly  from  dishonor !  Light  disgrace 
precedes  utter  mortification.  Such  is  one  ground  for  stopping 
sin  at  its  beginnings. 

But  another  is,  that  "  admonition,"  unless  we  actually  "  hear  " 


Chap.  XIX.]  COMMENTARY.  301 

it  (v.  20),  itself  debauches  us.  This  has  been  suggested  before 
(15  :  10).  The  wicked  should  wake  out  of  his  slumbers,  (6  :  6), 
and  escape  "  the  wrath  of  the  King,"  (16  :  14),  because  the  very 
disciplines  of  the  King,  if  not  heard,  make  him  harder.  The 
hearing,  that  the  impenitent  do,  in  the  sense  of  attending 
church,  and  listening  to  the  counsels  of  the  good,  is  not  a  thing 
that  they  should  leave  off,  but  they  should  leave  it  off  in  its 
*'  result  "  of  hardening  them  only  in  impenitence  : — 

27  Cease,  my  son,  to  hear  admonition,  ,  ^7  Cease,  my  son,  to 

'  '-'  '-  --  --'  hear   the    instruction 


with  the  result  of  wandering  further  from 
the  words  of  knowledge. 


that  catiseth  to  err 
from  the  words  of 
knowledge. 


"With  the  result  of ;"  simply  ^,  as  so  often  before.  "Wander- 
ing fvurther;"  simply  to  wander  j  but  it  is  an  intense  ^'' luander- 
ing"  To  reel,  to  stagger  is  its  occasional  sense  (Is.  28:7); 
still  stronger,  to  be  crazed,  in  this  very  book  (5  :  19,  20).  As 
the  straying  flock  naturally  gets  ''''farther,''  we  do  not  hesitate 
to  supply  that  sense.  The  favorite  cavil,  that,  if  truth  destroys, 
men  had  better  avoid  it,  is  not  encouraged  by  this  passage.  It 
does  not  say,  "  cease,"  as  a  naked  charge ;  but  "  cease,''  with  a 
certain  unauthorized  ''''result." 

That  casting  out  from  the  universe,  of  which  we  spoke  (6  :  19), 
because  each  man  is  "a  witness,"  and  the  impenitent  are  w?'/- 
nesscs  to  falsehood,  is  made  more  truly  terrible,  because,  deceiv- 
ing others,  we  are  so  horribly  deceived  ourselves.  The  possi- 
bility of  deceiving  others  springs  from  our  own  utter  insensibility 
to  truth.  Man  is  not  insensible.  He  "  eagerly  devours  worth- 
lessness."  But  the  "  deep  sleep  "  into  which  sloth  casts  him, 
(19  :  15),  is  an  insensibility  as  to  eternal  things: — 

28  A  worthless  witness  scorns  judgment ;  „/J  t"orneT ''i'L d g - 

ment  ;  and  the  mouth 
of  the  wicked  devour- 
eth  iniquity. 


and  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  eagerly  de- 
vours worthlessness. 


"Worthless;  "  literally,  of  Belial ;  Belial  being  a  compound 
word  meaning,  of  no  profit.  Witnessing  is  a  grand  duty  through 
creation,  which  God  Himself  carefully  fulfils  (Rom.  9  :  22,  23). 
"Scorns;"  i.  e.  is  prof oundly  insensible  to.  It  is  the  exhibition 
of  this  that  makes  one  of  our  most  fatal  witnessings.     It  is  this 


302  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

insensibility  that  gives  quiet  and  respectful  impenitents  the 
title  of  ^^ scome/s"  (v.  29).  "Judgment;"  rarely  anything  but 
God's  judgment ;  His  final  and  irrevocable  award  (see  Class 
XLVIII).  ''''Eagerly  deiwurs ;'  literally,  swallows  down. 
"  IVort/ilessness ;"  not  the  same  Hebrew  as  in  the  first  clause, 
but  one  of  a  kindred  signification.  It  is  a  common  name  for 
iniquity  (Job :  31  :  3.),  but  iniquity  under  that  same  vital  phase 
of  emptiness,  and  utter  vanity. 

Insensibility,  however,  instead  of  being  any  excuse,  is  met  by 
that  terrible  feature  of  the  perfect  tense  (14:  i.)  in  the  next 
verse,  which  implies  that  "judgings"  (as  if  by  some  old  Minos) 
*'  are  already  fixed  for  scomers,  and  blows  for  the  back  of  the 
stupid."  God  does  not  Judge  any  body  de  novo,  but  ex  principiis^ 
and  in  the  very  build  of  the  original  creation : — 

29   Tudgings  are  already  fixed  for  scorners;  ^^   judgments  are 

y    J        a      o  J  .  »  prepared   lor  scomers, 

and  stripes  for  the  back 
of  fools. 


and  blows  for  the  back  of  the  stupid. 


"  lodgings ;"  not  judgments,  but  a  much  rarer  word  ;  not 
judgments,  but  the  "'judgings "  required  to  make  them  out. 
Before  the  lost  are  born,  the  '''  judging s  "  that  condemn  sloth, 
''*'  are  fixed"  in  the  universe.  "  Eixed  •"  literally,  made  to  stand. 
^''  And  bloivs,  etc."  The  plan  of  hell  is  imbedded  in  the  natural 
creation. 

CHAPTER   XX. 

Solomon  seldom  singles  out  a  specific  vice;  and,  when  he 
does,  it  is  often  exemplary,  or  to  be  understood  of  any.  He 
does  single  out  drunkenness,  however.  Strikingly  enough,  the 
Apostle  does  so,  and  with  exactly  the  same  threatening.  After 
mentioning  other  extreme  crimes,  he  speaks  of  drunkenness 
(i  Cor:  6  :io)  ; — "  Drunkards  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God."  Solomon  only  translates  it  into  his  dialect  of  "■Wis- 
dom":— 

I  Wine  is  full  of  scoff:    strong  drink  is  full  I  ,'^^"'=  '.\  =».  "»<'<:.''". 

.  ?  o  I  strong  drink  :j  raging ; 

of   noise;  and   whosoever   is  de- 

and  every  one  who  gets  astray  by  it  fails i^te!'^  "^""^^^  '"  "'" 
of  wisdom. 


Chap.  XX.]  COMMENTAR  V. 


303 


"Full  of  scoff."  Not  only  does  a  drunkard  scoff  when 
drunk,  but  he  learns  the  art  of  scoffing  if  he  is  ever  sober. 
"Wine  and  women  destroy  the  heart."  "Full  of  noise." 
Seriousness  is  impossible  under  the  excitement  of  the  cup;  and 
in  that  rage  to  drink  again,  through  the  interval  of  the  debauch, 
the  very  thought  of  it  is  utterly  improbable.  "  Gets  astray  ; " 
a  figurative  predicate  that  we  were  discussing  in  the  last  chap- 
ter (v :  27).  It  sometimes  means  to  ree/,  but  originally  to 
wander,  zxid  hence  to  wander  oi^.  ^^  Gets  astray  "by  it."  The 
idea  is,  that  the  man  who  is  a  drunkard,  is  getting  farther  "  by  it " 
from  "  zcn'sdom,"  and,  unless  snatched  back,  will  get  ever  farther. 
"  Fails  of  wisdom  y"  literally,  is  not  wise.  The  tense  is  really 
future,  but  so  are  all  the  tenses  in  nearly  all  the  Proverbs. 
They  denote  a  continuous  present.  When  the  past  is  used, 
they  become  singularly  intensive.  (See  the  very  last  text).  To 
say,  however, — "  He  that  is  led  astray  by  wine,  is  not  wise,"  would 
be  miserably  vapid.  It  means  more  than  that : — viz.  that  he  is 
not,  and  is  not  going  to  be.  It  means  ''''wise"  in  the  gospel 
sense.  It  means, — going  astray  by  wine  precludes  wisdom.  And 
though  it  would  not  be  just  to  render  it, —  Will  not  be  wise  ;  it 
is  only  because  God,  in  His  infinite  wisdom,  may  stop  the  drunk- 
enness, and  so  abate  the  impracticable  condition  which  is  des- 
cribed z.%  getting  further  off  through  wine. 

How  mad,  therefore,  is  a  gay  wassail !  It  is  described  in  the 
next  verse  {quoad  the  Almighty)  as  imiJJJn)^,  a  very  peculiar 

word.  Our  English  Version  has  it, — "  Whoso provoketh  him  to 
anger."  It  is  a  reflexive.  The  root,  however,  means  simply  to 
pass  or  to  rush  on.  The  reflexive,  therefore,  would  be,  to  cause 
or  to  let  oneself  rush  on,  (and  with  the  pronoun  added)  agaifist 
Him,  i.  e.  the  Almighty.  The  madness  intended,  therefore,  is, 
— by  wine  or  any  other  miserable  recklessness,  the  allowing  of 
ourselves  to  roll  heavily  against  God.  But  let  us  give  the  whole 
Proverb : — 

2  The  roar  as  of  a  young  lion  is  the  terrible- 1  ./J^^V^I^'arfng  of"! 

neSS  of  a  king.  lipn  ;  a'/z<?^o  provoketh 

He  that  throws  himself  upon  him,  loses  hisl^^'^jWhu^ownsoul! 
life. 


304  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

"Life,"  The  common  word  for  ^^ soul :"  a  common  word 
also  for  ^^life"  (see  Ex.  21:23):  the  occasional  word  for 
^^ appetite"  (6  :  30) ;  also  for  ^^  thi-oat"  (Is.  5  :  14,  Hab  2:5); 
originally  for  "  breat/i'  (Gen  i  :  20,  30.)  It  is  hard  often  to  choose 
the  English.  We  would  say  ^^ soul"  here  (E.  V.),  but  for  this 
consideration : — that  these  are  secular  Proverbs.  Like  the 
histories,  and  like  the  prophecies,  of  the  Bible,  we  confront 
their  lower  sense  first  (see  Introd  :  §  6).  The  wrath  of  a  com- 
mon "  king  "  does  not  endanger  the  soul,  so  much  as  the  "  life  " 
whereas  the  term  "  life "  sufficiently  includes  everything. 
"Loses;"  usually  translated  "si/is"  (as  in  E.  V.)  But  the 
original  meaning  is  misses  (see  8  :  ;^6) ;  as  a  mark,  or  a  path,  or 
a  goal,  may  be  viissed.  Translating  "  sitis "  necessitates 
"  agai?isf'  (E.  V.),  which  is  not  in  the  Hebrew.  It  is  always 
best  to  hug  the  original  as  closely  as  we  can.  The  idea  is,  that, 
in  the  mad  wassail  of  any  life,  he  who  just  throws  himself 
against  the  Almighty,  misses  life  itself,  insanely  losing  the  sole 
object  of  his  being. 

That  crazed  dream,  that  there  is  a  sort  of  independence  in 
doing  as  men  please,  and  a  sort  of  heroism  in  "  strife  "  with 
their  Maker,  the  Wise  Man  dissipates  by  another  adage : — 

3  It  is  honor  to  the  best  sort  of  n>an  to  livel    3  ''''"an  honour  for 

»J  -  .  -  a   man    to    cease   from 

away  from  strife;  strife:    but   every   fool 

but  every  fool  pushes  recklessly  on.  '  ^'"  ^^  meddling. 

We  must  be  understood  as  omitting  often  secular  explana- 
tions. Solomon  is  taking  apothegms,  true  or  untrue,  and  giving 
certainty  to  what  they  assert  by  applying  it  to  religion. 
"Best,  etc. ;  "  the  same  '[25''5»5  Ave  have  so  often  spoken  of.  The 
more  eminent  the  "man,"  the  more  sensitive  for  "j/rZ/V,"  if 
"honor  "  were  found  to  demand  it.  The  tlJ'^J^j  therefore,  is  not 
fortuitous.  "Live  away  from."  Hereby  hangs  a  philologic 
difference.  The  English  Version  has  it,  ^^  cease."  There  are 
two  distinct  verbs.  One  means  to  sit  down,  and  has  just  such, 
an  infinitive  as  this,  often  occurring.  The  other  means  to 
"cease."  This  last  has  no  such  infinitive,  and  no  such  deriva- 
tive, except  one  seldom  and  with  difficulty  to  be  imagined.     A 


Chap  XX.]  COMMENTARY.  305 

maimed  man  was  to  be  paid  (Ex:  21  :  19)  for  his  ^^  ceasing" 
(marg.  E.  V.) ;  that  is,  as  has  been  generally  understood,  for 
his  loss  of  time.  But  how  much  more  easy  to  imagine  that  he 
was  paid  for  his  sitting  down,  that  is,  for  his  living.  More 
'  properly  still,  in  the  present  case,  is  living  better.  The  pre- 
position "from  "  is  adapted  to  either.  But  living  aivay  fro?n 
strife  is  a  more  dignified  picture ;  it  being  shrewder  not  to  be 
embroiled  at  all,  than  to  "  cease  "  from  a  vulgar  difficulty.  We 
choose  easily  therefore.  In  no  text  of  five  (see  Fuerst's  Con.) 
need  the  word  mean  ceasing  ;  though,  if  it  do,  it  is  well  to  say, 
the  doctrine  would  be  the  same.  It  is  honorable  to  shun  a 
quarrel.  It  is  vulgar  to  have  quarrels  with  men ;  how  much 
more  with  the  Almighty  !  For  the  double  reason,  therefore,  of 
both  taste  and  safety,  it  is  only  a  "  fool  "  who  "  pushes  reck- 
lessly on,"  '"'' Pushes  on ;"  a  word  commented  on,  17:14.  E. 
V. ; — "  will  be  meddling  .•"  Maurer  ; — "  exacerbatur'  (grows  hot) : 
De  Wette  and  Umbreit; — '■''  ereifert  sich"  (see  18  :  i).  But  chap. 
17  :  14  seems  to  require  the  figure  of  waters  breaking  forth. 
So,  also,  is  the  philology.  There  is  a  word  like  it  in  the  verse 
before;  they  being  reflexives.  The  meaning  is  not  so  very 
different.  In  each  the  drunkard  {v.  i),  that  is  the  reeling  sinner, 
is  just  throiving  himself  against  God.  Madly,  says  the  second 
verse;  for  he  ^'' loses  life  j  "  and  dishonorably,  says  the  third; 
for  "  //  is  honor  to  the  best  sort  of  7?ia?t  to  live  away  from  strife." 
Now  a  new  cavil,  and  a  difficulty  singularly  real.  It  is  that 
the  Cerberus  of  debate  always  lurks  at  the  gate  of  a  new  un- 
dertaking. If  it  is  to  plant,  we  have  to  "plough  "  in  the  cold. 
If  it  is  to  pioneer,  we  have  to  work  in  the  forest.  If  it  is  to 
seek  the  Lord,  we  have  to  begin  low  down  in  our  most  hostile 
state.  This  really  is  one  of  the  chief  reasons  of  delay ; — that 
turning  is  not  the  song  of  success,  but  the  torpor  of  a  confused 
repentance.  The  lost  man  will  not  endure  the  first  discourage- 
ments; and  so,  when  time  for  singing,  having  refused  the 
^^  plough"  he  will  not  need  the  sickle  : — 

4  He  who  is  a  sluggard  by  reason  of  the 
winter,  will  not  plough. 
He  shall  seek  in  harvest  and  there  shall  be 
nothing. 


4  The  sluggard  will 
not  plow  by  reason  of 
the  cold  ;  therefore 
shall  he  begin  harvest, 
and  have  nothing. 


3o6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

It  is,  perhaps,  intentionally  significant,  that  "  by  reason  of 
the  winter"  comes  after  the  "sluggard,"  to  express,  more 
clearly,  that  the  very  sluggardism  of  the  impenitent  is  helped 
by  these  early  difficulties.  Our  Saviour  implies  as  much,  (Matt. 
7  :  13,  14),  "  Wide  is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the  way,  that  lead- 
eth  to  destruction,  and  many  there  be  which  go  in  thereat ; 
BECAUSE  strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way  which  leadeth 
unto  life."  ^^  Does  not  plough  by  reason^  etc."  (E.  V.),  would 
make  a  good  sense,  but  the  other  is  the  order  of  the  Hebrew. 
"  Winter  •"  literally,  autumn.,  from  a  verb  to  pluck  (fruit,  etc.). 
But  it  grew  to  mean  the  cold  hemicycle,  as  for  example  (Is.  18:6), 
"All  the  beastsof  the  field  shall  winter  upon  it."  "Seek;"  some- 
times ask  J  hence  "  beg"  (E.  V.).  But  that  is  not  so  natural,  or 
unstrained,  as  the  other  and  more  original  signification.  "  And 
tliere  shall  be  nothing ;"  literally,  "  and  nothing."  Such  tersenesses 
throw  it  upon  us  to  give  such  English  as  seems  best.  And  the 
rule  ought  to  be,  to  shut  out  adventitious  thought,  and  rein  the 
idiom  of  the  English  as  close  as  we  are  able.  We  say  not, 
therefore,  "  and  have  nothing  "  (E.  V.),  but,  more  impersonally, 
"  there  shall  be  nothing." 

The  inspired  man  meets  the  case  of  the  difficulties  at  the 
start.  He  agrees  that  there  are  such,  but  still  he  insists  that 
the  light  that  we  need  is  lurking  most  intimately  near  : — 


5  Deep  waters  is  counsel  in  the  heart  of  a 
man ; 
but    a  man   of   discernment   will   sink   a 
bucket  after  it. 


5  Counsel  in  the 
heart  of  man  is  like 
deep  water  :  but  a  man 
o  f  understanding  will 
draw  it  out. 


"  Deep."  This  is  the  idea  corresponding  with  the  last  verse. 
The  Wise  Man  admits  that  it  is  far  down.  "Counsel."  The 
whole  emblem  finely  illustrates  what  is  true  of  the  doctrine  of 
the  "  inward  light"  as  held  by  the  "  Friends."  All  men  have 
light,  which,  if  they  would  follow,  would  lead  them  (granting 
that  they  persevere)  into  the  light  of  the  gospel  (Rom.  i  :  20). 
What  better  name  for  this  than  "  counsel^"  Alas  !  it  lies  "  deep." 
No  man  will  follow  it  but  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  "  Man."  This 
is  the  higher  term  for  the  more  elevated  class.  We  cannot  be 
always  translating  it.  But  the  selection  is  not  fortuitous.    On  the 


Chap.  XX.]  COMMENTARY.  307 

contrary  it  is  made  so  as  to  be  intense.  If  there  were  any  class 
of  men  with  whom  "  counsel"  might  lie  on  the  surface,  it  might 
seem  the  educated  class.  The  Wise  Man  intimates  that  it  is 
as  "  deep  "  down  with  them  as  with  the  rest.  Nevertheless  it  is 
there  !  How  solemn  that  fact  at  the  judgment  day  !  "  The 
word  is  nigh  (us)"  (Rom.  10  :  8).  And  "a  man  of  discernment;" 
i.  e.,  the  Christian.  ^^  Discernmejit"  here,  as  everywhere  else, 
mtdiXiS  piety.  Only  the  illuminated  man,  getting  his  light  from 
its  great  Fountain,  will  be  moved  to  go  down  into  his  "heart," 
where  the  "  counsel "  lies  waiting,  and  "  draw  "  (E.  V.)  the 
"deep  waters.'" — "  Draw  it  out"  (E.  V.).  This  is  the  more  neat 
expression.  But  the  verb  means  to  ha/ig  dotun,  hence  to  let 
down.  This  is  the  sense  of  all  the  cognate  languages ;  to  be 
pendulous.,  like  the  branches  of  a  willow.  Hence,  a  door, 
because  it  hangs.  Hence  the  poor  (or  from  a  very  similar 
verb)  because  they  depend,  or  hang  feebly.  We  have  preferred 
to  keep  closely  to  the  root.  "  Counsel  in  the  heart "  of  the  best 
natural  men  lies  dangerously  deep  ;  but  the  man,  beginning  to 
be  enlightened,  will  not  be  discouraged,  as  the  husbandman  is 
by  the  chilling  seed  time  (v.  4),  but  will  go  down  "after  it." 
To  preserve  the  figure,  the  "  waters  "  may  be  ever  so  "  deep" 
"  but  a  man  of  discernment  will  sink  a  bucket,"  and  bring  them 
up. 

If  the  bucket  is  to  be  sunk,  it  is  very  well  to  caution  the 
sinner  against  drawing  up  the  wrong  thing  : — 


6  Most  men  will  pro- 
claim every  one  his  own 
goodness  :  but  a  faith- 
ful man  who  can  find  ? 


6  Much  of  the  mere  man  one  calls  his  good- 
ness ; 
but  a  faithful  man,  who  can  find .? 

There  is  but  one  interpretation  among  commentators.  Maur- 
er,  Umbreit,  Zockler  and  De  Wette,  Holden  and  Bertheau,  all 
translate  very  much  like  the  English  Version.  Glancing  at  the 
verse,  tni^  l"!  might  naturally  seem  to  mean  "  ^//^z/y  tnen." 

T   T  T  , 

Further  search  might  make  us  pause.  There  is  an  expression, 
like  this,  meaning  many  men,  but  it  is  ^"1  C"l5^-  We  very  soon 
find  out  that  ^n  is  not  an  adjective,  meaning  many,  but  a  noun 
in  the  construct  from  ^"i,  meaning  abundance  or  multitude.  The 


3o8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

English  Version,  doubtless,  saw  this  in  translating,  ^^  Afost  men  " 
literally,  abundance  of  man,  or  mankind.  This,  all  the  modern 
commentators  have  seized  upon.  But,  strange  to  say,  there  is 
no  such  other  expression  in  Scripture  ;  and  no  frequent  use  of 
the  construct  ^1  at  all.     In  all  such  cases  of  single  use,  it  is 

T 

well  to  look  narrowly  at  everything.  "  Afost  men  will  proclaim 
every  one  his  own  goodness  "  (E.  V.),  may  be  set  down  as  having 
four  likelihoods  ; — first,  that  "  most  men"  or  the  mass  of  men, 
might  translate  Qli^  ^1 5  second,  that  "  every  one  "  or  each  is  the 

T      T  T 

meaning  in  a  number  of  cases  (i  Ki.  20  :  20;  Gen.  15  :  10)  of 
the  word  "[ijij^  {man)  which,  evidently,  it  is  in  E.  V.  intended  to 
translate  ;  third,  that  the  meaning  would  be  a  very  striking  one  ; 
and  fourth,  that  it  would  admirably  agree  with  the  second 
clause.  Many  men  will  bestow  multitudes  of  goods  to  feed  the 
poor  (i  Cor.  13  :  3),  and  be  quick  to  parade  their  IpH,  or  kind- 
liness 0/ heart,  when  "a  faithful  man"  can  hardly  be  hunted 
out.  For  example,  men  are  quick  to  give,  who  will  never  pay 
their  debts.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  therefore,  about  the  value 
of  the  sense  imagined.  But  now,  in  the  first  place,  there  is  this 
"very  serious  difficulty  : — "  Proclaim  "  {E.  Y.)  in  the  form  im- 
plied, never  translates  the  word  that  is  found  in  the  original. 
That  word  means  call.  It  rarely,  if  ever,  means  what  the  word 
call,  in  an  awkward  way,  would  not  express.  It  is  true  it  is 
made  to  speak  o( proclaiming  a  fast  (i  Ki.  21  :  9)  ;  but  calling 
a  fast  would  not  be  so  far  out  of  the  way.  It  means  naming  ; 
but  calling,  in  our  idiom,  is  used  for  natning  just  as  well.  We 
hear  o{  proclaiming  liberty  (Is.  61  :  i),  and  proclaiming  peace 
(Deut.  20  :  10),  and  proclaiming  a  name  (Ex.  33  :  19)  ;  but  the 
voice  of  the  actual  crier  or  caller  is  uppermost  in  all  these  ideas. 
Proclaiming  one's  "  goodness  "  presses  the  idea  of  calling  so 
far,  that  it  would  be  hard  to  match  it  among  all  Scriptural  ex- 
pressions. It  is  true  this  very  writer  may  be  translated  (12  :  23) 
— "  The  heart  of  fools  proclaimeth  foolishness  ;"  but,  though  this 
stands  perhaps  solitary,  there  is  more  of  calling  or  crying  out  in 
a  heart's  uttering  its  own  foolishness  in  spite  of  itself,  than  in 
a  man's  more  round  about  art  of  getting  his  kindness  published, 
or  making  it  renowned.     At  any  rate,  it  sufficiently  appears 


Chap.  XX.]  COMMENTAR  V. 


309 


that  this  Hebrew  rarely  straggles  so  far  from  its  base  ;  and,  if 
there  be  another  translation,  more  usual,  backed  by  a  still  more 
impressive  sense,  it  ought  not  to  be  hard  promptly  to  accept  it. 
Now  a  common  use  of  the  word  to  ca//  is  to  7mme.  It  is  found 
with  two  accusatives  (Is.  60  :  18).  Those  accusatives,  precisely 
in  order,  are  found  in  our  text.  The  translation  then,  giving 
each  word  its  room,  would  be  nakedly  this : — "  Much  of  man 
(t3"]^)  a  man  ('^;"^i<)  ivill  call  his  kindness^  or  his  goodness."   That 

T       T 

is,  "  much  of  the  mere  man,"  much  that  is  merely  human.  The 
two  accusatives  are  this  and  "  his  kindness  {ox  goodness)."  The 
word  3  is  sometimes  used  in  naming  (Gen.  1:5);  but  not  in 
all  cases.  The  meaning  is,  that  a  man  is  apt  to  call  mere  ani- 
mal traits,  like  amiableness,  or  good  nature,  by  the  name  of 
^^  goodness ;"  and  the  caution  is,  that,  seeking  deep  for  piety 
(v.  5),  we  should  be  careful  to  take  up  with  no  such  stupid  coun- 
terfeit. Much  of  the  mere  ''''  flesh"  to  borrow  a  New  Testament 
expression,  is  kind  and  often  honest.  There  is  much  of  the 
mere  man's  native  morality.  In  letting  down  our  bucket  (v.  5), 
we  must  take  care  not  to  take  that  for  '''' goodness.'^  There  is  a 
certain  Xxmo.  fidelity  that  embraces  everything.  That  is  religion. 
It  embraces  God.  It  embraces  spiritual  faithfuhiess.  It  may 
be  easily  counterfeited.  It  has  been  the  snare  of  our  race  to 
take  what  is  "  of  the  mere  man"  and  confound  it  with  it.  How 
timely  to  give  just  this  warning.  And  in  view  of  the  subtleties 
of  the  cheat,  the  Wise  Man  goes  on  with  our  case,  partly  as- 
sisting, partly  invoking,  a  strict  examination  of  our  state. 
First : — 


7  He  that  takes  his  very  walks  of  pleasure 
in  his  integrity,  is  a  righteous  man. 
Blessed  are  his  children  after  him. 


7  The  just  man 
walketh  in  his  integ- 
rity :  his  children  are 
blessed  after  him. 


There  is  a  twin  passage  to  this.  It  is  in  the  sixty-eighth 
Psalm  (v.  21).  Solomon  is  here  telling  who  really  is  "  right- 
eous." David  is  there  telling  who  only  is  lost.  They  resort  to 
the  same  expedient.  They  take  the  verb  to  walk.  They  put 
it  in  the  Hithpahel  (reflexive)  form.  It  means  in  that  form 
sj>azieren,  as  the  Germans  say,  that  is,  to  tcalk  for  '  pleasure. 


310  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

The  idea  is  of  that  free,  easy,  pleasant  walk^  which  a  man  has 
when  he  just  strolls  along.  The  Psalmist  tells  us,  "  God  will 
smite  only  his  enemies,  the  hairy  scalp  of  him  that  takes 
pleasure  walks  in  his  transgressions ;"  that  is,  that  wilfully  strolls 
along.  The  text  of  Solomon  is  just  as  delicate ; — not  the  anxious 
act,  that  the  sinner  does  to  get  to  heaven  ;  not  the  formal  act, 
which  the  sinner  does  in  stated  service;  jiot  the  showy  act, 
which  the  man  exhibits  on  days  of  pageant ;  but  the  easy  act, 
which  has  subsided  into  a  grateful  habit.  A  man  must  have 
second  nature  in  his  holy  living ;  and  the  easy  strolling  of  a 
•walk  is  a  good  depicting,  either  of  the  wilful  lost,  or  of  the 
rising  life  of  the  genuine  believer.  ^^  Righteous  ■"  not  simply 
good  and  upright,  but  "  righteous  "  in  the  technical  sense  :  all 
right  before  the  throne  in  heaven.  The  man  is  not  only  saved 
himself,  but  (unless  for  special  recklessness)  will  save  "  liis 
children. " 

Solomon  goes  on,  however,  to  the  like  thought  to  that  of  the 
Apostle  (2  Tim.  2  :  19).  Paul  says, — God  knows;  whether  we 
know  after  all  our  self-examinations,  or  not.  He  mixes  to- 
gether as  this  passage  does,  God's  certain  knowledge  and  our 
attempts  to  find  out.  He  makes  the  former  a  warning  to  the 
latter.  "  The  foundation  of  the  Lord  standeth  sure  having 
this  seal, — '  The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His.'  And, — 
*  Let  every  one  that  nameth  the  name  of  Christ  depart  from 
iniquity.'"     So  Solomon  says  : — 


8  The  king  that  sits  upon  the  throne  of  judg- 
ment 


8  A  king  that  sitteth 
in  the  throne  of  judg- 
ment  scattereth    away 


winnows  all  evil  with  his  eyes.  ^"  ^''"^  "''^  '"'  ^>"- 

We  must  be  very  careful,  therefore,  how  we  do  our  sifting. 
God's  is  perfectly  complete.  He  sees  "all  evil."  Not  '^scat- 
tereth "  (E.  v.).  That  would  be  very  meaningless;  but,  (what 
scattering  is  cognate  to,)  the  farmer's  sifting  of  his  harvest. 
God  does  it  "  with  His  eyes."  He  "  winnows  "  us  at  a  glance. 
It  is  important,  therefore,  that  we  have  something  more  than 
*^  ei'il"  because  "«//"  that,  He  shall  winnow  bodily  away. 

This  is  made  the  more  solemn,  because  a  great  deal  of  ''evil" 
(v.  8)  we  all  necessarily  confess : — 


Chap.  XX.]  COMMENTARY. 

9  Who  can  say,  I  have  cleansed  my  heart  ? 
I  have  become  purified  from  my  sin  ? 


9  Who  call  say,  I 
have  made  my  heart 
clean,  I  am  pure  from 
my  sin  ? 


Observe  these  changes  of  tense.  The  uniform  future  he  sud- 
denly shifts,  as  in  11:7.  He  cuts  off  one  favorite  mistake. 
Not  I  will  cleanse.  That  is  easy  to  be  said.  But  "  I  have 
cleansed."  I  have  actually  expelled  sin.  The  Wise  Man  in 
the  question  makes  the  point'that  the  Apostle  does  (i  Jno 
3  :  20).  Our  own  heart  condemns  us;  and  God  is  greater  than 
our  heart,  and  knoweth  all  things. 

As  a  sort  of  refrain,  at  proper  intervals,  he  rolls  back  signifi- 
cantly the  picture  of  the  balances : — 


10  Divers  weights  and  divers  measures, 

even  they  both  are  an  abomination  to  Je- 
hovah. 


10  Divers  weights, 
and  divers  measures, 
both  of  them  are  alike 
abomination  to  the 
Lord. 


The  nouns  are  repeated.  There  is  no  adjective  answering  to 
"divers."  "^  stone  and  a  sto?te,  an  ephah  and  an  ephah^  even 
they  both,  etc."  A  few  sentences  further  (v.  23)  the  like  (never 
exactly  the  same)  comes  in  in  a  like  juncture,  and  is  to  be  re- 
peated over  again.  There  may  be  a  danger  that  we  fail  to  un- 
derstand it.  It  is  not  severity.  It  is  not  God's  wrath  harshly 
stated.  It  is  rather  the  opposite.  God  deals  with  necessary 
justice.  He  never  defrauds.  He  weighs  to  every  man  right. 
To  suppose  Him  harsh  is  a  mistake.  All  is  down  in  the  arith- 
metic. He  could  not  govern ;  nay.  He  could  not  be^  unfairly. 
'■'■A  stone  and  a  stone  "  by  the  very  necessities  of  Deity  are  in  se 
"abomination." 

To  come  back  to  tests,  that  homeliest  one  of  simply  what  a 
man  does  is  all  that  can  be  decisive.  Our  writer  chooses  out  a 
word  next  that  has  two  peculiarities.  It  means  trifling  "  do- 
ings," and,  therefore,  is  a  better  sign  than  more  solemn  ones; 
and  it  means  repeated  doing;  and,  therefore,  is  a  better  sign 
than  what  is  more 'studied  out,  because  occasional.  It  is  never 
used  in  the  singular.  The  original  of  its  verb  means  to  drink 
again  j  hence  to  do  anything  again,  reminding  us  of  the  good 
easy  thought  oi  strolling,  or  pleasure  walking  (v.  7).  We  are  to 
picture  our  very  most  familiar  acts ;  and  the  expression  "  even  " 


whether   his    work  b  e 
pure,  and  whether  it  be 

right. 


312  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

is  to  meet  that  view, — that  they  may  seem  not  important;  nay, 
"a  child"  is  specified,  to  lay  further  emphasis  on  that  more 
child-like  and  random  feature : — 

II  Even  by  his  common  doings  a  child  shall  |  ^^'^'^^ve^  ^^^^'/^^g^^ 

make  himself  known.  ' 

Is  he  pure.''  is  just  also  this, — Is  his  work 
right .? 

We  cannot  translate  the  second  clause.  Like  "  a  stone  and 
a  stone"  (v.  10),  such  packing  is  too  terse  for  English.  Nor  can 
we  brook  the  English  Version.  "  Common  doings  "  are  in  the 
same  category  with  "  7t'ork."  How  can  one  be  the  test  of  the 
other  ?  The  only  room  for  a  proposition  is,  obviously,  for  this : 
— A  child  is  kn&wn  by  his  doings  ;  and  the  question, — Is  he  pure  7 
is  but  the  question^ — Is  his  work  right  ?  Now  the  possibilities  of 
such  a  rendering  depend  upon  a  particle.  We  have  seen  in 
the  preposition  ^  how  much  such  a  word  may  overgo  its  usual 
sense  (14  :  35  ;  16:1;  18  :  i).  Cli^  usually  means  if ;  but  it  has 
in  it  the  force  of  a  query,  and  it  is  meant  to  do  that  service  in 
more  than  one  instance  (i  Ki.  1:27;  Job  31  :  passim)  of  in- 
spired writ.  tJi^,  therefore,  introduces  a  query  twice  in  the 
second  clause.  Schultens,  Parkhurst,  Geier,  Gousset,  Dathe 
and  Holden  all  write  "  dissembles"  in  the  first  clause,  instead 
of  is  known.  We  state  the  fact  as  a  spur  to  study ;  but  the 
commoner  meaning  grows  closer  out  of  the  root,  and  sits  closer 
to  the  inspired  connection. 

It  is  to  be  noticed,  that  the  whole  thing  of  spiritual  tests 
makes  its  appeal  to  human  intellect.  What  a  poor  thing  that 
is !  It  is  a  solemn  fact  that  the  question,  whether  we  are  lost 
or  saved,  offers  itself  for  every  Christian  to  a  mean  intelligence. 
That  thing,  most  naturally,  disturbs  us.  I  say,  I  hope  I  am  a 
Christian.  But  who  hopes.?  Why,  a  poor  weak  deceiver, 
pulled  or  not  pulled  ignominiously  out  of  the  fire.  The  Pro- 
verb that  follows  seems  to_  bear  upon  this  point : — 


12  The  hearing  ear  and  the  seeing  eye; 

even  both  of  them  are  the  work  of  Jehovah. 


12  The  hearing  ear, 
and  the  seeing  eye,  the 
LoKD  hath  made  even 
both  of  them. 


It  might  seem  as  though  this  meant, — "  He  that  planted  the 


Chap.  XX.]  COMMENTARY.  313 

ear,  shall  he  not  hear .?"  (Ps.  94  :  9).  It  certainly  does  mean 
that  in  ready  inference.*  But  we  cannot  shake  off  the  belief 
that  it  means  that  the  God  who  saves  us,  gives  us  the  "  ear  "  to 
hear  it,  and  gives  us  the  "  eye  "  to  see  it,  and  keeps  us  from 
despair.  It  is  so,  eminently,  with  dying  grace.  We  often  trem- 
ble lest  we  die  in  terror.  But  "  the  hearing  ear,  and  the  seeing 
eye,"  and  the  death-sights  as  we  launch,  "  even  {all)  of  them 
are  the  work  of  Jehovah."  Blessed  be  God,  He  props  His 
saints  in  proportion  to  their  need ;  and  He  makes  them  to  feel 
hope,  just  in  proportion  as  it  is  for  their  good  to  feel  it.  So 
much  for  His  people.  But  you  may  ask.  May  /  not  be  deceiv- 
ing myself.''  Yes.  For  the  impenitent  may  deceive  them- 
selves, though  not  believers;  and,  practically,  we  admit,  at 
once,  that  here  one  may  float  again  from  the  moorings  of  his 
confidence.     How  do  I  know  that  I  am  a  believer .? 

Now  to  meet  all  this  a  Proverb  follows  with  just  the  advice 
of  the  Apostle  (Phil.  3  :  12,  13).  If  worried  by  doubt,  we  are 
to  push  forward  in  obedience.  If  deficient  in  the  gift  of  hope, 
we  are  to  be  roused  the  more,  and  work  the  harder,  in  the  pur- 
suits of  piety.  This  was  Paul's  plan.  "  Not  as  though  I  had 
already  attained,  either  were  already  perfect ;  but  I  follow  after, 
if  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  I  am  apprehended  of 
Christ  Jesus."  Quit  examining  proofs,  and  create  the  more  of 
them  ;  and  take  in  hope,  not  by  glooming  over  the  past,  but  by 
realizing  grace  in  the  struggles  of  the  future. 

So  speaks  what  follows : — 

13  Love  not  sleep  lest  thou  come  to  poverty.   ,e,?th^°Jc'ome'to  pov^ 


Open  thine  eyes.    Be  filled  with  good. 


erty  :  open  thine  eyes, 
««(/ thou  shalt  be  sat- 
isfied with  bread. 


A  man  can  have  no  more  hope  than  piety ;  at  least  no  ground 
for  hope  except  piety.  Since  piety  shows  itself  in  working 
(see  V.  11)  he  ought  to  shake  off"  sleep,"  and  ''give  diligence" 
according  to  the  maxim  of  the  Apostle,  "  to  make  (his)  calling 
and  election  sure  "  (2  Pet.  i  :  10). 

He  ought  the  more  to  do  this,  because  the  grace  that  he 

*  A  Proverb  may  be  used  in  all  senses  besides  its  connection. 
14 


314  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

buys,  will  appear  a  great  deal  brighter  to  him  than  it  does 
while  he  is  buying  it : — 


14  Bad,  bad,  says  the  buyer ; 

but  as  he  takes  himself  away,  then  he  boasts. 


14  It  is  naught,  it  is 
naught,  saith  the  buy- 
er :  but  when  he  is 
gone  his  way,  then  he 
boasteth. 


This  is  a  homely  Proverb  ;  most  graphically  true  of  men's 
trading;  but,  applied,  like  the  Unjust  Steward,  to  the  case  of 
piety.  The  Proverb  about  "  winter  "  (v.  4)  is  true.  Men  get 
piety  in  a  cold  and  stormy  season.  The  counsel  of  truth  lies 
deep  (v.  5) ;  and  sinking  the  bucket  is  not  very  pleasant  in  those 
early  and  tempted  periods.  Men  seek  faith  when  it  has  very 
little  attraction  for  them.  But  the  bargain,  coldly  made,  grows 
brighter  as  we  grow  in  the  possession.  "  Bad,  bad  says  tlie  buy- 
er." Plenty  say  this,  who  never  make  the  glorious  purchase. 
But  of  those  who  do,  the  objections,  first  made,  half  linger  after 
the  bargain's  close.  No  living  Christian  ever  understood  his 
treasure  till  long  after  he  had  really  bought  it. 

And  yet  it  was  just  as  rich.  AVhen  we  were  blind,  it  was  just 
as  bright.  Our  coldness  to  it  did  not  affect  its  value.  And 
this  by  the  expressive  word  "CJi,  the  Wise  Man  announces  in 
the  next  Proverb : — 

15  There  actually  is  gold,  and  plenty  of  pearls,  ^  ^^Jhere  isjoid,  and 

but  the  lips  of  knowl- 
edge are  a  precious 
jewel. 


and  precious  vessels,  in  the  lips  of  know- 
ledge. 


"  There  actually  is  ;"  simply  "^Ji.  "  Vessels ;"  this  is  a  singular. 
It  is  so  in  the  Greek  (Rev.  18:  12).  There  is  a  collective 
singular.  It  means  treasures;  for  ^^ vessels"  were  Eastern 
treasures  (see  Ezra  8 :  25).  *'  In."  There  is  no  Hebrew  here. 
"Lips  "  are  in  apposition.  It  means,  "  lips,  etc.,"  are  treasures. 
"  Lips  of  knowledge  "  mean  that  wise  or  pious  utterance  that 
represents  all  pious  obedience.  And  it  means  to  say  that  these 
fruits  of  faith  (so  scorned  by  the  buyer,  v,  14)  are  actual  and 
priceless  treasures. 

If  a  man  refuses  these,  and  clings  to  the  old  curse,  the  Pro- 
verb assures  us  that  he  may  be  given  up  : — 


Chap.  XX.]  COMMENTARY.  315 


16  Take  his  garment  because  he  has  gone  se- 
curity for  a  stranger.; 
and  on  account  of  strange  people  make 
him  give  a  pledge. 


16  Take  his  garment 
that  is  surety  /or  a 
stranger ;  and  take  a 
pledge  of  him  for  a 
strange  woman. 


The  secular  Proverb  means  that  securityships  are  so  fatal, 
that,  if  called  to  trust  one  who  is  under  them,  we  had  better 
make  ourselves  sure  by  taking  "his  (vo-y)  garment;"  that  in 
trade  with  a  man  who  "  has  gone  security  for  a  stranger,"  we 
had  better  take  in  pawn  some  absolute  property.  The  moral 
is,  that  securityships  are  so  unsafe,  that  we  may  treat  the  man 
as  one  already  ruined.  But,  in  the  spiritual  world,  it  means 
(see  chap.  6)  that  a  man  who  holds  fast  sloth  (v.  13),  holds  fast 
a  bond  of  eternal  vengeance ;  that  he  renews  it  by  his  wilful 
act  (17  :  18);  that  it  is  a  bond  to  a  Friend  (6  :  i),  but  that 
Friend  forced  ex  lege  to  collect  it :  that  if  now  at  this  late  day 
he  holds  it  on,  Stand  clear  from  him !  He  will  certainly  be 
lost.  "  Take  his  garment.''  That  is,  use  the  last  resort,  as 
against  the  most  hopeless  bondsman.  "  And  make  Mm  give  a 
pledge :"   because,   under   his   dreadful   debts,    he   is   sure   to 

perish. 

The  last  verse,  therefore,  is  a  mere  painting  of  guilt.     Why 

do  we  so  nurse  it,  then .''  Because,  says  the  next  verse,  it  is  a 
"bread  of  deceit "  (v.  17).  The  writer  has  spoken  (v.  13)  of  a 
^^ bread"  that  appears  poor  to  those  first  buying  it.  "  Bad,  bad 
says  the  buyer."  The  point  of  that  Proverb  is,  that  bought 
grace  appears  better  the  longer  we  have  bought  it.  "  There  is 
•actually  gold  and  plenty  of  pearls  and  precious  vessels  in  the 
lips  of  knowledge"  (v.  15).  He  is  now  to  show  that  it  is  just 
the  opposite  with  the  ''''  bread  of  deceit."  It  is  "sweet"  while 
we  are  buying  it,  but  terrible  and  "  filled  with  gravel  stones 
sCfterward:" — 


17  Bread  of  deceit  is 
sweet  to  a  man :  but 
afterwards  his  mouth 
shall  be  filled  with 
gravel. 


17  Sweet  to  the  most  intelligent  man  is  the 
bread  of  deceit ; 
but  afterward  his  mouth  shall  be  filled  with 
gravel  stones. 

"Bread."  There  is  a  passage  in  the  Prophet  which  puts 
this  emblem  in  the  very  happiest  light.  He  says,  "  Wherefore 
will  ye  give  money  for  that  which  is  not  bread  .^"     He  implies, 


3i6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

therefore,  two  things,  first, — that  the  objects  of  the  worldling 
seem  to  be  ^^  bread,"  and,  hence,  that  he  spends  treasure  for 
them  ;  but  second,  that  they  are  "  7iot  bread,"  which  is  a  capital 
account  of  " ///^  bread  of  deceit."  "  Sweet  to  the  most  intelli- 
gent man;"  simply  "  S7ueet  tD'^fi^b ;"  but  we  hate  to  lose  what  is 

•     T 

distinctive  (see  Is.  2:9);  indeed  we  see  a  signal  cause  for  it. 
The  man  of  the  higher  class  makes  a  better  instance  of  the  Pro- 
verb, because  the  beggarly  objects  more  notedly  deceive  when 
they  deceive  the  intelligent  and  elevated.  "  The  bread  of  de- 
ceit "  more  signally  deceives  because  we  know  of  its  deception. 
Therefore  the  inspired  man  makes  a  very  peculiar  appeal. 
What  could  seem  to  be  more  impertinent  1  He  begs  men  to  look 
before  they  leap.  What  is  apparently  more  imbecile  than  to 
ask  men  to  take  grave  "  counsel  "  before  they  launch  out  upon 
important  schemes.  And  yet  the  Wise  Man  builds  upon  the 
fact  that  men  know  more  in  matters  of  religion  than  they  ever 
follow.  They  know  inwardly  that  they  are  deceived,  and  yet 
recklessly  perish.     Hence  the  next  verse  : — 


18  Do  thou  be  fixed  in  plans  by  counsel ; 
and  by  helmsmanship  make  war. 


18  E7iery  purpose  is 
established  by  counsel ; 
and  with  good  advice 
make  war. 


Counsellijig  even  with  our  infirm  poor  hearts  would  save  us. 
All,  unless  it  be  heathen,  would  go  to  heaven,  if  they  advised 
about  the  way  to  it  as  they  do  about  the  smallest  matters.  "  He 
that  is  born,  is  listed;"  but  all  would  conquer  in  the  fight,  if. 
they  battled  as  they  do  the  battles  of  the  world.  "  Do  thou  be 
fixed."  This  is  the  Niphal.  It  might  be  the  feminine  third 
person.  It  might  refer  to  "plans."  ^^  Let  plans  be  fixed  by 
counsel "  (see  E.  V.).  But  the  irregularity  of  a  plural  with  a 
singular  is  not  compensated  by  the  sense  (see  12:25);  and, 
therefore,  there  is  no  possible  motive  for  a  neglect  of  grammar. 

While  men  have  sense  enough  to  be  saved  if  they  would  only 
use  it,  they  have  also  folly  enough  to  be  lost,  even  if  they  are  in 
the  lighter  grades  of  impenitence.  All  sin  is  cousin-german  to 
every  other.  The  least  share  of  it  is  to  be  drawn  off  from,  as 
of  a  piece  with  its  worst  excesses : — 


Chap.  XX.]  COMMENTARY.  31*7 


19  He  that  will  disclose  a  secret  will  gad  as  a 
tale-bearer ; 
and  with  him  who  as  much  as  opens  his 
lips  have  thou  nothing  to  do. 


19  He  that  goeth 
about  as  a  talebearer 
revealeth  secrets: 
therefore  meddle  not 
with  him  that  flattsreth 
with  his  lips. 


This  seems  bluff  teaching,  but,  therefore,  Solomon  chose  it. 
It  was  doubtless  a  country  Proverb  ;  and,  as  on  everybody's  lips, 
all  would  understand  it.  Solomon  is  begging  everybody  to  be 
wise.  He  would  teach  that  there  is  no  resting-place  in  in- 
iquity ;  that  each  lust  is  a  door  into  hell ;  that  tattling  is  the 
seed  of  calumny ;  and  so  the  lightest  of  our  faults  has  arched 
passages  into  the  very  heaviest  of  our  iniquities. 

He  throws  in  a  word,  next,  about  another  element  of  risk 
We  need  advisers.  We  need  everything  that  can  save  the 
dead.  We  need  advice  from  those  above  us ;  above  all  from 
the  Almighty.  There  is  something  dreadful,  Solomon  thinks, 
in  casting  this  advice  off;  in  casting  anything  off,  when  we  are 
so  in  danger.  He  seems  to  think,  too,  that  help  from  others  is 
so  easily  offended  from  us  : — 

20  He  that  curses  his  father  and  his  mother,   L  f°  whoso  curseth  his 

.  r      1        lather   or   his    mother, 

his  lamp  shall  go  out  m  the  eye  of  the, his  lamp  shall  be  put 

rlarVnpqt;  °"'  '"  obscure  dark- 

We  spoil  the  sense  if  we  say  "  in  niter  darkness  "  (Zockler) ; 
for  that  is  merely  the  common  thought,  that  it  "shall"  utterly 
*'  go  out."  But  the  meaning  is,  that,  whereas  in  ordinary  dark 
times  we  did  not  miss  the  light,  and,  therefore,  flouted  it  in  im- 
penitent neglect,  it  will  fail  us  just  "  in  the  eye  of  the  dark." 
Literally,  the  pupil,  the  little  man  of  the  eye.  When  God  has 
been  scoffed  away,  and  all  our  holiest  influences  banished,  in 
the  time  of  our  peace,  our  "lamp,"  that  is,  our  pbor  earthly 
illuminations,  will  utterly  fail  us,  and  that  "  in  the  {very)  eye  of 
the  darkness." 

I  can  hardly  describe  the  delicacy  of  the  next  pictures,  as 
they  first  touched  my  thought.  They  are  so  thoroughly  real. 
Men  are  not  always  careless  about  religion,  but  have  serious 
thoughts  about  it ;  and  are  only  waiting  to  get  through  business, 
and  eagerly  snatch  a  competence.  These  temporizing  policies 
are  the  most  common  of  all,  and  are  rather  the  greedy  earnest- 


3i8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

ness  of  one  pressed  by  worldly  care,  and  yet  with  the  soberest 
thoughts  of  attention  hereafter.     Solomon  denounces  this  : — 

21  An  inheritance  greedily  seized  in  the  be-'  ''  ^°  ,'"''^v'^??* 

o  J  may  be  gotten   hastily- 

ginning,  lat  the  beginning;  but 

also,  as  its  after  history,  shall  not  be  blessed.  I.'^^t  bTbie^sT^  '''^^ 

22  Say  not,  I  will  make  the  evil  good :  "  Say  not  thou,  i 

<  y    ,  ,  J   1    i   TT-        -L    1      i.1-  *^''    recompense    evil; 

wait  on  Jehovah,  and  let  Him  help  thee.      /5«/ wait  on  the  Lord, 

and  he  shall  save  thee. 

"  Greedily  seized. "  The  Puhal  of  a  verb  meaning  to  shake. 
A  possession  trembled  into,  or  got  with  trepidation.  What  could 
be  more  graphic  .?  As  a  thief  seizes  the  ravished  gains  all  trepi- 
dated  or  shaken,  so  a  poor  sinner  steals  on  against  the  truth ;  at 
no  time  square-planted  ;  in  no  instance  poised  with  a  sense  of 
quiet  right ;  on  every  day  living  by  stealth  ;  always  feeling  that 
he  will  steal  but  a  few  hours  from  God,  tying  a  knot,  as  a  sailor 
would  against  a  storm,  and  then  that  he  will  certainly  go,  and 
bravely  begin  back  and  perform  his  duty.  The  Wise  Man  an- 
nounces that  all  this  is  insane.  The  idea  is,  that  that  is  not  a 
prize  that  we  are  clutching  after.  The  language  is  singularly 
shaped  : — "  An  inlieritance  greedily  seized  in  the  beginning, 
also,  as  its  after  Mstory,  shall  not  be  blessed."  Let  us  miss  no 
terse  particle.  "  Also."  That  is,  it  was  not  blessed  "  in  the 
beginning :"  it  "  shall  not  be  blessed  as  (expressed  by  an  z.'^-^o- 
siHon)  its  after  history."  Alas!  for  us  !  These  snatch  ings  des- 
troy us  at  the  first,  and  disappoint  us  wretchedly  in  the  after 
judgment.  V.  22.  But  says  the  inspired  man,  putting  his  fin- 
ger now  with  amazing  skilfulness, — Say  not.  We  "  wiU  make 
good  "  this  badly  built  masonry.  We  will  set  something  right, 
on  top,  that  will  keep  it.  Our  children  are  all  in  rags  ;  or  our 
property  n^eds  to  be  rescued ;  or  our  affairs  are  just  now  dis- 
tressed ;  we  will  make  a  rush  to  get  everything  in  place,  and 
then  turn  ourselves  to  Wisdom.  All  this  the  expert  king  puts 
in  a  single  purposing  : — *'  /  will  make  good  evil."  We  wish  that 
we  could  translate  it  just  thus;  but  look  at  the  ambiguity.  It 
is  not  that  he  would  make  ^^ good"  to  be  "  rcil"  as  our  English 
idiom  might  mean,  but  that  an  "  evil"  confessedly  one,  of  work- 
ing to  the  neglect  of  God,  he  will  so  "  make  good  "  (it  is  a  sin- 
gle Hebrew  expression,  complete,  finish,  compensate),  that  it  will 


Chap.  XX.]  COMMENTARY.  319 

help  afterward  with  his  piety.  It  will  give  him  a  quiet  house. 
He  will  have  his  children  schooled.  He  will  be  able  to  help 
the  church.  The  Proverb  denounces  precisely  this  thing  : — 
"  Say  not,  /  will  make  good  the  evil.  Wait  on  Jehovah,  and  let 
Him  help  thee:"  that  thorough  sort  of  '"help"  which  is  often 
translated  save  (Ps.  28  :  9). 

We  cannot  get  advantage  over  Providence.  This  thing  of 
snatching,  where  God  is  in  the  case,  which  even  Christians 
attempt  sometimes,  by  adding  their  accounts  in  church,  or  by 
foragings  across  the  border,  are  all  folly.  The  inspired  man 
brings  heavily  back  the  chorus  about  the  "  weights  "  and  "  bal- 


23  An    abomination   to    Jehovah   are   divers 
weights  ; 
and  balances  of  deceit  are  no  good. 


23  Divers  weights 
are  an  abomination 
unto  the  Lord  ;  and  a 
false  balance  is  not 
good. 


Notice  the  change.  These  words  are  never  tiresome.  They 
always  vary  one  way  or  the  other.  Here  they  are  to  be  ap- 
plied to  man.  The  Problem  has  been  to  make  good  evil.  The 
old  chorus  closes  the  picture.  It  can't  be  done.  The  very  at- 
tempt is  ''abomination:'  "An  abomination  to  Jehovah  are 
divers  weights;  and  balances  of  deceit  are  no  good." 

What  ''good"  could  be  possible,  when  God  absolutely  plants 
all  men's  "  steps"  .? 

24  The  steps  of  a  powerful  man  are  from  Je-LfVhe'^LoRDfhow  ca'^ 

hovah  ■  ^  '"^"  '         understand 

'  1  T      11   !_        J*  his  own  way  ? 

then  a  common  man,  how  shall  he  discern! 
his  way  ? 

How  hopeless  to  snatch  anything  out  of  God,  if  His  Provi- 
dence is  so  supreme.  "  Powerful  man;"  one  ^"^i^  this  time,  but 
"inri  strong  fnan.  Qli^  is  still  the  opposite,  jf  a  strong  fnan 
has  every  step  planted  for  him,  how  useless  for  any  "common 
man"  to  attempt  any  cross  stroke  (v.  22)  to  fortune.  The  moral 
is,  punctually  to  do  our  duty;  to  start  in  it  at  once;  to  trust 
only  in  Providence ;  and  not  to  dream  of  seizing  any  advan- 
tage by  a  selfish  procrastination. 

As  to  good  out  of  evil  (v.  22)  in  the  alchemy  of  the  future, 


320  PROVERBS.  [Ckap.  XX. 

and  promises   that  are   to  serve  for  facts,  the  next  verse  an- 
nounces that  they  are  an  actually  achieved  disaster : — 

25  An  act  of  consecration  such  that  after  vows  I    ^s  //■  ?^  a  snare  to  the 

•^       ,  .  .  man     who   devoureth 

there  comes  mquiry  as  a  snare  has  actually  /Art/  which  is  holy, 
swallowed  a  man  in.  1 1^^^^] '"'''' '°  ""^^ 

The  reading  is  true  in  grammar,  and  has  a  cause  for  all  its 
construction  as  a  text.  "  As  a  snare  f/iere  swallotus  down  a 
man."  This  is  the  beginning,  and  leaves  room  that 
''''what  is  consecrated",  which  is  expressed  by  the  one  word 
that  follows,  should  be  qualified  by  the  whole  of  the  second 
clause.  It  is  not  everything  that  is  cofisecrated  that  is  "  a 
snare,"  but  that  sort  of  consecrated  thing  that  "  after  vows"  is 
the  subject  of  "  inquiry."  The  idea  is,  that  quieting  conscience 
by  "  votus"  is  a  dreadful  "  s?iare."  They  are  baited  by  the  relief 
they  give ;  but  they  draw  in  and  quiet  the  sinner  in  a  lost  im- 
penitence. For  the  Almighty  knows  beforehand  the  falseness 
of  our  vows : — 

26  A  winnower  of  the  wicked  is  the  wise  king;!.  ^^ /^  V^^  kingscat- 

j   ,        ,      .  ,  ,         ,  o  '   tereth  the  wicked,  and 

and  he  brmgs  the  wheel  over  them.  bringeth  the  wheel  over 

I  them. 

Bertheau  objects  that  "the  wheel  over  them  "  should  precede 
the  "winnower";  and  Zockler  replies  by  giving  up  the  idea  of 
threshing,  and  making  "  the  wheel"  mean  torture  and  judgment. 
It  is  obvious  that  this  is  a  mistake.  But  the  whole  cast  of  the 
emblem,  if  we  study  it,  thoroughly  solves  the  puzzle.  God  not 
only  winnows  "the  wicked,"  but  He  brings  them  into  that  state 
where  they  can  be  winnowed  most  easily.  He  not  only  sifts, 
but  threshes  them.  And,  though  it  may  be  true  that  this  last 
process  precedes  the  other,  yet  it  is  so  much  the  more  solemn 
of  the  two,  that  He  states  it  last  by  way  of  intensity.  When  we 
come  to  judgment,  the  lost  will  have  been  so  tried ;  they  will 
have  promised  so  often,  and  failed ;  they  will  have  sinned  so 
often,  and  repented ;  they  will  have  been  spared  so  often,  and 
relapsed  ;  that  they  will  be  brought  into  the  exact  shape  most 
thorough  for  the  sifting.  Indeed,  one  purpose  for  the  impeni- 
tent is,  that  they  shall   so  expound    all  forms  of   folly,  that, 


Chap.  XX.]  COMMENTARY.  321 

when  they  come  to  be  exhibited  at  the  last,  like  straw  under  the 
crush  of  "  the  wheel,''  they  shall  be  altogether  ready  for  the 
wihnowing. 

Strange  enough,  our  own  conscience  is  to  do  the  work.  God 
does  not  need  any  preparatory  threshing.  He  sees  our  spirits 
without  any  winnowing  at  all.  It  is  to  exhibit  us  at  the  last  day 
to  ourselves.     And  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  next  verse  : — 


27  The  lamp  of  Jehovah  is  the  spirit  of  a  man, 
searching  all  the  chambers  of  the  belly. 


27  The  spirit  of  man 
is  the  candle  of  t  h  e 
Lord,  searching  all  the 
inward  parts  of  the 
belly. 


"  Spirit."  This  is  not  the  word  used  for  God's  Spirit.  It  is  a 
word  more  human.  It  does  not  take  God's  miracle  to  show 
men  to  themselves.  The  light  at  last  of  unsanctified  intelli- 
gence will  glare  upon  them  in  the  remorses  of  the  pit.  So  also 
now.  "  The  spirit  of  a  man"  is  God's  "lamp."  If  we  would  fol- 
low its  teachings,  it  would  be  His  "  lajnp  "  to  save  us.  It  would 
lead  us  out  of  our  gloom  to  the  living  Spirit.  It  is  God's 
"/aw/"  in  another  way.  He  puts  that  Spirit  in  it.  (Rom.  i: 
20 ;  Jo.  I  :  9).  It  is  the  chance  of  the  sinner,  that  he  has  a 
light  perpetually  with  him,  dim  in  the  distance  always,  would 
he  but  grope  his  way. 

Such  statements  are  hard.  And  therefore  Solomon  gets 
back,  as  he  often  does  (14:22;  17  :  17),  to  "  mercy  and  truth.'* 
It  is  not  so  much  God,  as  eternal  verity.  It  is  well,  when  doc- 
trines become  difficult,  to  interpose  that  principle.  If  we  kick 
against  fact,  it  is  not  really  against  Heaven,  but  against  eternal 
rectitude : — 

28  Mercy  and  truth  stand  guard  over  a, king ;  i/J^ Mercy  ^and  .'■•^"^'^ 
and  he  has  propped  his  throne  by  mercy.    |  his  throne  is  uphoiden 

I  by  mercy. 

"  Has  propped."  It  must  be  a  thing  of  the  past  (see  24  :  27). 
He  "  has"  done  it.  All  dynasties  have  been  kind.  If  they  are 
cruel  now,  it  must  be  like  the  weight  of  a  clock,  running 
down.  There  was  kindness.  "  Mercy  a7id  truth"  must  at  some 
period  or  other  have  builded  the  "  throne." 

One  is  not  a  judge  of  those  things  that  he  does  not  possess. 


322  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX. 

If  "  mercy  and trutjr  belong  to  the  "King,"  (v.  28),  we  are  not 
a  judge  of  Him,  unless  we  possess  His  qualities.  Mark  this 
fresh  reason,  therefore,  for  not  cavilling.  A  man  best  appre- 
ciates the  attributes  by  which  he  is  characterized  himself: — 

20  Glorv  with  young  men  is  their  strength  ;         ^^9  The  glory  of 

-'  -'  •'    -        o  p        »  voun?   men    is    their 


and  beauty  with  old  men  is  grey  hair.  strength;  and  the 

beauty  of  old  men  is  the 


young  men    is   t  h  i 
strength 
beauty  of  ol 
gray  head. 


They  have  these  things,  and,  therefore,  "  grrey"  age  is  apt  to 
despise  mere  "strength,"  and  stout  youth  to  undervalue  the  ex- 
perience of  age.  We  must  be  careful  that  not  on  this  account 
we  cavil  against  the  mysteries  of  Heaven.  "With :"  literally, 
"(?/."  The  arrangement  is  just  the  same  as  where  anything  is 
said  to  be  "abomination  to  Jehovah."  The  Hebrew  is  ''''of." 
"Young  men"  cannot  conceive  of  the  satisfactions  of  "old 
men."  How  wise,  therefore,  to  remember  that  man  cannot  con- 
ceive of  what  shall  be  satisfactory  to  God : 

Especially  in  respect  of  "evil,"  Solomon  gives  a  sharp  hint 
as  to  this  most  pervading  and  all-agitating  of  all  agitating 
grounds  of  cavil : — 


30  The  welts  of  a  wound  cleanse  though  as  an 
evil ; 
so   do  stripes  the   very  chambers   of  the 
belly. 


30  The  blueness  of  a 
wound  cleanseth  away 
evil  ;  so  do  stripes  the 
inward  parts  of  the 
belly. 


Such  is  all  we  know  of  it.  "Welts:"  the  tumid  and  purple 
confines  of  "a  woiind."  They  are  "an  evil";  that  is,  they  are 
both  painful,  and  deformed.  But  they  have  a  clear  office,  and 
that  is  to  purge  away  the  sore.  So  "stripes,"  though  they 
amount  even  to  the  permission  of  sin,  can  have  no  fuller  un- 
folding of  their  puzzle  than  that  they  are  to  make  the  purer 
the  very  depths  of  the  creation.  "  Cleanse,  though  as  an  evil ;" 
Xxitx^sWy/''  cleanse  in  an  evil."  This  is  a  most  interesting  case 
of  that  use  of  ///  for  *'  as"  {^"2.  essentia,  3  :  26),  which  here  has 
beeft  unobserved,  and  which  everywhere  greatly  relieves  ob- 
scurities of  Scripture  (see Class  XXVI,  also  Ps.  39  :  6).  "Cham- 
bers of  the  belly";  i.  e.,  the  innermost  existence  of  atiything. 


Chap.  XXI.]  COMMENTARY.  323 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  conspicuous  instance  of  what  the  last  verse  aimed  to  clear 
up  would  be  God's  hardening  Pharaoh  (Ex.  7  :  3),  or  predes- 
tinating the  betrayer  (Acts  2  :  23).  •  The  grappling  of  this,  in 
the  next  verse,  is  to  be  of  the  very  most  naked  manner  :— 


I   Streams  of  water  is  the  heart  of  a  king  in|j  JX'''",^'j  j^^-;',/! 
the  hand  of  Jehovah ; 
upon  anything  He  pleases  He  turns  it. 


Lord,  as  the  rivers  of 
water  :  he  turneth  i  t 
whithersoever  he  will. 


Could  anything  be  more  bold  ?  Mark  the  compass  :  first,  ot 
subject ;  the  whole  stream,  as  the  gardener  turns  it;  second,  ot 
object;  "anything  He  pleases;"  and  third,  oi  sovereignty ;  its 
pleasing  Him  ;  that  being  the  only  test.  "  Streams"  ;  rather 
'^  channels,"  {ex  radice  divided,  see  Peleg,  which  has  the  same 
spelling  Gen.  10:25).  Thus,  of  course,  there  comes  intensity 
of  meaning.  The  "king"  may  be  a  Caesar.  His  lip  (16  :  10) 
may  make  new  geographies.  His  "  heart"  may  change  the  his- 
tory of  all  things.  And  yet,  like  a  vineyard's  '■'channels,"  di- 
verted by  a  child,  this  Pharaoh's  heart  is  in  the  fingers  of  the 
Most  High.  How  foolish  Arminianism  if  God  is  to  rein-in 
the  universe  !  " Upon  anything"  Not  toward  anything.  A 
stream  may  be  turned  in  a  new  direction,  to  get  rid  of  it.  God 
has  no  such  ".r/rmwi-."  It  is  turned  ^/z  something.  For  God 
has  an  end  to  answer,  when  He  rules  even  the  vilest  of  the 

fiends. 

The  terrible  implication  before  alluded  to  (16:  i),  which  all 
this  seems  to  show,  of  God  with  wickedness,  brings  in  the  same 
Proverb  again  as  in  16  :  2  : — 

2  As  to  the  whole  way  of  a  man,  right  in  „Lf;ri7htrj;is°own 

His  own  eyes,  .     ,    ,       ,    ,  ^ondereth  the'Lan^ 

and  weighmg  out  hearts,  is  J  ehovah. 

All  that  God  does  is  by  the  Spirit.  He  creates  by  the  Spirit 
(Job  26  :  13).  He  gives  common  intelligence  by  the  Spirit 
(Job  32  :  8).  He  gives  heart  by  the  Spirit.  Solomon,  m^  re- 
peated instances,  uses  heart  iox piety.     If  God  has  the  "weigh- 


324  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

ing  out  (of)  hearts,"  He  can  raise  or  lo^Ye^a  man  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Spirit,  quite  as  He  pleases.  Then,  if  He  weio-Jis  out 
common  mtelhgence,  and  gives  a  man  just  what  He  wills,  He 
turns  him  like  a  river.  For  all  this,  in  our  text  He  declares, 
that  "  As  to  the  whole  way  of  a  man  (He)  is  right  in  His  own 
eyes."  He  has  distinctly  canvassed  Calvinism,  therefore,  and 
will  be  ready  for  it  in  the  day  of  judgment.  We  had  better  be 
careful  how  we  cavil.  One  flash  will  convince  us  at  the  last. 
Or,  if  we  blaspheme  forever,  it  will  only  be  on  the  principle 
(20  :  29),  that  "grey  hair  is  beauty  with  old  men ;  "  that  we  can- 
not understand  other  people's  attributes;  that  God  is  high 
above  us  ;  and  we  do  not  possess  the  "mercy  and  truth  "  (20  : 
28)  that  would  enable  us  to  apprehend  His  doing.  "  Weighing 
out."  Exegetes  render  this,  weighing  (E.  V.  " pondereth  "). 
Their  idea  would  be,  finds  their  weight.  A  collation  of  the  pas- 
sages carries  us  a  degree  farther,  to  the  idea  of  measuring  out, 
as  a  druggist  does  when  he  gives  the  bolus.  Such  seems  the 
sense  in  every  instance  with  this  particular  word.*     In  a  former 

*  It  will  not  lake  many  type  to  give  all  the  instances  of  H^Jn  that  are  found  in   the 

Bible.  Reduced  to  its  last  point,— Does  it  mean  to  find  the  -weight,  or  logive  by  weight  ? 
as  with  a  grocer,  that  he  finds  the  weight  of  a  certain  flour,  or  that  he  gives  a  certain 
weight  of  flour?  There  are  but  sixteen  cases  of  the  verb,  of  which  two  have  been  al- 
ready treated.  Of  the  remaining  fourteen,  just  half  are  alike,  and  are  in  Ezekiel.  These 
probably  look  to  the  root  of  the  verb  for  their  sense,  and  .ire  rightly  translated  "  is  equal." 
"  The  way  of  Jehovah  is  not  equal  "  (Ez.  i8  :  25)  :  the  root  of  the  verb  meaning  to  level, 
or  make  even.  But  if  it  means  "  7vcighed"  as  some  might  insist,  does  it  mean  that  God's 
way  has  not  been  weighed,  in  the  sense  of  having  its  weight  found  out  ?  or,  that  it  has  not 
been  made  of  the  proper  weight  ?  Plainly  the  latter.  "  O  house  of  Israel !  Is  not  my  way 
■weighed  out  ?  Are  not  your  ways  not  weighed  out  ?"  Of  the  seven  remaining  cases  one  is 
in  Proverbs  (24  :  12),  and  will  appear  in  situ.  One  is  in  First  Samuel,  (2  :  3),  "Talk  no 
more  so  exceeding  proudly,  &c.,  for  Jehovah  is  a  God  of  knowledge,  and  actions  have  not 
been  weighed  out."  That  is  : — '  You,  who  confessedly  have  not  weighed  out  your  actions, 
do  not  be  found,  &c.  ;  for  Jehovah  is  a  God  of  knowledge,  and  the  great  account  is 
against  you.'  It  is  true,  here  is  a  varied  reading  ;  but  this  is  the  textus  reccptus,  though 
the  E.  V.  has  chosen  the  other.  Of  the  five  remaining,  two  are  in  Isaiah,  (chap.  40  :  12, 
13),  "  Who  hath  meted  out  Heaven,  &c."  (E.  V.)  ;  literally,  weighed  out?  "  Who  hath 
weighed  out  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah,  or,  being  the  man  of  his  counsel,  has  taught  Him  ?"  evi- 
dently a  giving  out  by  weight  in  either  instance.  Job  28  :  25,  "  To  make  the  weight  for 
the  winds,  and  he  weigheth  the  waters  by  measure"  (E.  V.).  Ps.  75  :  4,  "  I  bear  up  the 
pillars  of  it  (E.  V.)  ;"  literally,  /  weigh  the  pillars  0/  it;  i.  e.,/a/  them  in  of  the  right 
weight,  (or,  better  still,  level  them).  (2  Ki.  12  :  11),  "  And  they  gave  the  money,  icing 
told,  into  the  hands,"  <S:c.,  (E.  V.).  These  are  all  the  cases.  There  are  some  nouns,  but  with 
a  like  run  of  sense.     We  are  not  speaking  now  of  other  verbs  ;  but  this  verb  "I^Jl  seems 

evidently  to  imply  a  tneasuring  out  (or  a  making  of  a  certain  weight)  the  heart  or  the 
tnoney  that  may  be  the  thing  in  question. 


Chap.  XXL]  COMMENTAR  Y.  325 

Proverb  (16  :  2)  it  was  more  evident.  There,  '''' ways"  is  plural. 
Hence,  that  it  is  God  that  is  talked  of  as  ''''pure"  ''''pure  "  being 
singular,  is  the  parsing  that  relieves  the  grammar.  There,  too, 
the  word  is  "  spiri'/s,"  which  is  more  suitable  as  being  iveighed 
out  than  ''''hearts"  But,  in  both  cases,  the  thought  comes  in 
after  a  Calvinistic  speech,  and  exactly  at  the  point  to  relieve  a 
suggested  difficulty.  "  Way  "  is  without  the  preposition  3>  but 
has  a  sense  ("  as  to  ")  which  is  not  unusual  with  the  accusative 
(see  Class  XIII.),  as  though  ^  were  present. 

Men's  hearts  are  moved  by  God  like  "  streams  of  water  " 
(v.  i).  Nevertheless  (v.  2)  as  to  their  "  way"  He  is  conscious 
that  He  is  "  right"  however  wrong  the  ''''way  "  that  He  con- 
trols ;  and  with  this  rightness  the  mode  of  His  control  has 
much  to  do;  for  He  is  %\xpl^\y '''' weighing  out  hearts."  By  a 
step  further,  however,  not  only  is  He  right,  but,  as  the  next 
verse  would  argue,  He  is  nothing  else.  Not  only  is  God's  de- 
sire right,  but  right  is  His  desire.  The  one  great  hunger  of  the 
Almighty  is  the  mere  rightness  that  our  cavils  would  impugn : — 


3  To  execute  righteousness  and  judgment 
is  more  the  choice  of  Jehovah  than  sacri- 
fice. 


3  To  do  justice  and 
judgment  is  more  ac- 
ceptable to  the  Lord 
than  sacrifice. 


"  Sacrifice  ;"  literally,  slaughter.  But  with  slender  exception, 
the  slaughter  is  a  slaughter  for  sacrifice.  Slaughter  for  sacri- 
fice is  of  three  kinds;  (i)when  God  sacrifices  the  lost  in  hell; 
(2)  when  God  sacrifices  His  Son  upon  the  cross;  (3)  when 
men  sacrifice  beasts  upon  the  altar.  All  three  sacrifices  are 
less  "  the  choice  of  Jehovah  "  than  Himself  or  the  creation's 
being  righteous.  This  is  the  distinct  idea  of  the  Proverb.  Do 
not  upbraid  God  for  causing  evil ;  for  He  not  only  observes 
right  in  causing  evil,  but  He  causes  evil  for  the  sake  of  being 
right.  He  does  not  love  slaughter.  He  does  not  love  the 
slaughtering  of  the  lost  in  hell.  He  did  no-t  love  the  slaughter- 
ing of  His  Son  upon  the  cross.  He  did  not  love  the  slaughter- 
ing of  beasts  year  by  year  continually.  On  the  contrary,  He 
does  love  "  righteousness  ;"  and,  therefore,  He  does  love,  m 
the  severities  that  men  impugn,  that  very  element  of  "  right " 
(y.   2)  which  is  the  attribute  that  they  would  bring  into  the 


326  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

question.  "  Execute ;"  literally,  "  do."  We  say  "  execute"  be- 
cause to  do  judgment  is  not  really  English.  "  Judgment  "  is 
that  award  of  court  to  the  idea  of  which  the  word  ought  ever 
to  be  limited  (i  :  3).  "  Is  more  the  choice  ;"  simply  the  passive 
(Niphal)  participle  of  the  verb  to  choose.  We  are  to  include 
the  subordinate  and  less  important  lesson,  that,  doing  "  right- 
eousness "  Himself,  He  prefers  the  right  doing  of  His  creatures 
to  any  form  of  sacrifice  or  possible  service  that  they  can  ever 
render  (Ps.  51  :  16). 

Nevertheless,  though  righteousness  is  more  God's  choice  than 
any  remedial  sacrifice,  yet  how  glorious  Christ's  sacrifice  in  its 
pride  and  blessing  for  "  the  wicked  :" — 


4  Elation  of  eyes  and  dilation  of  heart, 
the  very  light  of  the  wicked,  is  the  Sin-Of- 
fering. 


4  An  high  look,  and 
a  proud  heart,  anc/  the 
plowing  of  the  wicked, 
zs  sin. 


Pride  and  arrogancy  are  rebuked  under  these  very  terms 
elsewhere ;  but  so  is  boasting ;  and  yet  observe  the  Apostle 
(Gal.  6  :  14)  ;  "  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  (literally,  boast), 
save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Proverbs  were 
the  preaching  of  Solomon's  day.  And  the  extraordinary  trait, 
that  brightens  as  we  advance,  is  the  specific  resemblances  of 
Old  and  New  Testament  evangelization.  "Elation;  height. 
"Dilation;"  breadth.  "Light;"  a  contested  word.  It  might 
mean  '''' falloiv  ground"  (Jer.  4  :  3).  The  balance  seems  to  be 
on  the  side  of  "  light  "  (i  Ki.  11  :  36  ;  Prov.  13  :  23).  Either 
would  make  a  kindred  sense.  "  Sin-Oflfering;"  literally,  "sin." 
We  sometimes  hear  that  it  may  mean  ''''  sin-offering."  The 
truth  is,  it  7nust  mean  "  sin-offering"  and  is  so  translated  (E. 
V.)  (I  mean  this  specific  derivative)  in  almost  all  the  cases  in 
which  it  occurs  in  Scripture.  This  seems  never  to  be  noted. 
Whole  tribes  of  instances  occur  in  Leviticus.  It  is  hardly 
used  for  anything  else  up  to  this  book  of  Proverbs.  We  have 
already  seen  (10:16;  13:6;  14:  34)  how  sadly  we  have  been 
kept  in  ignorance  of  this  fact.  When  Paul  says,  "  He  hath 
made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us  "  (2  Cor.  5:21),  he  is  not  straining 
speech,  so  much  as  echoing  idioms  that  might  be  heard  in  the 
synagogue  any  Sabbath  day.     "  Elation  of  eyes  and  dilation  of 


Chap.  XXL]  COMMENTARY.  327 

heart ;"  i.  e.,  universal  comfort.  "  The  very  light  of  the  wick- 
ed;'  i.  e.,  in  the  very  eyeball  of  the  darkness  (20  :  20).  Not  so 
grateful  to  God  on  man's  part  as  his  original  obedience  (v.  3), 
but  still  life  from  the  dead  to  man,  "is  tlie  Sin-Offering. " 

Put,  now,  two  things  together ;  first,  the  completeness  of  this 
"  Sin-Offering  ;"  and,  second,  how  counsel,  like  deep  waters,  is 
in  every  man's  heart  (20  :  5  ;  Rom.  i  :  20),  and  we  have  the 
truth  that  follows  : — 

5  The  close  reckonings  6i  a  decided  man  L  ^  .Tjj^^^^^'^-g^'^^'jf 

result  only  in  profit  ;  to.  plemeousness  ;    but 

^  ,  •'     ,  1-  „.  of  every  one    that   ts 

but  of  every  hasty  man  only  m  want.  |  hasty,  only  to  want. 

"  The  close  reckonings;"  literally,"///^  calculaiings."  "Of  a 
decided  man;"  literally,  "«//."  "-Decided"  means  cut  in  the 
Latin.  We  are  to  imagine  a  prompt,  incisive  coming  to  a  de- 
termined point.  Put  those  two  thoughts  together, — (i)  Close 
calculation,  and  (2)  decisive  actio??..  The  two  will  make  any 
body  a  Christian.  Solomon  is  fairly  loaded  down  with  that  be- 
lief (2  :  1-5  ;  10:4;  12:24;  22:29;  27:23).  Hastiness,  in- 
digestion, headlong-ness,  an  eager  snatching  after  this  world's 
provisions,  all  are  paintings  with  him  of  the  soul's  impenitence. 
He  clearly  teaches  in  this  Proverb  that  a  prompt  use  of  all  we 
know,  and  a  following  of  our  thought,  will  bring  us  to  the 
Saviour;  and  that  the  close  calculations  of  the  "hasty;"  close 
cypherings,  short  of  real  convictions  ;  worldliness,  known  to  be 
a  cheat,  and  godlessness,  foreseen  to  ruin  us,  are  of  those  "  close 
reckonings  of  every  hasty  man  (that  can)  result  only  in  want." 
"  Result  only  in  y"  simply,  b.  "  Every ;"  simply,  "  all/'  imply- 
ing the  endless  variety  of  these  close  calculators,  who  are 
nevertheless  "  hasty  "  men. 

The  gains  of  these  calculators  the  Wise  Man  next  character- 
izes by  the  very  intensest  emblems.  What  is  more  perishable 
than  "  breath  ?"  What  could  we  conceive  of  as  more  so  than 
the  hot  breathing  of  a  lost  wretch,  whose  house,  burning  over 
him,  drives  him  into  a  surrounding  conflagration.?  It  is  this 
reduplicated  perishableness  that  the  Proverb  weaves  into  its 
imagination  of  the  sinner's  "wealth:" — 


328  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 


6  The  making  of  wealth  by  a  lying  tongue 
is  driven  breath  as  of  men  chasing  after 
death. 


6  The  getting  o  f 
treasures  by  a  lying 
tongue  is  a  vanity  toss- 
ed to  and  fro  of  them 
that  seek  death. 


"  Wealth  ;'  literally,  stores,  from  a  root  to  s/iut  icp.  "  Ton- 
gue;" standing  for  all  instruments  of  labor  (21  :  6).  "  Lying;" 
not  telling  lies  in  the  worldly  sense ;  for,  so  put,  decent  sinners 
would  miss  the  signification:  but  ^^ lying"  in  that  high  sense  in 
which  the  most  honest  worldling  may  fill  the  portrait.  "  Ton- 
gue ;"  just  coincident  with  feet,  as  of  the  haste  of  the  last  verse; 
that  untrue  uttering  of  thought,  against  conviction  in  one's 
self,  and,  therefore,  hardly  to  be  dreamed  of  as  spared  by  the 
Most  High.  Stores,  got  by  this  lying  career  of  business,  may 
seem  solid  ;  because  they  may  be  whole  blocks  of  granite  in 
some  fire-proof  square-mile  of  street ;  and  yet,  as  to  their  pos- 
session, the  Wise  Man  employs  the  above  singularly  intensive 
figure.  They  are  "driven  breath!"  Surely  he  will  pause  at 
that!  But  no!  They  are  ^''driven  breath  as  of  men  chasing 
after  death !"  Much  has  been  written  about  these  substantives. 
They  are  not  in  apposition  (Maurer) ;  because  ^^  breath"  and 
men  in  chase  are  not  apposite  ideas.  And  yet  they  are  not  in 
construction  (De  Wette) ;  i.  e.,  one  is  not  the  genitive;  for  an 
adjective  ("  driven  ")  interposes  to  imply  not ;  nay,  to  make 
that  impossible.  How  are  we  to  understand  it,  therefore  ? 
Plainly  as  one  of  those  cases  where  the  accusative  is  like  the 
Latin  ablative  (^///^,  "  Cause,  manner,  etc.")  ;  and  v/here  part 
of  the  force  of  the  word  3  rnight  be  understood  as  supposed. 
There  is  some  reason  for  this.  To  say,  "  driven  breath  of  those 
seeking  death  "  is  not  so  full  in  its  meaning  as  "  driven  breath  as 
of  (or  as  in  the  instaiicc  of)  those  seeking,  etc."  The  meaning  is, 
that  the  hot  breath  of  a  man  rushing  to  his  doom,  is  like  the 
money  made  by  a  deceived  impenitent.  First,  it  is  utterly 
perishable.  Second,  it  betokens  the  speed ;  and,  third,  the 
voluntary  rush,  to  get  himself  into  ruin. 

The  Bible  loves  to  remind  us  that  this  is  not  a  private  matter 
either.  It  is  robbery  to  perish,  just  as  there  is  robbery  in 
worldly  fortune.  Men  ought  not  to  complain,  therefore,  if 
they  reap  the  natural  results  : — 


Chap.  XXI.]  COMMENTARY.  329 


7  The  rapacity  of  the  wicked  snatches  away 
themselves; 
because  it  was  they  that  refused  to  carry 
out  judgment. 


7  The  robbery  of  tbe 
wicked  shall  destroy 
them  ;  because  they 
refuse  to  do  judgment. 


"  The  unrighteous  mammon,"  and  "  that  which  is  another 
man's,"  of  the  New  Testament;  and  all  these  teachings  of  the 
Old  that  speak  of  greedily  seizing  (20:21;  28:20),  haste 
(19  :  2), pushing  along,  etc.  (20  :  3),  agree  in  one  picture; — that 
an  impenitent  has  no  right  to  anything ;  and  that  all  that  he 
makes  (v.  6),  is  a  robbery  of  God.  Here  we  are  told  that  this 
xo\)\)Q.xy  filches  himself ;  and  there  follows  the  point,  that  he  has 
relinquished  redress,  because  he  has  visibly  refused  the  princi- 
ples on  which  to  build  a  "judgment." 

The  sinner  is  getting  no  nearer,  as  he  may  imagine  he  is 
doing;  but  always  "  further:" — 


8  The  way  of  man  is 
froward  and  strange : 
but  as  for  the  pure, 
his  work  is  right. 


8  The  man  who  has  been  twisting  about  as 
to  his  way,  has  also  been  getting  fur- 
ther off; 
•  but  the  pure  man  is  straight-forward  in  his 
work. 

Several  times  we  have  translated  turning  as  turning  further^ 
because  that  seemed  to  be  the  meaning  of  the  Proverb,  1:32; 
see  also  19  :  27  and  20  :  i.  It  is  not  so  with  actual  paths.  A 
man  may  twist,  and  often  get  nearer.  It  is  a  solemn  fact  that 
the  wandering  of  the  wicked  is  always  outward.  Fuerst  and 
Gesenius  both  miss  this,  and  do  it  by  the  help  of  a  new  word 
which  they  coin  from  a  cognate.  Such  steps  are  always  un- 
promising. Inside  its  familiar  grounds  the  Hebrew  has  the 
verb,  if  we  will  only  prefix  a  particle.  That  particle  is  the 
"  also  "  which  is  necessary  to  the  sense.  The  verb  is  the  com- 
mon one,  to  turn  further  off.  In  the  noun  it  means  a  stranger. 
The  sense  aimed  at  is,  that  duty  is  but  one :  if  we  are  changing 
"  about,"  we  may  know  that  we  are  wandering  away  :  that  "  the 
pure  man"  is  {quoad  hoc)  the  single-minded  man ;  for  that  if  our 
eye  be  single,  our  whole  body  will  be  full  of  light  (Matt.  6:22). 
"  Straightforward ;"  literally,  plain,  level.  This  is  the  Hebrew 
image.     But  the  English  idiom  constrains  us  differently,  and 


330  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

we  say  "  straightforward"  though  it  is  primarily  a  horizontal 
straightness. 

This  crookedness  is  most  of  all  unbearable  in  its  odiousness 
within  ourselves.  Hell  may  be  more  inward  than  outward. 
The  wife,  that  the  Scriptures  often  use  where  some  singular  in- 
timacy is  to  be  discussed  (see  remarks,  5  :  i8;  also  Eph.  5  :  32), 
is  not  so  close  a  relation  as  we  are  to  ourselves.  It  would  be 
"  better  to  dwell "  in  a  desert  (v.  19)  with  our  crookedness  away, 
than  in  heaven  with  our  present  waywardness : — 


9  It  is  better  to  dwell  upon  a  pinnacle  of  the  in^  f'"  corne'^of  ^*h 'i 
roof, 
than  that  there  should  be  a  brawling  woman 
and  a  house  in  common. 


house-top,  than  with  a 
brawling  woman  in  a 
wide  house. 


Of  course,  all  that  is  secular  in  this  Proverb  it  holds  intact. 
It  means  all  that  it  appears  to  mean.  But,  spiritually,  it  de- 
picts ourselves.  We  think  so, — (i)  because,  that  the  "  roof"  is 
a  better  place  than  the  "  house  "  for  a  deafened  husband  is  not 
of  moment  enough  for  the  Scriptures;  and  (2)  because  any- 
thing about  "  a  woman,"  and  her  unbearableness  in  a  house,  has 
no  link  sufficient  with  the  rest  of  the  passage.  "Pinnacle." 
Life  on  a  "  roof  was  common  in  those  days;  but,  hardly,  we 
take  it,  upon  a  turret  (^''pinnacle  ").  It  is  better,  therefore,  to 
do  any  impracticable  thing  than  to  endure  ourselves  through 
eternity. 

Because,  Notice  !  the  inspired  man  would  say  :  Observe  one 
trait  of  the  sinner !  He  positively  desires  evil.  The  only 
things  asked  of  him  being  to  desire  holiness,  and  to  love  his 
neighbor,  he  does  just  the  opposite  as  to  both  : — 

10  The  soul  of  a  wicked  man  has  conceived  a!   .'"?  J*^?  ^""I,  °*^  'Ij* 

.  .  wicked    desireth    evil; 

desire  for  evil.  his   neighbour    findeth 

His  neighbor  meets  no  favor  in  his  eyes.     ' "°  ^"^°"^ '"  ^'^  ^y"- 

This  might  appear  to  be  but  one  fact  about  the  "wicked." 
On  the  contrary  it  is  the  whole.  If  one's  "  soul "  proves  hard 
to  live  with  (v.  9),  it  can  only  be  in  those  two  respects.  But, 
alas  !  what  horrid  specifications  !  "  Evil;"  all  kinds  of  it.  He 
rejoices   in   iniquity   (i    Cor.    13:6);   he   rejoices  in  calamity 


Chap.  XXL]  COMMENTARY.  331 

(17  :  5);  he  desires  nothing  but  "m7"  (17  :  11).  Blessed  be 
God,  if  a  soul  desires  anything  but  "  evil"  i.  e.,  desires  it  truly 
(see  James  4  :  2),  that  soul  is  saved.  As  to  the  second  clause, 
there  may  be  a  bending  over  earthly  distress,  -but  real  "  favor  "  ■ 
to  "  his  neighbor  "  the  lost  man  never  shows.  "  The  tender 
mercies  of  the  wicked  are  cruel "  (12:10).  His  children  are  to 
be  immortal;  but  in  those  tremendous  risks  they  meet  "  no 
favor  in  his  eyes."  "  Has  conceived;"  emphatic  preterite.  The 
mischief  was  original.  The  lost  always  have  had  a  lust  for 
"  evil."  It  was  so  in  the  beginning.  And  this  simple  "  desire" 
is  at  the  bottom  of  all  impenitency. 

What  can  suit  such  a  soul  but  "  punishment?"  It  saves  the 
believer ;  and,  if  it  hardens  the  lost,  it  is  a  lesson  to  others  in 
the  universe  : — 

II  By  the  punishment  of  the  scorner  the  sim- k 'p^^l^^^^^'l-^V^^^^te 

nip  hernmes  wise  •  '^   made    wise;    and 

pie  oecomes  wibc,  _        1    ^^^^  ^^^  ^;^^  ;^  ;,,_ 

and  by  mstruction  for  the  wise,  one  receives  structed,  he  receiveth 

knowledge.  I  knowledge. 

"Scorner."  So  grand  an  intellect  as  Solomon's  might  be 
supposed  disgusted  by  so  strong  a  rhetoric.  And  yet  it  is  dot- 
ted all  over  his  book.  A  respectful  sinner  ;  how  is  he  a  "  scorn- 
er 2"  The  Holy  Ghost  plainly  intends  just  the  shock  that  such 
words  occasion.  If  a  man  hears  that  he-  should  repent,  and 
knows  the  reasons,  and  among  the  reasons  are  facts  like  Hell, 
and  calls  like  Christ's,  and  scenes  like  death,  with  all  the  reali- 
ties of  an  eternal  judgment,  is  there  any  spoken  scorn  that  can 
be  thought  of  as  more  scornful  than  the  acted  scorn  (no  matter 
what  the  plea)  of  not  repenting  .?  "  The  simple  becomes  wise  ;" 
i.  e-,  the  subject  or  the  witness  of  ''the  punishment"  just  as  it 
may  happen.  "  One  receives  knowledge ;"  that  is,  the  "  wise'^'^  man 
himself,  or  some  other.  "/'««/^/iw^;z/"  never  wastes.  "The 
wicked  [may  be]  thrust  lower  by  his  evil"  (14  :  32),  but  some 
saint  receives  the  lesson.  This  principle  reaches  through  the 
system.  The  philosophy  of  Hell  is  its  good-doing  through  all 
the  universe.  „  . 

Accordingly  the  "  evil^  though  good  for  "  the  righteous,    is 
bad  for  the  incorrigible  sinner : — 


332  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 


12    He  who   gives  wisdom   to   the  righteous  f    "  '^^=,    righteous 

.  "  -      -  -  o  man    wisely  consider- 

eth  the  house  of  the 
wicked  :  but  God  over- 
throweth    the     wicked 


man   by   means   of  the   house   of  the 
wicked, 
overturns  the  wicked  by  means  of  evil. 


for  their  wickedness. 


And  the  result  is  not  merely  a  result,  but  a  purpose.  If  God 
does  not  convert  a  man  by  "evil,"  He  makes  it  curse  him. 
The  first  clause  has  given  difficulty.  "  By  means  of  the  house 
of  the  wicked. "  The  preposition  is  ^;  more  precisely,  by  re- 
ference to,  i.  e.,  hy pointing  out,  "  the  house."  "-House ;'  inter- 
ests of  all  sorts.  "  The  house  of  the  wicked "  is  his  doom  no 
matter  where.  He  who  improves  "  the  righteous"  by  pointing  to 
^^  the  wicked"  injures  ^^  the  wicked"  by  the  very  same  exhibition 
of  ^^  evil."  This  has  been  seen  to  be  the  case.  The  plague  of 
Justinian  swept  one  third  of  men  !  and,  in  a  way  notorious  ever 
since,  hardened  the  rest,  and  sowed  broadcast  superhuman  ini- 
quity. Hell  sanctifies  Heaven,  but  corrupts  itself.  The  mean- 
ing is  clear.  Unwarrantable  difficulty  has  beset  the  hermeneu- 
tics  of  the  passage. 

Coming  back  to  the  original  question;  if  we  suppose  it  to  be 
true  (v.  lo),  that  the  "  7vicked desire  evil"  and  that  their  "  neigh- 
bor meets  no  favor  in  [their]  eyes"  can  they  complain  intelli- 
gently if  like  treatment  is  meted  back  to  them  from  the  Al- 
mighty 1 — 

13  He  who  shuts  his  ear  from  the  cry  of  the  ,  .'3  whoso   stoppeth 

,  -'  his   ears  at   the   cry    of 

weak  ;  the  poor,  he  also  shall 

even,  because  so  doing,  shall  himself  also  n^tb'J'heard.''"'  '^^" 
call,  and  shall  not  be  answered. 

"Weak;"  usually  '■^  poor"  (E.  V.),  but  like  many  another  case 
in  Hebrew  (e.  g.,fool),  a  single  English  is  made  to  render  sev- 
eral Hebrew  expressions.  One  word,  "/^f/-,"  means  a  man  des- 
titute  or  without.  Another  means  "  weak"  and  we  have  so  pre- 
sented it  here.  To  a  Hebrew  eye  it  always  so  presented  itself. 
The  prior  meaning  has,  ad  hoc,  a  primary  claim.  "  Even  because 
so  doing  also."  The  whole  of  that  is  the  translation  of  two 
words,  ii^Tin  D!k  {n'<:n  he).  The  pronoun,  being  expressed  and 
emphatic,  might  usually  be  translated  himself ;  but  not  always. 
As  such  is  the  frequent  idea  (Class  X  ).     The  man,  guilty  of  a 


Chap.  XXL]  COMMENTAR  Y.  333 

certain  course,  not  because  of  his  perdition  generally,  but  of 
that  specific  guilt,  "  because  so  doing,"  shall  have  a  certain  re- 
turn of  evil. 

Calls  "  of  the  weak,"  instead  of  being  a  curse,  if  listened  to, 
become  a  specific  blessing;  and  warm  towards  us  the  Heavenly 
King,  because  they  were  applications  from  Himself  for  "a  gift" 
and  "  a  present  "  : — 

14  A  gift  in  secret  tames  anger;  I     M,  A  ^'^  ■"  secret 

?  ^    •       ii        1  ,  ,  pacifieth  anger:  and  a 

and  a  present  m  the  bosom,  strong  wrath,     reward  in  the  bosom 

'  strong  wrath. 

If  any  pne  would  bribe  God  let  him  try  it  "  in  secret"  upon 
"one  of  these  little  ones"  (Matt.  10  :  42).  The  least  of  them 
(Matt.  25  :  40)  stands  for  the  Great  Present  Taker.  Do  we 
want  pardon  1  we  are  to  believe.  Would  we  believe  .?  we  are 
to  obey.  Are  we  to  obey  .?  Stripping  ourselves  for  the  naked 
(Matt.  5  :  40),  and  starving  ourselves  for  the  hungry  (Matt. 
25  :  35 )>  if  done  for  a  proper  motive,  is  the  best  ''''gift  in  secret, 
and  a  present  in  the  bosom  "  for  taming  "  wrath."  This  is  dan- 
gerous doctrine.  A  man  cannot  buy  his  way  to  Heaven.  Yet, 
in  a  certain  way,  he  can;  and,  in  some  sort  of  sense,  he 
must.  The  "body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Re- 
ligion in  the  body  is  a  most  practical  work.  Obedience  re- 
quires food  and  muscle.  Follo^viiig,  with  the  young  ruler,  was 
money  (Matt.  19  :  21).  So  of  conversion.  Often  a  bold 
free  act  may  be  the  one  that  conquers ;  and  afterwards,  "  pure 
religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father  [will  be]  to 
visit  the  fatherless  and  the  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to 
keep  [ourselves]  unspotted  from  the  world"  (Jas.  i  :  27).  With 
an  exegesis  that  objects  to  these  spiritual  explications  here 
would  be  a  good  moment  to  insist  upon  some  different  attempt. 
We  can  carry  the  war  into  Africa ;  and,  remembering  that  "  all 
Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,"  demand,  what  "  pro- 
fitable for  doctrine  or  reproof"  can  be  dreamed  of  as  residing 
in  the  mere  secular  declaration. 

Tatni?ig  God,  which  seems  the  thought  ad  hoviinetn,  therefore, 
residing  in  the  fourteenth  verse,  is  urged  in  the  fifteenth  by  the 
idea,  that  the  "  judgment "  of  God  appears  differently  before 
and  afterward.     Before  He  is  appeased.  His  ^^Judgme?it "  seems 


334  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

bitter  "  ruin."   After  He  is  appeased,  it  is  "joy  totherigMeous" 
man : — 


15  The  execution  of  judgment  is  joy  to  the 
righteous, 
but  ruin  to  workers  of  iniquity. 


IS  It  is  joy  to  the 
just  to  do  judgment : 
but  destruction  shall 
be  to  the  workers  of  in- 
iquity. 


^^  Judgment  j"  noi  the  saint's  "yV/^w^;// ;"  that  is  ">j' "  of 
course:  but,  all  ^^ judgment!"  even  the  ^^ judgment"  of  the 
lost !  Sad  doctrine  that !  and  to  man's  feeling,  a  very  shameful 
one.  But  to  man's  reason,  there  may  be  a  glimpse  of  light. 
The  highest  "_;>v  "  is  to  be  holiness :  the  highest  holiness,  the 
holiness  of  God.  All  ''Judgment"  is  built  upon  that.  God's 
holiness,  therefore,  being  the  basis  on  which  He  condemns  the 
lost,  in  that  ''  judgmetii"  which  is  part  of  the  trait,  may  be  part 
of  the  ''Joy "  that  springs  to  the  glorified  believer.  "  Shall 
be"  (E.  v.).  Whenever  Italics  are  in  the  print  there  may  be 
doubt  whether  the  meaning  will  be  given.  (See,  for  just  such 
Italics  and  sad  dislocation  of  the  thought,  second  clause,  E.  V. 
10  :  29). 

"Judgment"  in  the  instance  of  the  lost  is  simply  death. 
That  includes  everything  of  penalty  (Gen.  2:17).  So  Paul 
announces  it.  "  The  wages  of  sin  is  death  "  (Rom.  6  :  23). 
Pain,  therefore ;  so  much  of  it  for  so  much  sin,  is  a  part  of  the 
penalty.  Part  of  it  also  is  sin  itself.  This  last  is  the  obsti- 
nate element;  the  first  might  be  lived  out  (see  19  :  19).  Sin 
for  sin,  that  is  the  terror !  So  much  of  it  for  so  much  more ; 
and  so  much  more  for  so  much  :  that  is  what  makes  the  doom 
of  "-wandering  from  the  way  "  remediless.  Thus  the  next  text 
asserts.  Something  that  can  "  condemn  sin  "  (Rom.  8  :  3)  will 
stop  the  virus  of  outspreading  iniquity;  but  otherwise  : — 


16  Man  wandering  from  the  way  of  growing 
wise 
shall  abide  in  the  assemblage  of  the  shades. 


16  The  man  that 
wandereth  out  of  the 
way  of  understanding 
shall  remain  in  the  con- 
gregation of  the  dead. 


And  how  horrible  !  "Shades;"  departed  spirits.  The  hea- 
then had  called  them  "shades"  because  they  dreamed  of  them 
as  in  a  shadowy  life.  Poetically  they  became  emblems  of  the 
lost,  as  Death  did  of  our  loss,  and  Sheol,  of  our  lost  condition. 


Chap.  XXI.]  COMMENTARY.  335 

"Man,"  ^^  wandei-ing  "  in  Adam,  joined,  at  that  early  day,  "the 
assemblage  of  the  shades,"  and  "  shall  abide  "  in  it  but  for  the 
grace  of  the  Redeemer. 

One  reason  is,  that  souls  have  parted  with  any  higher  motive 
than  "happiness."  This  is  the  cause  of  the  many  hypocritical 
conversions.  Sinners  melted  by  fear,  or  sinners  converted  by 
hope,  or  sinners  moved  by  a  desire,  may  be  disciplined  into 
goodness  of  that  outward  sort  that  resembles  disciplined  man- 
ners; but  if  it  be  only  a  desire  for  '''"happiness"  that  is  not 
piety.  Men  cannot  be  pious  till  they  hate  sin,  and  have  a  love 
for  holiness.  For  though  helped  mightily  by  fear,  and  moved 
to  amazing  effort  by  desires  after  immortality ;  and  though  the 
Bible  may  use  threats,  and  the  law  may  shake  its  terrors,  yet, 
in  the  last  result,  selfishness  cannot  beget  a  saint : — 

17  A  poor  man  loving  happiness,  '  pleasured//,; /%<ra°poor 

loving  wine  and  oil,  does  not  create  wealth,  man  ;  he  that  loveth 

'       o  '  I  wine  and  oil  shall  not 

I  be  rich. 

He  may  secularly.  For  here  is  a  Proverb  that  on  earth  has 
but  a  partial  verity.  But  now,  spiritually,  it  is  as  settled  as  the 
heavens.  "  He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it"  (Jo.  12  :  25).  A 
man  cannot  scale  heaven  for  its  "wine."  Unless  a  man  gets 
higher  objects  than  himself,  he  cannot  see  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
And,  therefore,  it  is  literally  true,  that  the  "wealth"  that  the 
soul  attains  is  never  made  by  the  very  most  feverish  desire  to 
escape,  or  by  the  very  most  empassioned  thirst  of  the  mere  ''joy  " 
of  heaven.  "Man;"  the  higher  name  for  man.  He  maybe 
ever  so  skilful.  "  Create  wealth ;"  Hiphil  of  verb  io  be  rich. 
The  fact  is,  true  "  xvealth  "  is  a  love  of  holiness.  It  cannot  be 
created  by  selfish  desires.  "  The  law  "  may  be  "  our  schoolmas- 
ter ;"  but  as  it  scares  us  in,  something  higher  must  perform  the 
work.  Religion  may  be  as  happy  as  the  lark ;  but  it  is  a  "  happi- 
ness;' like  the  shadow  of  a  rock,  that  falls  behind  it  under  the 
light  of  the  Almighty.  "  Loving ;"  not,  if  it  loves,  but,  because 
it  loves.  It  is  no  harm  to  love  "  happiness  ;"  but  it  cannot  be  m 
loving  it,  or  because  we  love  it,  that  we  can  ''create"  everlast- 
ing riches.  '  .  . 
The  Wise  Man,  however,  does  not  desist  from  employmg 


336  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

motives  of  gain  and  pleasure,  even  though  they  are  not  the 
things  to  put  us  within  the  kingdom.  He  states  them  for  their 
auxiliary  effect.  In  the  19th  verse  he  presses  the  fact  that  it 
would  be  better  to  have  no  oil  or  wine  and  live  "  in  a  desert 
land,"  than  to  be  shut  up  eternally  with  ourselves.  In  the  20th 
verse  he  says,  however,  that  the  righteous  need  fear  no  such 
privation;  that  " treasure  and  oil "  shall  be  their  characteristic 
possession;  because  (21st  verse)  "righteousness"  shall  win 
pleasure.  This  will  be  its.  unfailing  result.  The  doctrine  is, 
that,  while  a  desire  for  happiness  is  not  the  power  that  can  drag 
a  man  into  grace,  yet  grace  is  a  power  that  can  lift  a  man  into 
happiness.  The  logic  of  the  two  efficiencies  must  be  precisely 
reversed.  A  man  must  get  higher  than  self  to  attain  unto  piety, 
but  he  cannot  go  higher  than  piety  to  accumulate  for  self.  "  A 
poor  man  loving  happiness,  loving  wine  and  oil  does  not  create 
wealth  ;  but  "  treasure  and  oil  are  in  the  lodging  place  of  the  wise 
man,"  and  "he  who  pursues  righteousness  and  kindness  shall 
find  life,  righteousness  and  glory."  These  are  the  Proverbs 
which  we  must  now  take  up.  But  first  of  all  there  comes  one 
of  those  terrible  sentences,  occasional  in  both  Testaments ; 
bewilderingly  sad ;  hopeless  when  we  begin  to  cavil ;  taught  by 
the  Apostle  Paul ;  but  confessed  by  Peter  to  be  "  hard  to  be 
understood ;"  and,  perhaps,  themselves  alluded  to  when  he 
speaks  of  those  "  other  Scriptures  "  which  men  "  wrest  unto 
their  own  destruction"  (2  Pet.  3  :  16)  : — 

18  A  cover  for  the  righteous  man  is  the  wicked  ,  '^  "^^^  wkked  skaii 

°  be  a.    ransom    lor    the 

righteous,    and     the 


man ; 

and  in  the  place  of  the  upright  shall  be  the 
faithless. 


transgressor  for  the  up- 
right. 


This  is  literally  true.  If  Saul  and  Judas  had  not  served  for 
"  an  example,  suffering  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire  "  (Jude 
7),  then  Paul  and  Peter,  where  might  they  not  have  been.? 
This  is  terrible  doctrine.  Those  niches  had  to  be  filled  in  the 
all-manifesting  universe.  Each  man  that  stood  in  one  was  "  a 
cover  "  for  a  saint.  And  a  lost  sinner,  who,  "  to  show  [God's] 
wrath  and  to  make  His  power  known  "  (Rom.  9  :  22)  died  the 
death,  picked  up  a  lot  that  might  have  been  left  for  some  be- 


Chap.  XXL]  COMMENTARY.  337 

liever !  How  tender  this  should  make  us !  and  how  bitterly  of- 
fensive to  God  ! — the  soul's  arrogance  as  against  the  abandoned ! 
"  Who  maketh  thee  to  differ  ?  and  what  hast  thou  that  thou 
didst  not  receive?  Now,  if  thou  didst  receive^ it,  why  dost 
thou  glory  as  though  thou  hadst  not  received  it?"  (i  Cor.  4  : 
7).  The  text  is  inclusive  of  minor  services  of  the  perishing ; 
God  gives  men  for  us,  and  people  for  our  life  (Is.  43  :  4).  But. 
alas !  the  great  one  is  enough.  Judas,  and  even  Satan,  stepped 
in,  like  Curtius,  to  fill  a  gulf;  and  some  armed  horseman  had  to 
fill  it.  "  Cover  ;"  often  ransom  ;  the  favorite  word  for  repre- 
senting the  propitiation  of  a  Redeemer. 

The  brawling  "  woman  "  comes  in  rather  inopportunely  next ; 
at  least  so  comments  of  men  like  Hitzig  would  represent ;  and 
it  would  seem  almost  a  luxury  to  say,  as  he  no  doubt  would  do, 
that  the  copyist  made  some  mistake  : — 

19  Better  is  life  in  a  desert  land,  dJeii  in  the  wifdernesl'! 

than  a  contentious  and  fretful  woman.  than  with  a  contentious 

and  an  angry  woman. 

But  the  inspired  man  is  turning  over  impenitence  in  all  lights, 
and  this  is  one  of  them.  He  had  said  (v.  17)  that  selfishness 
could  not  reach  heaven.  As  that  is  our  most  practical  motive, 
(when  we  are  dying,  for  example,  and  when  we  trust  to  our 
sheer  terror  to  push  us  in  to  the  desired  refuge,)  it  is,  indeed,  a 
terrible  announcement  that  nothing  like  this  can  save  a  man.  It 
gives  the  writer  a  pause  to  say  (v.  18),  what  a  mercy  any  poor 
soul  is  delivered.  He  is  about  to  declare,  that,  though  selfish- 
ness cannot  procure  piety,  piety  can  procure  all  the  objects  of 
selfishness  (vs.  20,  21).  He  stops,  however,  to  urge,  that,  if  it 
could  not,  it  would  be  better  to  dwell  in  a  desert,  than  with  the 
single  torment  of  our  own  corruptions.  We  understand  the  Pro- 
verb to  say,  that  if  Hell  had  nothing  but  the  "  fretful "  wife, 
that  is  our  ungodly  selves,  and  heaven  had  nothing  but  "  a  des- 
ert land,"  it  would  be  "  better  "  to  do  without  "  corn  and  wine" 
even  if  Hell  were  a  palace,  than  to  endure  the  torture  of  our 
own  contentions.  And  mark,  in  the  doubled  case  (vs.  9,  19)  the 
verb  to  divell  is  not  repeated.  Some  men  insist  that  it  should 
be  (see  Zockler).  They  would  read,—"  Better  to  dwell  in  a 
desert  than  [to  dwell]  with  a  contentious  woman."  But  when 
IS 


338  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

the  Holy  Ghost  holds  the  pen,  we  would  stickle  for  everything. 
We  believe  the  omission  was  intended.  The  hot  scold  herself 
is  miserable.  Ih.t'''' desert  land"  is  better  than  \\\^ '''' woman" 
herself,  in  (i)-.herself,  or  in  (2)  her  relations.  The  lost  soul  is 
horrid  in  every  respect;  in  itself;  in  its  companions;  in  its  own 
mad  heats ;  in  its  strife  with  other  souls.  And,  therefore,  the 
Wise  Man  appears  to  preface  his  texts  on  the  "  wine  "  of  heaven 
by  saying,  that  if  there  were  none,  it  would  be  better  to  dwell 
in  "  a  dcset't  land"  than  in  the  midst  of  these  abominable  cor- 
ruptions. 

Joy  to  us  !  however ;  piety  is  no  desert : — 

20  Treasure  to  be  desired,  and  oil,  are  in  the  to^L^de.'ired,  ^ZTo\\ 


lodging-place  of  the  wise  man  ; 
but  a  fool  of  a  man  devours  himself. 


in  the  dwelling  of  the 
wise  :  but  a  foolish  man 
spendeth  it  up. 


"Treasiire;"  literally,  ^^  stores."  "To  be  desired;"  literally, 
*^  desired ;"  passive  (Niphal)  participle  of  the  verb  to  desire. 
"Lodging-place."  It  need  not  be  a  palace.  The  root  means 
to  rest,  to  sit.  It  may  be  a  mere  shieling,  or  the  Arbor  by  the 
Hill  Difficulty.  The  second  clause  advances  on  the  thought. 
While  piety  makes  "  wine  "  and  "  oil,"  impenitence  does  the  con- 
trary. It  not  only  does  not  make  "  uHne  and  oil,"  but,  with  a 
climax  characteristic  of  the  book,  it  "devoiirs"  up  its  very 
"self."  The  "wine  and  oil"  are  of  course  significant  of  what 
is  happy,  and  the  devouring  of  one's  very  "  self"  means  the  swal- 
lowing of  all  the  interests  of  his  being.  The  sinner,  instead  of 
making  wealth,  makes  nothing;  and,  instead  of  keeping  the 
wealth  he  has,  "  devours  "  even  ''''himself." 

So  then  a  man  cannot  get  piety  by  selfishness,  but  he  can,  as 
the  next  Proverb  helps  to  declare,  splendidly  aid  self  by  piety : — 


21  He  who  pursues  righteousness  and  kind- 
ness, 
shall  find  life,  righteousness,  and  glory. 


21  He  that  followeth 
after  righteousness  and 
mercy,  findeth  life, 
righteousness,  and 
honour. 


"  Pursues  ;"  primarily,  follows  after,  chases  eagerly.  How 
absorbed  *he  chase  of  some  poor  partridge  on  the  hills.  Even 
let  that  be  our  picture.  "Righteousness  and  kindness;"  the 
two  tables  of  the  law  ;  a  geminal  picture  of  all  holiness.     Now 


Chap.  XXI.]  COMMENTAR  V.  339 

let  a  man  chase  holiness  with  the  absorbed  forgetfulness  of  self 
that  such  game  would  imply,  and  all  else  will  come  in  at  the 
death.  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteous- 
ness, and  all  things  else  will  be  added  thereto  (Matt.  6  :  33). 
"  Life  ;"  all  sorts  of  /i/e.  "  Righteousness  ;"  but  one  sort  of 
"  righteousness"  in  place  of  that  personal  "  rig/iteousjiess  "  which 
(in  the  first  clause)  we  are  still  called  to  chase.  "Glory;"  all 
sorts  of  ^^ glory ."  The  list  is  not  an  illogical  one.  "  Life  /'  all 
that  is  personally  good  and  happy  :  "  righteotisness  y"  all  that 
buys  that,  and  keeps  a  title  to  it :  '''glory  "  that  which  is  above 
happiness,  and  is  always  to  be  counted  higher ;  viz.,  the  honor 
and  excellency  of  absolute  purity  of  being. 

An  interval  occurs  here  (see  18  :  i),  marking,  however,  no 
noticeable  rupture  of  the  sense.  On  the  contrary,  the  difficulty 
mentioned  in  the  17th  verse,  that  men  cannot  get  heaven  for 
its  happiness,  is  met  by  the  statement,  that  getting  heaven  at 
all  is  a  rugged  and  momentous  victory : — 


22  A   wise   man   has  scaled  the   city  of  the 
mighty, 
and  is  bringing  down  the  strength  of  its 
place  of  confidence. 


22  A  wise  man  scal- 
eth  the  city  of  the 
mighty,  and  casteth 
down  the  strength  of 
the  confidence  thereof. 


"Has  scaled:"  emphatic  preterite  (see  22  :  3  ;  24  :*2  7).  There 
was  a  dash  at  the  first  that  signified  conversion,  and  that  must 
be  a  thing  of  the  past.  But  the  "  bringing  down  "  was  to  go  on 
afterward.  Such  was  what  was  typical  in  the  history.  The 
Israelites  never  crushed  the  Philistines.  The  Jebusites  long 
dwelt  in  Jerusalem's  stronghold  (Joshua  15  :  6-^.  The  sinner 
in  his  very  feeblest  state  enters  Canaan,  and  scales  "  the  city  of 
the  mighty."  But  when  his  foot  has  touched  that  eternal 
tramping  ground,  alas  for  him !  there  is  still  the  citadel ! 
"A  wise  man,"  not  only  as  being  "  a  wise  7nan"  but  in  becom- 
ing "  a  wise  man,  has  scaled  the  city  of  the  mighty"  and  evermore 
afterward,  in  becoming  wiser,  he  is  "  bringing  down  the  strength 
of  its  place  of  confidence. "  ^^  Place  ;"  not  a  separate  word,  but 
a  meaning  we  have  always  a  right  to  inquire  after,  where  the  Jj 
precedes  this  sort  of  derivative  (4  :  23). 

Not  to  print  mistake  upon  his  emblems,  Solomon  qualifies 


340  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

the  last  by  those  that  immediately  follow.  Conversion  is  not  a 
warfare.  It  is  not  the  glow  of  camps  or  the  shout  of  armed 
men,  but  a  drowsy  and  forlorn  awakening.  Arrayed  against  it 
may  be  the  ''''strength''  of  the  '"'' tnighty"  (v.  22);  but  it  is  a 
strength  absurd  and  miserable,  as  against  a  droning  and  de- 
pressing inanition.  "  We  wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood  ;" 
and,  when  we  come  to  understand  the  venture,  the  climb  over 
the  gates  is  not  a  bound  of  strength,  but  a  torpid  crawl  out  of 
mortal  infirmity  of  feeling.  Hence  the  patient  prosing  of  the 
Preacher  as  he  next  approaches  us : — 


23  He  that  guards  his  mouth  and  his  tongue, 
guards  his  soul  from  troubles. 


23  Whoso  keepeth 
his  mouth  and  his 
tongue,  keepeth  h  i  s 
soul  from  troubles. 


Christian  obedience  is  the  way  to  triumph.  Of  course  it  is 
not  a  very  lively  way.  The  obedience  must  be,  first,  in  faith. 
Faith  itself  is  but  a  dull,  cold  beginning.  Faith  afterward  is  a 
daily  patience.  The  "mouth"  and  the  "  tongue"  are  the  instru- 
ments of  that  (15  :  4).  As  with  a  watchman  who  "  guards  "  the 
night,  the  great  enemy  of  the  soul  is  drowsiness.  And,  though 
faith  is  most  brilliant  in  the  end,  for  it  "  guards  [the]  soul  from 
troubles;"  yet  it  is  most  dull  in  its  beginning,  and  most  sad  and 
plodding  through  all  its  history. 

On  the  contrary,  the  Wise  Man  seems  to  be  reminded  that 
there  has  been  thought  to  be  a  brilliancy  on  the  other  side. 
He  has  already  spoken  of  the  "  headlong  "  character  of  impeni- 
tence (20  :  3) ;  how  it  acts  without  thought  (15  :  28),  and  how 
generously  it  risks  on  future  promises  (27  :  i).  Again,  there- 
fore, he  unites,  in  the  most  vivid  picture,  everything  like  that : — 

24  Proud,  haughty,  scornful,  is  his  name,  i,  ^•*u.^''°"'^    ^^^ 

~  '  o      J  J  '  J  haughty  scorner  ts  his 

name  who   dealeth    in 
proud  wrath. 


who  acts  with  the  headlong  gait  of  pride. 


In  the  course  of  different  Proverbs  this  Teacher  will  be  found 
to  have  explained  all  his  own  use  of  terms.  Piety  as  "  wisitom" 
and  wickedness  as  "/o//);"  terms  very  characteristic  of  his 
books,  he  explains  in  this  book  at  the  very  first.  "  Scorner"  is 
his  favorite  name  for  the  impenitent.  We  were  giving  reasons 
for  this  under  the  eleventh  verse.    But  had  we  waited  he  would 


Chap.  XXI.]  COMMENTARY.  341 

have  given  them  himself.  No  one  can  deny  this  marked  charac- 
teristic,— oi precipitance.  It  is  the  marvel  even  of  the  lost.  Hell 
has  been  preached  for  centuries.  Heaven  has  been  painted 
every  Sabbath  day.  Yet,  though  men  know  what  is  for  the 
best,  they  act  directly  for  the  opposite.  This  is  the  burden  of 
Solomon  in  unnumbered  of  his  Proverbs.  He  calls  it  hasty 
(19  :  2),  He  calls  \\.  greedy  (20  :  21).  He  calls  it  pouring  thetn- 
selves  along  (20  :  3).  Here  he  calls  it  precipitancy,  or,  as  we 
translate  it,  a  "head-long  gait."  He  remembers  that  this  is 
the  gait  of  the  "  proud  "  even  in  worldly  estates.  They  push 
along,  and  do  not  choose  to  care.  He  characterizes  it,  there- 
fore, in  that  way  additionally,  and  says,  that  he  "who  acts  with 
the  headlong  gait  of  pride"  has  chosen  it  not  in  any  practical 
mistake.  He  z>  "proud;"  he  is  "haughty ;"  he  is  "scornful;" 
and,  that,  as  his  [very]  name  (see  22  :  10).  That  is,  the  demurest 
sinner,  who  seems  thoroughly  respectful  to  the  truth,  would  not 
push  along  so  into  the  very  jaws  of  death,  if  he  were  not  arro- 
gantly trusting  to  himself,  and  if  he  felt  not  scornfully  free  from 
the  necessities  of  the  gospel.  This  is  the  idea,  therefore.  The 
lost  have  the  '''' gait"  of  the  "proud"  man  in  being  so  "head- 
long." The  true  solution  is,  They  are  proud.  The  meekest 
sinner  is  at  heart  a  "  scorner  "  of  his  immediate  needs  of  this 
blessed  salvation. 

Not  that  he  has  no  longings  for  it : — 


as  The  desire  of  the 
slothful  killeth  him; 
for  his  hands  refuse  to 
labour. 


25  The  desire  of  the  sluggard  kills  him  ; 

because  his  hands  have  refused  to  give  it 
execution. 

This  is  the  meaning  of  that  peculiar  text  that  has  been  trans- 
lated, "  Hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick  "  (E.  V.  13  :  12). 
We  had  a  long  essay  upon  it.  We  translated  it,  "  Protracted 
delay  weakens  the  heart."  We  call  in  this  text  to  confirm  it. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  principle.  "  The  desire  of 
the  sluggard,"  which  is  itself  an  interesting  idea,  it  has  hardly 
spoken  of  before  it  disposes  of  it  in  an  apt  philosophical  as- 
sertion. "  The  desire  of  the  sluggard  "  means  his  wish  to  be  a 
Christian  (13:4).  All  men  have  that  wish.  "It  is  the  one 
thing  they  say  of  themselves  with  the  most  heartfelt  decision. 


34.2  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

Now,  instead  of  being  a  blessing,  the  inspired  man  has  told  us 
before  (13  :  12)  that  this  wish  ungratified  becomes  an  instru- 
ment of  death.  "  Hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick  "  was 
the  ordinary  version,  but  we  discussed  the  sentence,  and  trans- 
lated it, — "Protracted  delay  weakens  the  heart."  The  philo- 
sophy is  this  : — ''Desire  "  to  be  a  Christian  is  what  is  left  of  our 
spiritual  wreck.  Gratified,  it  will  bring  us  ashore.  Delayed, 
it  will  help  to  founder  us.  These  are  the  points  at  which  Satan 
gets  at  the  heart  to  destroy  what  is  left.  Laid  asleep,  we  would 
remain  the  same.  Acting,  we  perish.  These  remaining  desires 
are  the  sparks  which  the  Spirit  might  kindle.  Alive,  and  yet 
smothered,  they  soon  die  out.  The  only  way  to  kindle  them  is 
to  obey  them.  This,  therefore,  is  the  philosophy  of  our  text. 
**  T/ie  desire  of  the  sluggard  kills  him."  Why.?  Because  he 
will  not  gratify  it.  The  way  to  gratify  it  is  to  get  it  accom- 
plished. This  is  the  very  thing  he  will  not  consent  to  do. 
"  The  desire  of  the  sluggard  kills  him,  because  his  hands  have 
refused  to  give  it  execution:"  literally,  ''have  refused  to  do.'' 
Say  not.  It  is  the  refusal  that  kills,  and  not  "  the  desire''  That 
is  not  altogether  the  case.  The  spark  that  is  too  weak  to  grow 
puts  itself  out  by  its  attempts.  The  "  desire"  that  is  too  dull 
to  act  has  treasured  in  it  the  last  remainders  of  the  heart ;  and, 
in  its  languid  throbs,  makes  itself  the  instrument  of  its  own 
growing  dissolution. 

Confounding  "  desire,"  when  we  think  of  it  as  a  hopeful  test, 
we  forget  how  hungry  a  thing  it  is.  What  does  it  do  for  any- 
body }  or  what  does  it  give  .?  Why  should  we  think  that  a  de- 
sire must  bring  us  nearer  to  heaven,  when  it  is,  first,  not  a 
spiritual  desire,  and  secondly,  when  it  is  shamed  by  "  the  right- 
eous," who  both  desires  and  bestows.  This  is  the  next  attack 
upon  the  post  of  the  impenitent : — 

26  He  creates  himself  a  longing  all  the  day  ; 
while  the  righteous  gives,  and  spares  not. 


26  He  c  o  v,e  t  e  t  h 
greedily  all  the  day 
long  ;  but  the  righteous 
giveth,  and  spareth  not. 


"  Longs  a  longing;"  or  "  makes  himself  long  a  longing."  It 
is  the  Hithpahel.  How  long  a  "  day  "  that  is  !  when  it  may  be 
eighty  years  !     What  an  insanity  it  is  to  desire  a  thing  so  long, 


Chap.  XXL]  COMMENTARY.  343 

and  never  get  it,  when  that  thing  is  eternal  life !  and  the  "  desire" 
itself  is  slowly  pushing  it  away  !  (v,  25).  "  The  righteous  gives." 
This  is  the  same  righteous  man  that  did  not  get  piety  by  merely 
providing  for  self  (v.  17);  who  nevertheless  provided  for  self 
most  bountifully  when  he  got  piety  (v.  20) ;  and  who  now  (v. 
26),  when  he  has  got  piety,  is  not  engaged  preeminently  for 
self,  but  '■'■gives  and  spares  not." 

Because  of  the  opposite  of  this,  viz.,  that  it  is  nothing  but 
selfishness,  the  religion  of  the  impenitent  man  is  "  an  abomina- 
tion "  to  Jehovah  : — 


27  The  sacrifice  of 
the  wicked  ?>  abomina- 
tion :  how  much  more, 
when  he  bringeth  it 
with  a  wicked  mind  ? 


27  The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomina- 
tion; 
because,  also,  he  brings  it  for  a  calculated 
purpose. 

This  is  a  New  Testament  idea :— "  Ye  ask  and  receive  not," 
saith  the  Apostle  James,  "  because  ye  ask  amiss."  How  ?  Why, 
precisely  in  the  way  that  the  Proverb  points  out,  because  ye 
do  it  for  an  interested  purpose  :  as  the  Apostle  expresses  it, 
"  that  ye  may  consume  it  in  your  desires."  The  wicked  man 
asks  for  heaven  that  he  may  "  consume  it "  in  keeping  com- 
fortable through  along  eternity.  The  Proverb  (v.  17)  postu- 
lates the  opposite.  In  merely  loving  happiness,  a  man  cannot 
create  wealth.  The  mass  of  hypocrites,  therefore,  are  these 
eternal-happiness-hypocrites.  They  have  schooled  themselves 
to  seem  religious  under  the  immense  incentive  of  "  tvine  and 
oil"  (v.  17).  "Because  also."  The  " /w7£/  much  more"  oi  the 
English  Version  has  been  already  commented  on  (see  also 
Class  XLIV).  The  "  because  also  "  expresses  this :— that  there 
may  be  other  reasons,  but  that  additional  and  fundamental 
among  them  all  is  this  deepest  one,  that  religious  acts  cannot 
be  accepted,  if  they  are  built  upon  nothing  tenderer  than  "  a 
calculated  purpose."  "Ye  seek  me,"  says  our  Blessed  Re- 
deemer, "  not  because  ye  saw  the  miracles,  but  because  ye  did 
eat  of  the  loaves,  and  were  filled  "  (John  6  :  26).  "  Calculated 
purposes"  the  word  used  chap.  24  :  9  (which  see).  The  word 
oftenest  means  iniquity. 

Next  comes  a  sort  of.  stock  Proverb,  as  a  play  actor  would 


344  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

say,  like  those  about  parents,  or  like  those  about  a  scolding 
wife,  or  about  false  balances,  which  are  held  in  reserve,  and  re- 
peated often  in  varied  language  when  the  occasion  superv^enes. 
This  may  be  called  one  of  the  Every-Man-a-  Witness  Proverbs 
(14  :  5,  25  ;  12  :  17).  A  man  cannot  prevent  his  character  as  a 
witness-bearing  creature  in  the  universe.  God  cannot  bear 
witness  in  Himself;  for  He  is  invisible.  He  bears  a  vital  wit- 
ness by  every  sinner.-  The  fitness  of  this  place  for  one  of  these 
Witness-YxQ)Vtx\i%  is  this : — that  the  inspired  Solomon  would 
imply  that  a  mere  "  calculated  purpose  "  is  not  religion  ;  neither, 
therefore,  is  it  any  religious  example;  neither,  then,  is  the 
man  that  counts  it  so,  a  true  "  witness."  And,  therefore,  the 
dropping,  just  here,  of  one  of  the  Witness-Proverbs  is  very 
timely :  — 


28  A  deceived  witness  perishes  ; 

but  a  man  that  hearkens  speaks  forever. 


28  A  false  witness 
shall  perish  :  but  the 
man  that  heareth 
speaketh  constantly. 

There  is  something  very  complete  in  this.  The  reply  : — No  ! 
He  may  be  saved ;  brings  out  most  neatly  the  compass  of  this 
special  text.  "The  deceived  witness  perishes."  He  may  do 
that  in  either  of  two  Avays ;  either,  first,  in  the  pit,  where  the 
seductions  of  his  falsehoods  can  do  no  more  any  mischief;  or 
second,  by  the  cross.  The  "old  man"  can  perish.  T\it'''' wit- 
ness of  lies "  (as  it  primarily  means)  can  be  put  out  of  the 
way.  And  the  great  advance  in  the  idea  which  Solomon  usually 
aims  for  in  the  second  clause  (19  :  11)  comes  in  to  give  edge  to 
this  sharp  cut  significance.  ''''A  deceived  witness  perishes  ;'  but 
he  does  not  say, — A  true  witness  does  not :  rather,  he  goes 
altogether  deeper.  He  remembers  that  men  are  deceived  wit- 
nesses because  they  will  not  think;  that  "  ^i7««J^/,"  as  he  has 
already  expressed  it  (20  :  5),  lies  in  all  of  us;  that  pushing  on 
(20  :  3)  and  being  hasty  (19  :  2)  is  the  fault  of  the  impenitent. 
And,  therefore,  instead  of  the  true  witness,  his  portrait  is,  **  a 
man  that  hearkens;"  and,  instead  of  saying  that  he  shall  not 
perish,  he  brings  out  that  beautiful  idea  that  his  witnessing  here 
is  but  the  earnest  of  a  long  testimony  hereafter.  The  "  deceived 
witness  perishes  •"  that  is,  whether  a  Christian  or  not,  his  life  as 
a  deceived  witness  shall  come  utterly  to  an  end;  while  he  who 


Chap.  XXL]  COMMENTARY.  345 

''^ hearkens"  letting  down  the  bucket,  as  was  formerly  expressed 
(20  :  5),  for  the  deep  waters,  viz.,  the  "  counsels  "  of  his  heart, 
begins  to  witness  truth,  and  continues  to  witness  truth,  and  shall 
continue  eternally  to  witness  it  through  the  ages  of  the  blessed. 
As  "^  deceived tvltness",  then,  converted  or  unconverted,  he  shall 
be  sure  to  perish  ;  as  "  a  man  that  hearkens,"  he  shall  cease  to  be 
deceived,  and  learn  the  truth,  and  speak  it,  and  "  speaJk  forever." 
The  evil  of  this  deceived  witnessing  is  emphatically  told  as 
follows : — 

20  One  has  been  confirming  a  wicked  man  by  I,  ^%  ^  wicked  man 

^  .  '->  ■'    hardeneth   his    face: 

his  mere  countenance;  but  a^yor  the  upright, 

but  the  level  walker,  as  such,  beats  firm  his^"  '^'^^"^"^  ^''  ^^'^y- 
way. 

Notice  the  intenseness  of  all  this  !  A  man  need  not  even 
utter  his  impenitence.  His  very  looks  spread  it.  There  is  an 
electric  power  in  influence  that  it  emphasizes  with  the  past 
tense  (14  :  i).  A  look  has  already  done  the  mischief;  "  talking 
with  his  eyes ;  speaking  with  his  feet ;  motioning  with  his 
fingers  "  (6  :  13).  Most  elaborate  pictures  occur  twice  of  these 
destructive  pantomines  (6  :  13  ;  16  :  27-30).  On  the  contrary, 
"  tlie  level  walker  "  {literally  ^^  the  level"),  not  so  much  in  the 
easy  way  of  a  glance,  but  in  the  labored  way  of  a  life,  is  a  path- 
builder.  Every  good  man  through  life  is  building  a  highway 
to  assist  the  feet  of  other  poor  refuge-taking  transgressors. 
"  Upright"  (E.  V.) ;  literally,  "  level"  His  even  tread  "  beats"  a 
path,  which  other  poor  sinners  find  established.  "  As  such  ;" 
simply  the  emphatic  pronoun.  ^''  As  such  j"  that  is,  as  ''''level." 
The  "  level  walker,"  as  level,  "  beats  "  the  path,  and  thus  estab- 
lishes it  for  the  feet  of  others.  "  One."  The  verb  may  either 
be  impersonal,  or  the  noun  "  man ''  may  belong  to  this  part  of 
the  sentence.  "  One  has  been  confirming  a  wicked  man,"  or  "  a 
man  has  been  confirming  the  wicked ;"  either  will  suit  the  gram- 
mar, and  both  will  suit  the  sense ;  and,  therefore,  as  in  many 
another  passage,  there  has  been  no  care  against  such  an  instance 
of  indifference  (16  :  7). 

Man's  not  being  able  to  win  heaven  by  selfishness  (v.  17) 
leaves  still  the  lurking  thought  that  he  will  some  way  snatch  it 
15* 


346  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXI. 

at  the  last.  His  work  to  this  end  may  be  an  "  abomination  " 
(v.  27) ;  and  it  may  be  a  wild  notion  that  he  can  "make  the 
evil  good  "  (20  :  22)  :  still  he  has  the  thought  that  he  will  one 
day  win  the  game.     Solomon  sweeps  all  such  thoughts  away : — 

•^o  There  is  no  wisdom,  and  there  is  no  dis-|,3°  There  is  x^a y\^ 

^  '  dom,   nor   understand- 

Cernment,  Ung,   nor    counsel, 

and  there  is  no  counsel,  against  Jehovah,     j^^^'"^'  "'^  ^°''°- 

It  would  be  a  strong  sentence  if  he  declared  that  calculat- 
ing against  God  never  could  amount  to  anything.  He  has 
taken  here  his  favorite  words,  which  in  other  Proverbs  mean 
piety.  It  would  be  a  stout  truth  if  he  said,  that,  enlisted  on 
the  side  of  sin,  they  could  not  put  heaven  in  pawn,  and  hold 
by  a  species  of  chicane  both  worlds  safe  by  temporizing  pro- 
mises. But  he  does  something  more  clear  than  that.  "  There 
is  no  [such  thing  as]  wisdom ;  there  is  no  [such  thing  as]  dis- 
cernment," or  "coxmsel"  enlisted  "against"  the  Most  High. 
They  could  do  nothing  if  there  were ;  but  "  wisdom  "  never 
could  be  enticed  to  that  side.  The  sentence  embodies  both 
ideas.  There  is  no  wisdom  that  could  avail  against  God ;  but, 
secondly,  there  is  none  that  would  ever  attempt  it.  The  expres- 
sions are  peculiar.  "  There  is  nothing  of  wisdom."  The  word 
is  repeated,  ''''  Nothing"  ''''  Nothing,''  ''''  NotJiing."  No  possible 
form  of  shrewdness  can  shape  a  course  that  would  justify  one 
hour's  delay  in  seeking  salvation.  And,  to  make  the  thing  more 
emphatic,  a  Proverb  follows  (with  a  sense  strangely  overlooked), 
— that  "salvation"  itself  is  the  only  provision  we  can  make 
"against  "  the  Most  High  : — 

31  A  horse  is  made  ready  against  a  day  of    arcd'^a\L°s?^the  dT' 


battle ; 
and  salvation  against  Jehovah. 


of  battle:  but  safety  is 
of  the  Lord. 


It  may  be  for  forty  years  hence;  but  the  kingmakes  his  musk- 
ets now.  Heavy  armaments  are  gotten  ready,  and  kept.  It  is 
a  hard  thing  to  keep  them  from  the  rust;  and  the  "horse"  may 
grow  old  and  die.  Still,  in  dead  peace,  when  not  a  trumpet 
blares,  all  these  things  must  be  ready.  And  so  of  judgment. 
Armories  that  ^^  salvation  "  can  be  gotten  ready  in  ;  and  promises 


Chap.  XXII.]  COMMENTARY.  347 

that  it  certainly  shall  be  ready,  and  that  in  time,  are  all  folly. 
"  Wisdom  "  never  helps  on  that  side  (v.  30).  What  the  "  horse  " 
is  in  time  of  peace,  "  salvation  "  is  in  the  period  of  the  most 
profound  impenitency.  ^^  Against /'  ^;  the  same  word  in  both 
clauses.  To  translate  in  the  first  clause,  "  against,"  and  in  the 
last  clause,  "t?/"  (E.  V.)  or  ^^from"  (Zockler),  is  a  strange 
oversight,  "  Made  ready ;"  literally,  fixed,  made  to  stand.  "  Sal- 
vation "  may  seem  a  weak  thing  on  earth,  biit,  laid  aside  like 
the  muniments  of  a  prince,  it  will  be  everything  in  the  day  of 
"Jehovah." 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

The  "  salvation  "  that  is  "  made  ready  against "  the  day  of 
God  (21  :  31)  is  neatly  expressed  in  the  next  verse  (v.  i)  by 
the  word  "  name."  What  we  want  at  the  day  of  judgment  is  a 
"««;«!?."  A  "  «fl/??^"  means  a  being's  known  character.  God's 
*' «^///^ "  is  His  visible  perfections.  The  ''''name"  of  Gabriel, 
that  stands  him  in  stead  in  the  judgment,  is  his  perfect  holi- 
ness. And  the  "  na7ne  "  of  the  saints  is  Christ's  "  name."  See 
chap.  18  :  10.  *'  The  name  of  Jehovah  is  a  tower  of  strength; 
the  righteous  runs  into  it  and  is  lifted  high."  Just  as  Alad- 
din's lamp  was  worth  more  than  the  riches  that  it  brought ;  so 
the  "  name  "  of  Christ,  in  which  the  lost  may  stand  accepted,  is 
worth  more  than  all  the  riches  it  can  possibly  procure  : — 


I  A  name  is  to  be  chosen  rather  than  great 
wealth. 
Grace  is  better  than  silver  or  than  gold. 


A  GOOD  name  is 
rather  to  be  chosen 
than  great  riches,  and 
loving  favour  rather 
than  silver  and  gold. 


Hebrew  construction  alone  would  not  free  this  verse  from 
ambiguity.  The  first  line  in  Gray's  Elegy  is  scarcely  more 
capable  of  transposition  than  this  is  of  different  orders  and 
sense.  It  may  read, — "^  c/iosen  name  is  better  than  great 
wealth."  Then  it  would  mean  not  ''name"  in  the  sense  of 
standing,  but  "  name  "  in  the  sense  of  designation.  It  would 
mean,  therefore,  the  fact  of  a  divine  election.  Being  chosen  by 
God  is  better  than  great  wealth  j  and  "  grace  than  sQver  or  than 


348  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIL 

gold."  This  would  make  a  very  complete  and  timely  meaning, 
and  would  agree  well  with  what  precedes  and  follows.  "  Is  to 
be  chosen,"  on  the  contrary,  may  not  only  be  retained  in  the 
first  clause,  but  carried  to  the  second.  "Better  "  (2d  clause), 
which  is^ expressed  in  the  usual  way  (see  Ec.  7:1),  would  then 
drop  its  meaning  of  comparison,  and  agree  with  grace.  A  name 
is  to  be  chosen  rather  than  great  wealth  ;  and  good  grace  than 
silver  or  than  gold.  It  is  wonderful  that  the  order  of  nouns  and 
adjectives  does  not  fix  the  sense ;  but  it  does  not  do  so  inviola- 
bly. All  things  considered,  it  seems  best  to  give  each  clause  a 
comparative;  and  certainly  the  last  expression,  oi  good  grace,  ox 
good  favor,  is  so  lustreless  in  its  addition  to  the  sense,  that, 
without  some  precedent  of  usage  (which  it  has  not),  it  seems 
obvious  that  we  should  turn  against  it.  "  A  horse  is  made 
ready  against  a  day  of  battle,  and  salvation  against  Jehovah." 
"  Salvation,''  therefore,  is  a  great  life  exigence.  Its  nature  is  a 
"  name,"  i.  e.,  a  court-standing  which  we  can  possess  at  the  last. 
That  will  win  everything.  "A  name,  [therefore],  is  to  be 
chosen  rather  than  great  wealth."  And  as,  in  the  instance  of 
the  sinner,  it  is  not  his  own  "  na)}ie,"  but  his  Redeemer's,  the 
corresponding  word  is  ''^ grace.''  It  is  a  diferent  thing  with 
Gabriel;  but  with  the  sinner  it  is  all  oi  " grace."  Hence,  there- 
fore, the  particular  handling  of  the  second  clause. 

If  it  be  of  ^^  grace,"  though,  wliy  is  it   not    given    to    all  .^ 
Plainly  because  of  some  administrative  reasons  : — 


2  The  rich  man  and  poor  man  are  fitted  to- 
gether, 
Jehovah  making  all  of  them. 


2  The  rich  and  poor 
meet  together;  t  li  e 
Lord  is  the  maker  of 
them  all. 


In  our  temporal  state,  "  the  rich  and  [the]  poor  "  fit  in  a  sys- 
tem. There  is  a  necessity  for  both.  God,  therefore,  has  created 
both.  But  these  mere  Malthus  facts  are  not  the  burden  of  the 
Proverb.  Solomon  is  thinking  of  the  spiritually  " /7V//."  The 
first  verse  prepared  for  that.  The  fourth  verse  confirms  it. 
The  earliest  Proverbs  call  the  saints  "rich"  (10:4,  22). 
Solomon,  like  Paul  (Rom.  9:21-23),  struggles  with  a  hard 
truth.  The  saint  and  sinneryf/  "together  "  in  God's  plan.  He 
made  both  of  them.     This,  instead  of  relieving  the  risk,  makes 


Chap.  XXII.]  COMMENTARY.  349 

it  more  fearful.  Our  doom  is  built  in  to  the  very  timbers  of 
the  universe.  A  "  name"  therefore  (v.  2), — what  a  prize!  In 
this  great  prevailing  scheme  ^^ grace  "  actually  made  certain  to 
myself !     What  an  amazing  treasure  ! 

And  yet  it  is  one  that  I  can  have.     The  Bible  always  rolls 
back  to  the  counterpart  idea  : — 


3  The  subtle  has  seen  the  evil,  and  is  cover- 
ing it ; 
but  the  simple  have  rushed  on,  and  been 
punished. 


3  A  prudent  man 
foreseeth  the  evil,  and 
hideth  himself:  but 
the  simple  pass  on,  and 
are  punished. 


"  The  subtle."  Like  i/ie  7vtse,  or  the  discerning,  this  is  but 
one  of  the  names  for  the  pious.  Still,  each  one  keeps  discrep- 
ant its  o-\»n  separate  significance.  "  The  subtle  "  has  an  element 
oi cunning.  "Now  the  serpent  was  more  subtle,  etc."  How 
inexpressibly  cunning  the  man  that  covers  up  damnation ! 
''''Hideth  himself"  (E.  V.).  This  is  hardly  admissible.  A 
various  reading,  that  corresponds,  may  have  come  from  a  bare 
fancying  of  such  a  sense.  The  textus  receptus  is  simply — and 
will  hide  ;  and,  according  to  the  usual  future,  may  read  as  a 
continuous  present.  "  Is  covering  it."  That  is,  "  is  covering  ' 
"the  evil;"  a  most  evangelical  account.  "Have  seen;"  the 
emphatic  perfect  (22:3;  24:27).  "  Have  rushed  on  and  been 
punished."  Again,  the  perfect.  Have  done  this  at  any  given 
period.  At  any  point  in  their  lives  "  the  simple  "  have  left 
behind  them  this  mistake,  and  are  feeling  its  judicial  conse- 
quences. "Rushed  on;"  usnaWy  passed  (E.  V.).  The  idea  is 
that  of  soldiers  charging  up,  or  of  billows  rolling  in.  Passing 
is  not  necessarily  present  in  the  thought.  On  the  contrary,  reck- 
less precipitance  is  the  image  here,  as  well  as  in  other  of  the 
texts  of  Solomon  (18:1;  20  :  3).  The  whole  speaks  of  that 
cufining  man,  who,  in  that  there  are  lost  as  well  as  saved, 
takes  care  to  be  saved ;  and,  in  that  the  lost  and  the  saved  fit 
together  (v.  2),  and  are  bent  to  some  grand  result,  chooses  to 
reap  that  result,  he  and  the  Almighty,  and  not  to  be  on  the 
side  of  those  who  "  are  set  forth  for  an  ensample,  suffering  the 
vengeance  of  eternal  fire  "  (Jude  7). 

A  sacrifice  of  the  world,  therefore,  in  what  may  be  called 


35°  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXII. 

entire  and  very  painful  "  humiliation,"  is  a  good  bargain  in  the 
end;  not  only  because  ''''grace  is  better"  than  "wealth;"  but 
because  it  is  "  wealth,"  and  that  of  the  very  highest  kind  : — 


4  The  end  of  a  humiliation  which  is  the  fear 
of  Jehovah 
is  wealth  and  honor  and  life. 


4  By  humility,  and 
the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
are  riches,  and  honour, 
and  life. 


"Fear  ;"  in  apposition  with  "  hianiliaiiony  Notice  this  very 
particularly ;  for  there  is  a  species  of  "  humiliation  "  (see  next 
verse),  which  is  anything  hut '^  7aea/t/i."  ''' Humiliation  "  "^xx- 
man\y,  labor  ;  then />a in  ;  finally,  humility.  We  choose  " //«- 
miliation  "  as  embodying  both  thoughts,  both  pain  and  its  fruits. 
These  fruits  must  be  holy ;  that  is,  the  "  humiliation  "  must  be 
"the  fear  of  Jehovah."  Then  it  becomes  "wealth,  and  honor, 
and  life."  Chap.  21  :  21  has  it  "///"<?,  righteousness  and  glory. '* 
The  list  is  the  same;  except  that  ^''wealth"  is  replaced  by 
"  righteousness."  Of  course,  it  may  be  (see  v.  i).  ''^  A  name  " 
breeds  ^' wealth."  "A  name"  is  the  same  as  "righteousness." 
"Righteousness"  therefore,  is  convertible  iox" wealth."  Nay, 
righteousness  is  better  than  "  wealth  "  as  God  Himself,  the 
bestower  of  all,  is  better  than  any  conceivable  treasure. 
"  Wealth"  then,  is  everlasting  title ;  "  honor"  everlasting  glory ; 
"  life"  everlasting  holiness.  So,  painful  as  may  be  the  intended 
""humiliation  ;"  yet,  if  it  grow  into  "the  fear  of  Jehovah"  it 
is  in  its  own  nature  the  means  and  earnest  of  all  these  highest 
possessions. 

It  must  be  "  the  fear  of  Jehovah"  however;  because  : — 


5  Thorns  are  snares  in  the  way  of  the  crooked 
man. 
He  that  guards  his  soul  shall  get  far  from 
them. 


S  Thorns  a«</ snares 
are  in  the  way  of  the 
froward  ;  he  that  dotli 
keep  his  soul  shall  be 
far  from  them. 


"Thorns;"  i.e.,  bitter  vexations.  "Are  snares;"  i.  e.,  may 
destroy  a  "soul,"  instead  of  saving  it.  Most  men,  near  the 
meridian  of  life,  have  left  off  being  seduced  by  pleasures,  and 
are  ensnaredhy  "  thorns."  This  fact  has  a  separate  department 
in  the  parable  of  the  sower  (Mark  4  :  19),  where  an  actual  list  is 
given : — "  The  cares  of  this  world,  and   the   deceitfulness  ot 


Chap.  XXII.]  COMMENTARY.  351 

riches,  and  the  lusts  of  other  things."  The  man  who  thinks 
that  "  humiliation  "  will  save  him  is  deceived.  The  most  direful 
humiliations  are  only  "j«a;r.f."  It  is  the  cunning  man  of  the 
third  verse  ;  he  who  covers  up  sin  ;  that  is,  who  brings  over  it  the 
covering  of  a  better  ^^  na?ne"  (v.  i);  and  who,  as  this  second  clause 
has  it,  "guards  his  soul,"  and  gets  far  from  " //^^/v/j-,"  when 
they  are  becoming  "snares,"  that  achieves  that  penitent  humil- 
ity which  the  fourth  verse  sets  its  mark  upon  as  "the  fear  of 
Jehovah."  "  Gets  far."  This  is  graphic.  Not,  elears  the?n 
away.  The  favorite  impulse  of  the  "  soul "  is  to  get  rid  of  the 
''''thorns  "  and  then  come  to  the  feet  of  Jesus.  No  mortal 
ever  did  it.  As  well  might  a  bird  get  rid  of  a  snare  by  snap- 
ping it  down  upon  himself.  Converts,  in  all  ages,  have  come  to 
Christ  by  dropping  their  cares,  Sind  getting  far  away  from  them. 
**  The  woman  left  her  water-pot "  (Jo.  4  :  28) ;  a  thing  which, 
in  her  whole  previous  life,  she  could  hardly  have  ever  dreamed. 
Nevertheless  "  thorns  "  may  save  a  man ;  and  particularly,  as 
encountered  in  youth  : — 

6  Hedge  in  a  child  upon  the  mouth  of  his  ,,  ^  T"'"  "?/>  '^'ji'd '" 

o  -i  the  way  he  should  go  ; 

way  ;  and  when  he  is  old,  he 

even  for  the  very  reason  that  he  grows  old  «'"' "°' depart  from  it. 
he  shall  not  depart  from  it. 

"Hedge  in  a  child;"  literally,  jnake  it  narrow  for  a  child; 
straiten  him  in.  "  Upon  the  mouth  of  his  way;"  that  is,  its  en- 
trance. As  a  young  *'  child "  makes  many  starts,  so  be  ready 
for  him  whenever  he  attempts  to  move.  This  is  a  graphic  picture. 
"  Hedge  "  the  child  by  driving  him  off  of  dangerous  paths  till 
nothing  is  left  for  him  but  the  right  one.  Watch  men  as  they 
are  driving  cattle.  They  narrow  them  in  from  ground  where 
they  do  not  want  them, — in  upon  the  gate's  mouth,  or  the 
road's  mouth,  or  the  pen's  mouth,  wherever  they  intend 
that  they  shall  go.  This  is  the  use  of  "thorns"  (v.  5). 
God  would  not  plant  "thorns  "  simply  as  a  "  snare  ;"  but  their 
purpose  is  to  drive  men  from  danger.  If  "snares,"  it  can  only 
be  from  the  perverseness  of  our  nature :  if  goads,  only  at  last 
through  the  influences  of  God's  Holy  Spirit.  This  Spirit  we  are 
to  expect.     For,  now,  lest  there  should  seem  endlessness  in  the 


352  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXII. 

task,  ^<?(:tzz^^^  "  lie  grows  old  "  a  fixed  promise  comes  in  to  our 
relief.  It  is  a  maxim,  even  morally,  that  what  we  fix  by  the 
discipline  of  youth  hardens  by  the  settlement  of  age.  We  head 
the  bullock  some  scores  of  times,  and  at  last  he  yields  and  goes 
quietly  on.  Never  is  this  stable,  however;  that  is,  as  an  abso- 
lute consequence,  till  we  get  into  the  region  of  religion.  There 
it  is  perfect.  Treat  a  boy  prayerfully  in  the  period  of  youth, 
and  he  may  cross  continents.  God  will  follow  him. 
This  is  a  fixed  promise.  '•''Hedge  in  a  child  upon  the 
mouth  of  his  way,"  piously,  lovingly,  and  with  prayer,  and  he 
shall  be  saved.  Such  is  the  covenant.  "  For  the  very  reason 
that  he  grows  old  j"  not  "  when  "  (E.  V.)  That  shrouds  a  much 
more  emphatic  meaning.  "  Shall  not  depart."  True,  very  im- 
perfectly, as  a  secular  maxim  ;  but  perfectly  in  the  kingdom  of 
grace.  "Hedge  in"  an  apprentice  upon  his  trade,  or  ''hedge" 
a  student  upon  his  books,  or  "  hedge  "  a  child  upon  the  paths 
of  virtue,  and  "  even /or  the  very  reason  that  he  grains  old"  he 
will,  in  great  part,  harden  into  what  you  want.  Yet,  alas  !  not 
always.  But  hedge  in  a  soul  upon  Christ ;  remembering  your 
vows  for  him  in  baptism,  and  being  early  to  undertake  the 
work  :  "  hedge  in  "  your  child  with  prayer  upon  the  offer  of  the 
gospel,  and,  then,  dismiss  all  doubt.  God  shared  in  the  bap- 
tismal sacrament.  That  child  is  as  safe  as  his  father.  (I  mean 
safe  if  the  father  has  hedged  him  in.)  All  promises  are  abso- 
lute ;  and,  therefore,  this  Proverb,  instead  of  being  sure  only  in 
secular  affairs,  is  only  sure  as  to  the  child's  salvation. 

That  fearful  Proverb  that  "  the  rich  and  poor  are  fitted  together  " 
is  now  returned  to  for  the  sake  of  telling  the  object.  They 
are  "■fitted"  together  for  a  one-sided  and  most  affecting  system 
of  results : — 

7  The  rich  man  rules  over  the  poor;  LvlrThe^o^'rVd'fi^e 

and  the  borrower  is  servant    to  the  man  borrower />  servant  to 

.,      ,    ,        J  I  the  lender. 

that  lends. 

The  lost  are  accursed :  (Gal.  3  :  13)  the  meaning  of  which  is, 
that  they  are  devoted,  and  devoted  outside  of  themselves.  The 
ransomed  are  Kings  (Rev.  i  :  6),  the  meaning  of  which  is,  not 
that  they  bear  rule,  (at  least,  not  necessarily),  but  that  all  things 


Chap.  XXII.]  COMMENTARY.  353 

^minister  to  them.  The  lost  will  minister  to  the  saved,  not  per- 
sonally, but  in  the  results  of  their  eternal  history.  .And  "  the 
borrower  "  (a  relation  in  which  all  the  lost  stand  to  the  church 
and  to  the  Redeemer) ;  the  men  who  have  traded  on  that  which 
was  "another  man's"  (Luke  16:  12);  the  Sodoms  who  have 
lived  upon  the  ten  righteous  men  (Gen.  18:32);  the  world- 
lings, who  have  enjoyed  the  world  as  it  has  been  purchased 
for  them  by  Christ,  will  all  be  obliged  to  pay  back.  The 
true  proprietors  of  earth  are  saints  (Ps.  37  :  29).  All  else 
are  obliged  to  borrow.  And  all  who  live  by  borrowing 
are  sold  as  slaves.  The  Proverb  is  true,  of  course,  in  its 
secular  shape ;  but  we  need  hardly  mention  that.  The  other 
verses  about  wealth  (i,  2,  4)  plainly  imply  the  spiritual  as  the 
more  important  meaning.  "The  rich  man;"  made  singular, 
because  the  rich  are  few.  "  Poor ;"  made  plural  for  the  obverse 
reason.  "  Rules ;"  a  fine  illustration  of  what  is  meant  by  Chris- 
tians being  Kings.  They  are  not  to  govern,  (I  mean,  not  neces- 
sarily), but  to  have  all  things  working  for  them  (Rom.  8  :  28). 
If  we  are  Christ's,  all  things  are  ours  (i  Cor.  3  :  21).  The  lost 
are  to  be  for  the  good  of  the  saved.  That  is  meant  by  being 
ruled  by  them.  The  peculiar  expression,  "  man  who  lends," 
balanced  only  by  the  participle  '''"borrower"  not  man  who  bor^ 
rows,  may  have  its  proper  intention.  The  "  man  who  lends  "  is 
preeminently  Christ.  The  world  lives  upon  the  church  only  as 
one  form  of  living  upon  the  adorable  Redeemer. 

This  audacious  claim,  as  the  world  thinks  it,  that  the  world 
is  for  the  saints — a  claim,  which,  by  the  way,  has  been  wonder- 
fully abused — the  world,  of  course,  treats  with  quiet  scorn. 
Who  own  the  world  ?  Chiefly  the  lost.  Who  rule  the  world  ? 
Chiefly  the  wicked.  Who  teach  the  world  ?  Chiefly  impeni- 
tent historians  and  scholars.  The  lost,  therefore,  think  these 
are  the  obvious  fruits  of  their  earthly  devotions.  Now  the 
next  Proverb  gives  a  distinct  denial  to  any  such  belief: — 

8  He  that  sows  iniquity,  reaps  worthlessness ;  J^^^^  ^{j^,',  '"^^'J 
and  the  rod  of  his  career  shall  fail.  vanity,  and  the  rod  of 

his  anger  shall  fail. 

The  late  chapters  have  all  been  full  of  precipitancy  as  a  trait 


354  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXII. 

of  sin  (28  :  20).  It  is  called  haste  (19  :  2).  The  aim  of  the 
impenitent  is  said  to  be  greedily  to  snatch  possessions  (20  :  21). 
The  fool  is  said  to  push  forward  (20  :  3)  ;  and,  again,  folly,  to 
pour  itself  forth  (21  :  24).  "  Counsel "  is  understood  to  be  in  the 
lost  (20:  5),  but  only  troubling  him,  and  causing  him  to  know, 
better  than  his  actions  would  make  appear  (Matt.  7.- 24-26). 
In  this  Proverb  such  precipitate  careers  are  understood  as  giving 
a  man  a  certain  temporary  dominion,  which  might  disturb  the 
thought  that  the  lost  are  ruled  over  by  the  saved  (v.  7).  But 
the  Proverb  sets  itself  to  a  terse  rejoinder.  It  takes  two  terms 
for  "iniquity,"  one  meaning  crookedfiess,  the  other  meaning 
nothingness.  It  paints  one  as  only  breeding  the  other.  It  in- 
tends a  positive  law.  Wheat  breeds  wheat ;  so  "  iniquity' 
breeds  "  worthlessness."  A  man  may  live  a  thousand  years, 
yet  the  harvest  will  be  unvarying.  And  then,  to  meet  the  fact 
that  the  "  rod  of  his  career;"  that  is,  the  sceptre  of  his  pushing 
enterprise;  viz.,  the  dominion  that  his  ambition  gives,  does 
make  him  ruler  even  over  the  saints  themselves,  he  employs  a 
verb  which  expresses  high  action,  but  action  that  exhausts  itself. 
Its  literal  sense  is  to  consume.  The  idea  is  as  of  a  fever,  which 
wears  down  the  patient  and  itself  together.  The  saved  shall 
rule  over  the  lost  (v. 7).  The  borrower  shall  be  servant  to  the 
lender.  Impenitence  shall  but  breed  nothingness  in  the  end 
(v.  8).  But  as  the  impenitent  seem  to  have  the  whole  "  rod" 
or  sceptre  of  our  planet  (even  though  they  are  rushing  forward 
against  an  inward  and  a  better  light),  the  true  solution  is  this, 
— that  that  "  rod"  is  just  budding  out  its  strength.  That  hot 
"  career  "  is  a  fever;  it  will  exhaust  itself.  A  man's  bold  busi- 
ness may  carry  him  to  the  high  places  of  the  earth;  but  it  is 
the  felled  tree  still  putting  forth  leaves,  "  Iniquity  "  will  reap 
vanity.  And  the  sceptre  of  sin,  however  bold  and  high,  may- 
carry  a  man  to  many  a  victory  in  the  world,  only  to  illustrate 
in  the  end  that  "  the  rod  of  his  career  shall  fail."  "  Career  ;  " 
not  "anger  "  (E.  V.) ;  we  miss  in  that  way  the  whole  point  of 
the  passage ;  but  from  the  verb  to  push  along  or  ;W/  for^uard, 
remarked  upon  in  the  second  clause  of  the  third  verse,  and 
used  often  for  the  same  trait  of  impenitence,  under  the  hands 
of  the  same  inspired  teacher  (18:1;  20  :  3). 


Chap.  XXII.]  COMMENTARY.  355 

In  balancings  of  advantage  Solomon  likes  to  get  back  to 
what  is  inward.  Mere  selfishness  will  not  save  a  man.  He  likes 
to  return  to  what  is  excellent  in  itself,  and  keep  that  up  as  the 
highest  motive  of  believing  penitence.  Not  only  is  the  bor- 
rower servant  to  the  lender  (v.  7),  but  the  lender  is  inwardly- 
rewarded,  and  that  in  his  very  beneficence  itself : — 


Q  The  bountiful  eye,  in  its  very  self,  is  bless-  ,  9  He  that  hath  a 

^  -'     '  ■'  '  bountitul  eye  shall  be 

ed  5  blessed  ;  for  he  giveth 

because  it  has  given  away  its  own  food  to 
the  faint. 


of  his  bread  to  the  poor. 


"  Eye  "  is  very  rarely  masculine  (Cant.  4:9);  but  it  may  as 
well  be  in  this  case  as  in  any  other.  The  ambiguity,  however, 
is,  like  most  in  the  Proverbs  (16:7;  23  :  3),  a  point  of  indif- 
ference. "The  bountiful  ^/ rv^  "  or  ^^  the  bountiful  eye,"  either 
would  answer.  It  would  be,  literally,  " ///^  good  eye  "  but,  as 
that  means  something  else  in  English,  we  resort,  with  the  Eng- 
lish Version,  to  the  synonym  "  bountiful."  "  In  its  very  self;  " 
simply  the  emphatic  pronoun.  Holiness  "  itself "  is  the  very 
highest  reward  of  holiness.  "  The  rich  and  the  poor  are  fitted 
together  "  (v.  2)  chiefly  in  the  lost  ministering  to  the  bounty  of 
the  saved.  The  loss  of  one's  "  own  food  "  (second  clause)  is  a 
worldly  pain;  but,  in  the  philosophy  of  heaven,  it  is  the  very 
spice  of  the  celestial  banqueting.  "  T/ie  bountiful  eye  is  blessed  " 
for  the  very  reason  that  "  it  has  given  away  its  own  food  to  the 
faint."  ^^  Faint /' usually  " poor  "  (E.  V.);  but  that  designa- 
tion for '^J>oor"  derived  from  a  word  meaning  taeak  (see  14: 

31). 

Iniquity,  then,  being  so  fruitful  of  vanity  (v.  8),  and  good- 
ness so  good  in  itself  (v.  9),  the  Wise  Man  proceeds  to  clear 
away  difficulties.  There  seems  a  great  bank  of  enmity  between 
God  and  the  sinner, — of  "strife  "  and  also  of  "shame.''  The 
Wise  Man  insists  that  rebellion  is  the  only  cause  of  it : — 


Cast  out  the  scorner,  and  the   cause  of 

quarrel  passes  away ; 
and  strife  and  shame  cease. 


ic  Cast  out  the  scorn- 
er, and  contention  shall 
go  out ;  yea,  strife  and 
reproach  shall  cease. 


This  thought  occurs  before  (24 : 9).     It  occurs  also  in  the 


356  PROVERBS.  [Cfap.  XXII. 

Psalms  (Ps.  68  :  6).  "  Only  the  rebellious,"  the  Psalmist  says, 
shall  come  to  mischief.  There  are,  it  is  true,  great  mountains 
of  wickedness ;  but  take  away  this  one  element  of  scorn;  that 
is,  make  a  man  submissive,  and  the  cause  of  strife  has  flown. 
Christ  manages  afterwards.  Take  away  the  rebelliousness  of 
the  heart,  and  great  monstrous  sins  will  slowly  be  corrected 
and  disappear.  "Cause  of  quarrel."  This  noun  has  the  ex- 
pressive 72>  which,  in  material  things,  means  place :  in  imma- 
terial, like  ''''strife"  or  '''' quar7'el,"  may  mean  ''''the  cause."  It 
means  that  in  the  Psalms  (Ps.  8o  :  6).  "  Thou  makest  us  a 
strife  to  our  neighbors."  We  know  no  case  where  it  is  not  sus- 
ceptible of  this  interpretation  (see  15  :  18).  In  the  second  clause 
it  is  without  the  J2-  Scornhig  is  not  itself  the  ''''cause;"  and, 
therefore,  ceasing  to  scorn  does  not  remove  it  directly.  Christ 
must  remove  the  "  cause."  Scorning  expels  Christ.  Ceasing  to 
scorn  admits  Christ.  And,  therefore,  it  is  literally  true, — "  Cast 
out  the  scorner  (it  may  be  thine  own  scornful  heart),  and  the 
cause  of  quarrel  passes  away  ;  and  strife  and  shame  cease." 

It  is  another  encouragement  that  the  king  loves  purity  of 
heart.  If  there  be  any  "  himvledge  "  in  the  soul  (see  twelfth 
verse)  He  "  mounts  guard  over  "  it.  The  least  symptom  of  life 
He  hails.  "  He  taketh  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  him  that 
dieth."  And,  therefore,  His  favorite  "  companion "  is  that 
"  graciousness  of  lips  "  which  pronounces  pardon  upon  His  re- 
turning enemies  : — 

1 1  The  king,  loving  purity  of  heart,  1    n  h  e  that  loveth 

Dj  or]  7  pureness  of  heart,  _/£>r 

has   graciousness  of  his  lips   as  his   near  the  grace  of  his  lips 

romnaninn  '^^  '''"S  '^hall  be  his 

companion.  I  friend. 

This  is  a  fine  confirmment  of  our  reading  previously  (21  :  2), 
It  is  the  genius  of  these  texts  to  throw  their  subject  last.  "  As 
to  the  ways  of  a  man  (16  :  2),  right  in  His  own  eyes,  and  weigh- 
ing out  spirits,  is  Jehovah."  There  are  other  cases  (27  :  9).  In 
the  present  text,  '''' Loving  purity  of  heart,  the  graciousness  of  his 
lips  as  his  companion  has  the  hing."  It  is  not  without  secular 
truth ;  but  no  one  can  dig  into  the  context  without  seeing  that 
it  is  the  great  assurance,  that  sins  need  not  trouble  us,  because,  if 
we  will  only  drop  our  scorning,  our  sins  will  be  removed  (v.  10) ; 


Chap.  XXII.]  COMMENTARY.  357 

because  our  King  (v.  11)  loves  purity,  and,  if  we  will  quit  our 
scornfulness,  grace-utterances  from  His  lips  will  be  His  chosen 
friends.  This  Proverb  has  been  tortured  more  almost  than  any 
other.  It  is  terse,  and,  therefore,  may  seem  ambiguous.  The 
gist  of  all  comments  has  been  to  make  man  the  lover  of  purity, 
and,  then,  to  assure  him  that  the  king  will  be  his  friend.  Ber- 
theau  pronounces  it  ^^  sehr  schwer"  ("  very  hard.")  We  at  first 
carved  out  the  rendering, — "  He  that  loves  purity  of  heart,  in 
the  grace  of  his  lips  shall  have  a  king  for  his  friend :"  that  is,  in 
his  own  graciousness,  shall  have  a  companion  like  a  king.  But 
a  glance  at  the  whole  structure  of  the  verse ;  our  comparing  it 
with  the  verses  already  cited,  and  its  connection  in  the  context, 
all  lead  us  to  the  above-mentioned  sense.  Sin  need  not  discour- 
age us.  If  we  drop  our  rebelliousness,  God  loves  to  make  us 
pure ;  and  grace  on  His  lips  is  His  companion  and  friend. 

Still  more,   therefore,  will  He  preserve  piety,  when  it  has 
begun : — 

12  The  eyes  of  Jehovah  have  mounted  guard 
over  knowledge ; 
but  He  subverts  the  words  of  the  faithless. 


12  The  eyes  of  the 
Lord  preserve  knowl- 
edge; and  he  over- 
throweth  the  words  of 
the  transgressor. 


"  Knowledge  ;"  piety,  even  in  its  smallest  beginnings  ;  not 
only  piety,  but  its  belongings,  though,  of  all  its  belongings,  the 
greatest  by  far  is  piety  itself.  The  moment  it  begins,  God 
mounts  guard  over  it.  We  "shall  never  perish  "  (Jo.  10  :  28). 
He  furthers  it  in  every  way  after  its  beginning.  And  then,  as 
the  opposite,  comes  a  word  usually  translated  "  transgressor  " 
(E.  v.).  Originally  it  means /a/se;  sometimes,  "  treac/ierous  " 
(Judges  9  :  23).  Its  noun  means  a  spoiling  (Is.  24  :  16).  It  is 
balanced  in  this  text  against  ''knowledge:'  The  opposite  of 
truth  is  falsehood.  And,  therefore,  we  prefer  to  keep  what  is 
primary.  God  watches  knowledge,  but  upturns  "  the  words" 
(sometimes  the  affairs  ;  see  Gen.  20  :  8)  "  of  the  faithless  "  or 
false  man. 

The  inducements,  thus  employed,  have  this  unspeakal^le  de- 
fect,— that  impenitence  will  admit  their  value,  and  still  resist 
them.  Doddridge  averred  that  the  mass  of  men  are  damned 
for  laziness.     There  is  an  inert  temper  in  the  heart,  when  the 


3S8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXII. 

man  outwardly  may  be  very  diligent.  He  fears  to  move.  It 
has  a  shadowing  in  worldly  sloth.  The  lazy  man  is  afraid  to 
start.  He  shrinks  as  though  made  of  glass.  All  understand 
this  when  recalling  their  lazy  tempers.  Valetudinarian  excuse 
is  of  all  others  the  most  ripe  among  the  really  indolent. 
But  in  religion  it  is  worse.  Take  away  every  apology,  and  a 
man  will  invent  a  new  one.  Take  away  every  new  one,  and 
the  soul  will  be  afraid  yet.  Nay,  it  will  manufacture  phan- 
toms : — 
13  The  sluggard  has  been  saying, — There  is  a  ^j^^  The  slothful  ?«a» 


lion  in  the  street ; 
I  shall  be  slain  in  the  midst  of  the  broad 
ways. 


There  is  a  lion 
without,  I  shall  be 
slain  in  the  streets. 


"  Saiih  "  (E.  V.) ;  really  a  preterite.  These  Proverbs  have 
usually  the  future.  The  future  is  a  present  continuing  for- 
ward. Here  we  have  a  present  tracing  itself  backward.  The 
impenitent  "lias  been  [always]  saying."  Age  has  not  changed. 
Men  have  stuck  to  it  for  near  a  century.  "  There  is  a  lion  in 
the  street,"  just  where  one  was  never  seen ;  "  I  shall  be  slain 
in  the  broad  ways,"  congregated  with  people.  "  There  is  a 
lion  "  at  the  mercy-seat.  So  that  the  minister  quits  answer- 
ing the  sluggard's  cavils,  and  tells  each  man  plainly,  These  cries 
are  symptomatic.  There  is  no  "  Hon  "  in  the  case.  And  a 
;,  heart  that  will  shape  these  phantoms  would  shape  others  if 
these  were  laid.  The  difficulty  is  sloth.  In  truth,  "  //lere  is  a 
lioji  j"  but  it  is  a  bad  heart,  crouching  against  itself,  and  lurk- 
ing to  destroy  the  poor  unwary  sinner. 

This  inward  power,  the  ^^/olly  "  which  is  half  ^''fettered  in  the 
heart  of  a  child''  (v.  15),  he  next  paints  under  the  image  of  a 
seductive  woman  (5:3;  7:10).  There  may  be  no  ^^  lion"  to 
rend  him  in  the  streets,  but  there  is  "a  pit  "  to  sink  him  if  he 
stays  where  he  is  : — 

14  A  deep  pit  is  the  mouth  of  strange  women. 
He  at  whom  God  is  angry  shall  fall  there. 


14  The  mouth  o  f 
strange  women  is  a 
deep  pit  :  he  that  is 
abhorred  of  the  Lord 
shall  fall  therein. 


Starting  is  not  dangerous,  but  standing  is.     The  Apostle  has 
a  picture  for  just  this  distinction.     "  To  them  that  are   conten- 


Chap.  XXIL]  COMMENTAR  Y  359 

lious,  and  do  not  obey  the  truth,  but  obey  unrighteousness  " 
(Rom.  2:8);  his  meaning  being,  that  men  cavil  ox  contend  (liter- 
ally, "  are  in  strife  ")  against  the  truth,  but  do  not  cavil  against 
that  much  more  suspicious  thing,  unrighteousness.  Just  so, 
men  count  the  risks  of  faith ;  but  who  counts  the  risks  of  no 
faith  1  and  dreads  the  "  lion  in  the  way  "  which  is  begotten  of 
the  soul's  impenitency?  "Mouth;"  in  that  Eastern  country, 
agency.  "  Strange  women;"  the  type  of  u7ibelief  (see  Class  L). 
"  The  mouth  of  strange  women  ;'  the  whole  activities  of  sin. 
They  hold  men  like  one  fallen  into  "  a  pit."  The  second  clause 
adds  altogether  a  second  story  to  the  structure  by  say- 
ing, that  these  "  strange  women"  pit  and  sin  together, 
are  all  penalties  of  God  (Rom.  i  :  28).  It  is  a  dreadful  doc- 
trine. Impenitency  is  a  punishment  for  impenitence.  God's 
anger  keeps  it.  It  would  have  no  power  at  all,  except  it  were 
given  it  by  the  law.  "  The  strength  of  sin  is  the  law  "  (i  Cor. 
15:56).  '■'■A  deep  pit  is  the  mouth  of  strange  women  "  but  only 
"  he  at  whom  God  is  angry  "  can  possibly  "  fall  there." 

If  God  intend  us  mercy.  He  will  drive  out  our  sloth  by  chas- 
tisement ;  and  this  specially  when  we  are  children  : — 


15  Folly  is  fettered  in  the  heart  of  a  child. 
The  rod  of  correction  removes  it  from  him. 


IS  Foolishness  is 
bound  in  the  heart  of  a 
child';  but  the  rod  of 
correction  shall  drive  it 
far  from  him. 


"Fettered."  It  might  have  different  meanings.  Idiomati- 
cally it  might  mean  sirorig.  See  Gen.  30:42,  where  Jacob 
tricked  Laban  about  the  cattle.  "  The  feeble  were  Laban's, 
and  the  strong  (literally,  the  bound)  were  Jacob's."  This  is  a 
rare  meaning,  and  not  likely  to  be  the  meaning  here,  because 
"foUy  "  is  not  likely  to  be  strong  "in  the  heart  of  a  child,"  if 
it  mean  religious  impenitency.  ''Bound"  is,  therefore,  the 
English  Version.  Firmly  knit;  closely  settled;  well  tied  in ; 
that  \s,  fixed  in  the  childish  spirit:  this  is  the  sense  of  nearly  all 
the  commentators.  Of  course,  there  are  great  difficulties  ^  at 
once.  The  fact  theologically  is  just  the  opposite.  "  Folly  is 
not  fixed  in  the  childish  heart;  but  stronger  and  stronger  m 
periods  afterward.  Why  not,  pro  vero,  ''bound?"  ^In  much 
the  majority  of  texts  it  means  simply  tied  do-cvn,  or  "  fettered. 


36o  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXII. 

"  Folly  is  fettered  in  the  heart  of  a  child  j"  that  is,  tied  down,  and, 
in  many  natural  ways,  repressed.  This  is  literally  the  case.  It 
is  weak,  and  hemmed  in,  and  easier  to  grapple  with  and  drag 
out  of  the  soul  in  youth  than  in  any  other  period.  Why  was 
not  this  at  first  glance  the  accepted  rendering }  For,  in  as  many 
as  a  score  of  ways ;  by  baptism,  and  by  parental  laws ;  by  its 
own  childish  fears;  by  the  child's  tender  state;  folly  is  bound 
in  the  heart  of  the  child,  and  much  easier  to  be  removed,  than  in 
hardened  and  determined  old  age.  "  Removes ;"  Hiphil  oi goes. 
We  cannot  drive  out  ^^  folly,"  but  we  can  make  it  go.  Chastise- 
ftient,  by  leading  to  thought,  will  move  a  child  voluntarily  to 
^^ go"  from  the  ways  of  evil. 

We  must  be  careful,  however,  how  we  administer  chastise- 
ment. There  is  a  mighty  difference  in  the  modus  quo.  The 
saved  and  the  lost  are  fitted  together  (v.  2).  The  lost  are  for 
the  good  of  the  saved  (v.  7);  but  this  is  deep  doctrine,  and 
God,  not  we,  is  to  act  it  forth.  We  are  to  give  pain  for  reproof, 
but  not  for  selfishness.  It  was  horrible  days  of  persecution 
when  the  cry  was, — "  The  earth  is  for  the  saints,  and  we  are  the 
saints."     So  now, — 


16  He  that  oppresses  the  weak  man,  to  make 
increase  for  himself, 
gives  to  the  rich  man,  only  with  poverty  as 
the  result. 


16  He  that  oppress- 
eth  the  poor  to  increase 
his  ric/tesy  and  he  that 
giveth  to  the  rich,  j,4a// 
surely  come  to  want. 


""Weak;"  usually /^(?r  (E,  V.).  We  prefer  what  is  primary, 
where  it  is  agreeable  to  the  sense.  "  Weak,"  secularly ;  (for 
the  Proverb  is  true  as  a  worldly  one  ;)  but  "  weak  "  spiritually, 
ex proposito,  i.  e.,  impenitent.  We  are  not  to  mimic  God's  judg- 
ments. (See  also  verse  22).  "He  that  oppresses"  the  lost 
either  for  spiritual  or  temporal  selfishness,  "  gives  to  "  the 
saved,  or  fancies  he  does,  but  only  "  with  the  result  (of)  pov- 
erty." "  With  the  result  "  simply  5-  If  a  man  t)\inks  he  is 
"  rich,"  what  has  been  stated  makes  him  more  poor ;  or,  if  he 
really  is  rich,  (of  course,  I  mean  spiritually)  it  keeps  him  less 
rich,  and  is  one  of  those  impoverishing  acts  which  disciplines 
will  have  to  overcome.  A  favorite  version,  which  would  thrust 
aside  this,  makes  each  clause  distinct,  and  the  increasing  spoken 


Chap.  XXlI.l  COMMENTARY.  361 

of  apply  to  the  ^^ weak  man"  not  to  his  oppressor.  The  verse 
would  then  read,  ''''He  that  oppresses  the  weak  man  increases  him" 
or, gives  him  strength;  ^^ he  thai  gives  to  the  rich  man  "  impov- 
erishes him,  or  ^^  does  it  only  with  the  result  of  poverty"  The 
meaning  would  then  be, — He  that  oppresses  the  weak,  disciplines 
him,  and  brings  a  blessing  upon  him ;  while  he  that  gives  to 
the  rich,  relaxes  him,  and  tends  to  make  him  poor,  and  to  make 
himself  poor,  too,  for  want  of  a  blessing.  The  difficulty  there 
is,  that  this  is  not  true.  The  poor  may  be  poorer  by  oppres- 
sion, and  the  rich  richer.  It  is  not  true  spiritually.  The  lost 
often  perish  by  the  neglect  of  the  saved.  In  fact  they  always 
do.  The  grammar  of  such  a  rendering  is  no  better.  (Alas  for 
the  ambiguities  of  speech  !  that  it  should  be  as  good  !).  The 
sense  that  we  have  above  given  is  complete.  And  the  connec- 
tion is  so  perfect  that  we  have  no  hesitation  in  fixing  very  em- 
phatically upon  our  chosen  rendering. 

Discipline,  at  best,  is  but  an  awkward  agency.  Why  not 
come  without  it  to  the  wisdom  it  would  beget  }  The  Wise  Man 
is  returning  ever  to  this  direct  entreaty.  We  do  not  think,  as 
most  do, that  this  is  a  new  poem.  There  are  said  to  be  differ- 
ences of  style.  ^5^  is  used  oftener,  and  some  other  words.  If 
that  be  anything  else  than  accident,  the  new  hand,  in  our  be- 
lief, has  added  his  new  matter  with  a  view  to  the  previous 
Proverbs.  Discipline  is  good  (13  :  24) ;  but  there  is  something 
unspeakably  better;  and  that  he  goes  on  to  characterize  as  im- 
mediate attention : — 


17  Incline  thine  ear  and  hear  the  words  of 
the  wise, 
and  thou  shalt  incline  thine  heart  to  my 
knowledge. 


17  Bow  down  thine 
ear,  and  hear  the  words 
of  the  wise,  and  apply 
thine  heart  unto  m  y 
knowledge. 


This  sounds  like  the  openings  of  the  earlier  Proverbs  (5:1; 
7  :  i).  The  repetition  is  significant.  The  life  of  the  soul  is 
attention.  If  that  be  persevered  in,  all  things  follow.  God 
only  can  give  saving  light.  And  yet  by  laws  like  the  planetary 
system  He  will  give  it  on  the  bending  of  the  "eax."  Alas  for  us ! 
we  will  not  even  do  this  much  without  His  influence.  Never- 
theless He  urges  the  promise.  Bend  the  ear,  "  and  thou  shalt 
16 


362  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXII. 

incline  thine  heart."  It  is  a  law,  though  it  be  a  law  of  grace. 
God  has  framed  it.  Hear  outwardly,  and  thou  shalt  feel  with- 
in. Such  is  our  nature  (2  :  1-5),  and  it  is  shrewd  to  use 'it. 
The  mclining  is  from  Him ;  but  the  advice  also  is  from  Him ! 
Shrink  not  from  the  advice  because  His  strength  is  needed  to 
make  it  His  chosen  instrument.  Bend  thine  ear  to  wisdom, 
and  the  result  in  getting  "  knowledge,"  though  it  may  need  His 
Spirit,  yet  will  be  as  certain  as  the  dawn  of  Heaven. 

Moreover,  it  will  last  when  we  get  it.  This  is  the  wonder  to 
others.  Here  one  has  been  trying  to  be  a  better  man,  and  be- 
gins to  be  one  from  a  sudden  epoch.  Others  wrestle  with 
their  faults,  and  fall  back  into  them  again.  Nothing  can  be 
more  fitful  than  all  moral  reformations.  But  here,  in  spiritual 
life,  a  flash  shoots  up,  and  we  never  return  to  darkness.  Why 
is  this.''  "Because  it  is  pleasant,"  says  the  next  Proverb.  It 
becomes  "  fixed  "  because  of  its  principle  as  of  a  second  nature. 
If  we  "  watch  over  them "  ////  they  becotne  ''''  plcasa?it"  "  the 
O'i^r^j- ^ ///I?  K'zVf"  "  get  fixed  together  upon  \oin-\  lips."  This 
is  the  account  instrumentally  ;  and  it  is  the  inward  view  of  the 
great  fact  of  perseverance  : — 


18  Because  it  is  pleasant  because  thou  dost 
watch  over  them  within  thyself; 
therefore  they  shall  get  fixed  together  upon 
thy  lips. 


18  For  it  is  a  pleas- 
ant thing  if  thou  keep 
them  within  thee  ;  they 
shall  withal  be  fitted  in 
thy  lips. 


"Because,"  A  new  sentence.  The  apodosis  is  afterward 
(second  clause).  "Pleasant;"  the  whole  act  (v.  17),  rather  than 
"  kjiowledge"  which  is  feminine,  or  than  any  one  of  the  sub- 
stantive expressions.  "Because;"  as  repeated,  not  similar  to 
the  first,  but  subordinate.  The  first  because  is  explanatory  of 
how  right  words  (v.  17)  ''  get  fixed  [fi  mi]  upon  [the]  lips  /'  viz., 
that  a  certain  course  has  become  ^^ pleasant."  The  second  ex- 
plains how  they  have  become  "pleasant,"  in  showing  what  our 
part  was;  viz.,  that  they  have  been  watched  over  in  our  inward 
spirits.  The  whole  is  a  beautiful  account  of  the  Grace  of  Per- 
severance. When  we  watch  over  right  words,  which  (Orientaliter) 
Stand  for  all  right  actions,  God  rewards  us  by  making  them 


Chap.  XXII.]  COMMENTARY.  363 

^^ pleasant-/'  and    so,   even   as   in  heaven  itself,   they  become 
''''fixed"  as  the  very  habit  of  our  lips. 

This  enables  the  Wise  Man  to  state  in  the  minutest  method 
his  end  in  preaching.  It  is,  to  make  men  "know;"  that  is,  to 
give  them  "  knoivledge  "  (see  v.  17)  : — 


19  That  thy  ground  of  trust  may  come  to  be 
in  Jehovah, 
I   have  made    thee   know  this   day,  even 
thee. 


19  That  thy  trust 
may  be  in  the  Lokd,  I 
have  made  known  to 
thee  this  day,  even  to 
thee. 


"  Ground  of  trust ;"  that  most  expressive  )2  prefixed,  to  which 
we  have  already  alluded  (22  :  10).  "That  may  come  to  be;" 
simply  3  with  the  verb  "  lo  be."  Just  like  the  pronoun,  when 
expressed  (10:  22),  so  this  verb,  when  expressed,  becomes  em- 
phatic. The  idea  of  existence  usually  has  no  verb.  "  Let 
there  be  light  "  (Gen.  i  :  3)  means, — Let  light  come  to  be.  So 
here,  the  writing  of  the  verb  imparts  to  it  the  edge  of  an  event, 
and  makes  it  refer  to  an  actual  occurrence  ; — "  That  thy  ground 
of  trust  may  come  to  be  in  Jehovah  j"  that  is,  that  thou  mayest 
be  converted  in  the  only  evangelical  way,  viz.,  with  a  right 
*^ ground  of  trust."  "  I  have  made  thee  know  this  day,  even 
thee."  This  is  all  that  the  soul  needs; — to  be  tnade  to  know. 
This  is  the  sum  of  all  regeneration.  It  must  be  a  change  such 
that  we  come  to  "  know ;"  and  therefore  that  very  emphatic 
expression, — "  even  thee."  It  must  be  no  book  "  knoivledge" 
but  a  light  in  one's  self.  It  might  seem  arrogant  for  the  Wise 
Man  to  talk  of  giving  it ;  but  we  are  commanded  to  give  it  to 
ourselves  (v.  17).  It  is  but  a  tribute  to  God's  truth,  where  in- 
strumentally  we  are  faithful.  Solomon  marks  the  whole  object 
of  his  preaching.  As  crumbs  into  a  starving  man,  if  he  can 
get  in  a  little  light,  the  soul  lives ;  and  lives  in  that  first  feature 
of  life,  one's  ^^ ground  of  trust  [coming^  to  be  Jehovah."  "  Even 
thee"  strangely  enough,  is  nominative  ;  and  yet  all  treat  it  as 
an  accusative.  It  occurs  somewhat  so  elsewhere  (see  Ges, 
Gr.  §  119,  2);  and  perhaps  not  without  reason.  Had  it  been 
literally  accusative,  there  might  have  been  doubt  whether  it  did 
not  point  to  the  knowing  of  oneself.  As  it  is,  it  is  a  most  em- 
phatic return  upon  the  idea,  that  ourselves,  by  a  change  within 


364  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXII. 

ourselves,  must  come  to  ^^ know ;'  and  to  "know,"  first  of  all, 
"  our  trust,"  viz.,  the  Most  High. 

Instead  of  arrogance,  Solomon  only  means  to  say  that  he  has 
done  all  he  could  to  make  them  "  ktioiv,"  and  that  inwardly. 
He  uses  the  image  of  W7'iting,  which  in  those  days  was  some- 
thing grave  (Job  19  :  23) : — 


20  Have  I  not  written  for  thee  eminent  things     ^°  "^^;=  '  "°'  ^7''- 

°     ten    to   thee    excellent 

as  counsels  and  knowledge  t 

21  that  I  might  make  thee  know  the  verity  of 

words  of  truth, 
so  as  to  return  words  of  truth  to  them  that 
send  for  thee  7 


things  in  counsels  and 
knowledge  ; 

21  That  I  might 
make  thee  know  the 
certainty  of  the  words 
of  truth  ;  that  thou 
mightest  answer  the 
words  of  truth  to  them 
that  send  unto  thee? 


How  exact  is  all  this !  How  the  preacher  labors  !  Let  us 
begin  at  his  most  expressive  terminus.  We  are  to  be  sent  for ! 
some  certain  day.  "  Those  that  send  "  is  but  the  Proverbial 
cast  (25  :  2).  Him  that  sends  is  the  more  perfect  meaning.  As 
sure  as  the  stars  we  shall  be  sent  for  one  day ;  and  one  thing 
will  be  exacted  from  us,  and  only  one  in  the  creation,  and  that 
is  light.  The  man  without  light  perishes.  Solomon  says,  his 
whole  aim  has  been  to  press  light  upon  the  sinner.  "  Have  I 
not  written?"  he  says  (that  most  expressive  act),  and  '"''have 
I  not  written  eminent  things  ?"  (There  has  been  a  great  con- 
troversy about  this  word.  It  comes  from  the  number  three. 
Itxritsxis  chief  ox  pri?icipal.  But  see  Gesenius.  See  for  oppo- 
site opinions,  Maurer,  etc.).  "  Hai'e  I  ?iot  7c>ritten  efninent 
things  as  (literally,  in*)  counsels  and  knowledge?"  Have  I  not 
done,  and  that  under  Scriptural  promises,  the  very  best  things 
to  secure  my  object?  And  is  not  that  object,  now,  "that  I 
might  make  thee  know  the  verity  of  words  of  truth?"  This 
Hebrew  is  very  peculiar.  "  Words  of  truth"  are  easily  uttered. 
"  Counsels  and  knowledge  "  of  the  deepest  sort  may  be  in  the 
minds  of  infidels.  We  may  teach  a  child  the  very  intricacies 
of  faith.  But  there  is  a  "verity"  at  its  deepest  root  that  the 
*'  natural  man"  cannot  perceive  (i  Cor.  2  :  14).  To  express 
this,  Solomon  uses  a  very  infrequent  word.    It  means  (in  radiee) 

*  ^  essentia. 


Chap.  XXII.]  COMMENTARY.  365 

to  weigh  out,  so  as  to  be  exact.  That  I  might  make  thee 
know  the  exactness  of  words  of  truth.  The  meaning  is  that 
"  verity"  which  is  seen  by  a  Christian  eye.  It  is  a  holy  "  verity.'" 
When  scholars  have  gon^  deep,  it  is  a  moral  taste  that  goes 
deeper.  It  is  the  eyes  of  our  understanding  being  enlight- 
ened;  a  tOllJiPJ  ^  heavenly  J7m/y  y  which,  after  all,  is  but  the 

:       :  f 

conscience  of  a  man  enlightened,  and  (creeds  remaining  the 
same)  seeing  new  difference  between  sin  and  holiness.  This 
tptp'p  (^J^d  there  is  something  expressive  in  the  very  newness 
of  the  word),  as  what  the  skeptic  lacks,  though  he  understand 
a  creed  just  as  well  as  the  Christian  :  a  simple  thing,  and  yet  an 
eternal  secret ;  this  it  is  that  Solomon  so  labored  to  impart ; 
and  he  emphasizes  his  work  by  saying  that  it  will  be  called  for 
at  the  last  day.  Thjs  tOtpp  will  be  demanded  as  inexorably  as 
fate.  We  must  see  it,  or  see  the  pit.  It  will  be  asked  for  in 
the  Judge's  first  question,  and  nothing  else.  It  is  the  very 
light  of  the  Wise  Virgins  (Matt.  25  :  i)  ;  and  hence  the  beauti- 
ful painting  of  the  Proverb, — "  That  I  might  make  thee  knotu  the 
tOIDp  ^f  "^ords  of  truth  ;  so  as  to  return  words  of  truth  to  them 
that  send  for  thee." 

Next,  an  interval  by  the  copyists  seems  to  mean  a  falling  off 
upon  some  new  trains  on  the  part  of  the  inspired  Sentence- 
Maker.  He  plainly,  however,  holds  on  to  the  idea  (v.  16), 
that  we  are  not  to  count  the  lost  as  the  servants  of  the  saved 
(v,  7)  in  such  a  sense  as  to  treat  them  so  in  our  own  adminis- 
tration : — 


22  Rob  not  the  weak  because  he  is  weak, 
and  crush  not  the  afflicted  in  the  gate  : 


22  Rob  not  the  poor, 
because  he  is  poor; 
neither  oppress  the  af- 
flicted in  the  gate  ; 


If  any  commentator  teaches  that  men  "  rob "  the  poor  be- 
cause they  are  poor  and,  therefore,  are  not  able  to  defend 
themselves ;  and  that  they  "  crush  "  for  like  reason  "  the  af- 
flicted in  the  gate ;"  i.  e.,  in  what  in  the  East  was  the  court  of 
law  ;  of  course  I  admit  that  meaning  ;  and  I  admit  the  Proverb 
as  with  all  that  sort  of  lower  and  yet  virtuous  monition.  But 
it  is  all  that,  as  the  nut  is  both  the  kernel  and  the  shell.  The 
kernel  was  something  a  great  deal  richer.     It  was  this :— We 


366  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXII. 

instinctively  shrink  from  the  abandoned.  We  owe  the  poor  in 
God's  spiritual  commonwealth  a  wise  looking  after.  We  in- 
continently avoid  them.  We  "rob  the  weak  because  he  is 
weak."  If  Matthew  be  a  publican,  we  would  never  look  at 
him  ■  If  a  woman  be  a  Canaanite,  we  would  "  send  her  away  " 
(Matt.  15  :  23).  It  is  rooted  in  the  Church  not  to  expect  any- 
thing from  the  profligate ;  and,  hence,  though  it  is  very  true 
that  God  means  to  give  peoples  for  us^  we  undertake  to  arro- 
gate that,  and  to  do  it  for  ourselves.  We  rob  the  weak  be- 
cause they  are  weak :  and,  when  great  counsels  are  invoked  in 
enterprises  for  the  good  of  the  church,  we  far  too  easily  decide 
against  the  abandoned,  and,  in  this  way,  "  crush  the  afflicted  in 
the  gate." 

Solomon  puts  us  on  our  guard  : — 


23  because  Jehovah  takes  their  case ; 

and  has  already  robbed  the  soul  of  them 
that  rob  them. 


23  For  the  Lokd  will 
plead  their  cause,  and 
spoil  the  soul  of  those 
that  spoiled  them. 


That  is,  the  church  suffers  for  all  its  hard  dealing  with  the 
world.  The.  perfect,  in  the  second  clause,  means  that  they  have 
suffered  "already."  It  shows,  therefore, //6'7£/  they  suffer,  that 
is  in  this  very  hardness.  And  this  is  further  expressed  by  the 
mention  of  the  "  soiQ."  "  Plead  their  cause  "  (E.  V.).  This  is 
a  handsomer  expression  ;  but  not  so  strong  a  one.  The  He- 
brew is,  "  wages  their  quarrel,"  or  "  strives  their  strife,"  or,  as 
the  '''' gate"  has  been  mentioned  (v.  22),  "takes  their  case:" 
the  meaning  is, — not  always  to  gain  it  for  the  lost,  but  to  push 
it  against  the  church.  The  church  is  "  robbed,"  literally,  as  to 
the  soul,  when  it  fails  of  the  command,  "  Withhold  not  good 
from  them  to  whom  it  is  due,  when  it  is  in  the  power  of  thy 
hand  to  do  it." 

Nevertheless  we  must  keep  the  right  balance  ;  for  there  is  a 
labor  for  the  lost  which  is  positively  forbidden  : — "  Give  not 
that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs,  neither  cast  ye  your  pearls 
before  swine ;  lest  they  trample  them  under  their  feet  and  turn 
again  and  rend  you  "  (Matt.  7:6): — 


Chap.  XXII.]  COMMENTAR  V.  367 

24  Associate  not  thyself  with  a  fierce  man :        ,  ?■♦  ^^.^^=  "»  friend- 

-^  '  snip  with   an    angry 

man,  and  with  a  furious 
man  thou  shall  not  go  ; 
25  Lest  thou  learn 
his  ways,  and  get  a 
snare  to  thy  soul. 


and  to  a  man  of  hot  tempers  go  not  in ; 
25  lest  thou  grow  accustomed  to  his  ways, 
and  take  a  snare  to  thy  soul. 


Some  men  are  very  hardened,  and  yet  very  courteous.  The 
Proverb  does  not  so  much  forbid  our  influence  upon  them. 
But  some  men  are  fiercely  insulting.  They  are  angry  when 
Christ  is  even  named.  We  are  to  let  those  men  alone.  Above 
all  we  are  "not  [to]  associate  with  "  them.  For  associatio7i  will 
have  its  influence ;  and  while  it  will  do  harm  to  them,  it  may 
do  mischief  also  to  us. 

Specially  we  are  to  keep  clear  of  that  powerful  contagion  by 
which  procrastinating  impenitence  spreads  in  the  way  of  exam- 
ple. It  is  compared  repeatedly  to  striking  hands,  and  becoming 
"  surety  for  debts  "(11:15).  The  bond  of  guiltiness  is  virtually 
reassumed  (17  :  18),  when  we  fail  to  cancel  it  at  the  cross  of 
Jesus.  Men  do  this  in  herds;  and  the  strange  influence  of 
having  company  carries  us  along  in  this  singular  neglect.  The 
Proverb  cautions  us  against  it : — 

26  Be  not  among  those  that  strike  hands,         Lf^'them  Xt'^l""  iT e 
and  among  those  that  are  surety  for  debts. 'hands,  ^^  of  them  that 

K.I  1        .  .  1  •         i      „  I  are  sureties  for  debts, 

thou  hast  nothmg  to  pay,  j    27  ifihouhastnoth- 

wherefore  should  one  take  thy  bed  from  i"g »"  p^y- ^^i^y  ^i^o^'d 

■'  1  he  take  away  thy  bed 

under  thee.''  iirom  under  thee? 

"  Be  not,"  The  verb  is  expressed  (v.  19).  "  Do  7iot  come  to 
be."  Striking  hands  is  not  common  impenitence.  It  is  rather 
deliberate  turning  aloof.  "  Surety."  Those  who  distinctly  ac- 
cept their  liabilities.  Be  not  an  associate  with  such  persons ; 
even  though  thou  mayest  think  thou  art  not  really  of  them. 
"Thy  bed,"  This  is  the  strong  thought  of  perdition.  It  takes 
our  very  "bed.".  It  is  very  well  to  do  without  God  in  this 
world,  but  our  very  "  bed"  the  only  pleasures,  and  the  only 
tranquilities  of  life,  are  to  be  snatched,  and  we  are  to  be  left  to 
lie  in  everlasting  burnings. 

Be  careful,  young  men,  not  to  relax  what  your  "  fathers " 
taught  you  ;  "  not  [to]  draw  back  "  the  line  of  principle  which 
they  marked  : — 


368  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIII. 

28  Draw  not  back  the  ancient  boundary  ^^^.ii^^'Vr^^""'  'h? 

J  ancient     land-mar  Ic 

which  thy  fathers  have 
set. 


which  thy  fathers  set. 


This  is  a  graphic  tendency  of  youth,  as  families  continue  to 
flourish — to  grow  lax  as"  to  the  principles  of  their  founders. 
This  corrupts  the  church.  This  lost  Shiloh  and  the  churches 
of  the  East.  This  spread  Paganism.  See  Mai.  4  :  6.  There 
is  a  fever  on  the  part  of  sons  to  push  back  the  ancient  land- 
mark. ''Draw  back;'  not,  '■'■  remove"  (E.  V.).  A  removal 
might  be  further  in.  It  is  always  one  way ;  and  not  an  alto- 
gether-r^;/Z(?z'j/,  but  very  partial;  in  fact,  very  gradual.  The 
verb,  which  is  a  very  peculiar  one,  neatly  expresses  the  slow 
receding  of  the  ancient  lines. 

There  being  all  these  dangers ;  from  company  (v.  24) ;  from 
example  (v.  25);  and,  now,  from  family  degeneration  (v.  28); 
the  Wise  Man  strikes  upon  a  more  immediate  evidence  of  pru- 
dence, and  that  is,  bold  action  at  once  to  save  the  soul.  Cau- 
tion may  be  very  grand;  but  prompt  work  is  unspeakably 
grander  : — 

29  Seest  thou  a  man  quick  in  his  errand  ?         Idifilenrin'^"."  %11s" 
He  shall  stand  before  kings ;  iness  ?  he  shaii  stand 

,  ,      ,,  ,       ^  1    1       r  _  before   kings  ;  he  shall 

he  shall  not  stand  betore  mean  men.  not  stand  before  mean 

inen. 

A  regiment  is  cut  to  pieces,  if  it  halts.  Its  hope  of  safety  is 
to  dash  recklessly  up.  Ten  thousand  cautions  are  not  as  good 
as  one  act  of  faith.  "  Errand ;"  from  the  same  verb  from  which 
is  derived  angel.  It  implies  bemg  sent  on  a  message.  "  ftmck;" 
from  the  verb  to  hasten.  A  "  quick  "  messenger  is  a  treasure 
for  a  king;  and  so  our  ''quick"  running  of  our  "errand"  is 
our  role  with  the  Lord  that  sent  us.  Caution  is,  of  course,  dis- 
creet ;  but  "  quick  "  repentance  is  the  thing  required  of  us. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

The  picture  of  one  standing  before  kings  (22  :  29)  seems  to 
associate  itself  in  the  Inspired  Monarch  with  the  fact  that  we 


Chap.  XXIIL]  COMMENTARY.  36p 

are  always  sitting  with  a  king  ;  because,  not  as  a  reward,  but 
out  of  our  deep  dependence,  we  are  sitting  perpetually  at  the 
Feast  of  Life.     This  fills  him  with  solemn  admonitions  : — 


When  thou  sittest  to 
eat  with  a  ruler,  con- 
sider diligently  what  is 
before  tfiee  ; 


•    I  Forasmuch  as   thou  sittest  to  eat  with  a 
Ruler, 
discern  well  Who  is  before  thee :  ,.■,.. 

Ji.ui^.1-^  1,  2  And  put  a  knife  to 

2  and  thou  hast  put  a  knife  to  thy  throat,        thy  throat,  if  thou  ^c  a 
if  thou  be  a  man  given  to  appetite.  '  """^  ^'''^"  '°  ^'pp'^'''^- 

Here  secular  meaning  there  is  none.     Just  where  the  learned 
dream-  no  dream  of  Jehovah,  there  is  no  answer  in  the  lan- 
guage consistently  to  any  one  beside.      "Forasmuch  as  thou 
sittest  to  eat  with  a  Ruler,  discern  well  Who  is  before  thee." 
So  far  might  answer  partially;  but  even  there  the  ".^l  of  the 
first  member  {;'  forasmuch  ")  has  a  taking-for-granted  air ;  as 
all  men  are  not  necessarily  called  to  feast  with  kings.     But  the 
moment  we  strike  the  second  verse,  rough   difficulties   com- 
mence.    We   "  have   [not]  put  a  knife  to  [our]  throat  if  [we 
happen  to  be  men  of  remarkable]  appetite."     Kings  like  to  see 
their  guests  eat.     At  the  very  utmost,  this  part  of  our  behavior 
is  a  matter  of  indifference.     But  of  God  nothing  could  be  more 
exact.    We  are  all  eating  with  Him ;  in  fact,  feeding  upon  Him ; 
as  though  He  were  "  Himself  "  bread  (see  v.  3).    "  Forasmuch" 
therefore,  is  just  in  place.     JDiscemwg  jvell  Who  is  before  us ; 
that,  also,  is  perfectly  consistent.     And  then,  our  sin !  what  is 
that .?     Why,  fleshly  appetite !     What  is  innocent  at  courts  is 
idolatry  in  the  Banquet  of  the  Skies.     Solomon  has  rung  all 
changes: — Being    hasty    (19:2);   pushing   recklessly   (20:3); 
greedily  getting  QViX  earthly  possessions  (20:21);   the  wicked 
craving  all  the  day  long  (21  :  26) ;  and,  finally,  the  wicked  being 
unable  to  please  God  by  craving  (21:17);  ^^1  these  have  filled 
up  our  recent  context.     Serving  the  creature  more  than  the 
Creator, — Paul  expresses  it ;  and  gives  us  ample  analogy  of  a 
New  Testament  kind  (Rom.   i  :  25  ;  see  also  James  4:3)  for 
understanding  how  we  have  put  a  knife  to  our  throat.,  if  we  be 
men  given  to  appetite.     Moreover;  anticipating  a  little,  so  as  to 
throw  the  proofs  all  together ;  what  is  meant,  with  an  earthly 
ruler,  by  his  being  "  himself  deceitful  food"  (v.  3)  }     And  what 
16* 


370  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIII. 

is  meant,  in  the  midst  of  the  thread  of  the  discourse,  by  saying, 
"  Labor  not  to  create  wealth  "  (v.  4) ;  and  still  more  (just  when 
a  man's  wits  should  be  most  in  play,  if  he  had  a  mere  prince  to 
deal  with),  what  is  meant  by  the  immediate  caution,  "  Cease 
from  thine  own  discernment "  7  But  let  us  complete  the  lesser 
comments.  ''^  Discern  well ;"  discerning,  discern  j  just  as  ''''dy- 
ing, thou  shall  die  "  (Gen.  2  :  17).  We  are  always  particular  to 
translate,  "  discern  "  because  such  is  the  word.  It  means  to  dis- 
criminate ;  that  is,  to  distinguish  from  something  else.  In  Greek, 
we  are  to  discern  the  Lord's  body  (i  Cor.  ii  '.29).  And  the 
word  here  is  itself  significant.  We  may  be  gluttons  with  an 
earthly  prince  ;  but  we  are  to  discern  when  this  King  is  before 
us.  "Who;"  most  commentators  say  ''''what"  (E.  V.).  We 
say  *'  who"  because  the  pronoun  would  be  the  same,  and  the 
reading,  not  so  given,  is  almost  meaningless.  "  Thou  hast  put." 
The  English  Version  gives  the  imperative.  But  Ave  know  of 
no  such  idiom,  except  one  born  of  this  mistranslation ;  and  the 
verb  itself  is  in  the  past  tense  ;  and,  therefore,  not  imperative  in 
any  unstrained  way.  "  To  thy  throat  "  literally,  in.  Thou  hast 
already  destroyed  thyself  (emphatic  past)  "  if  thou  be  a  man 
given  to  appetite."  "  Given  to"  etc.  ;  literally,  master  of  soul. 
For  juaster  of  as  meaning  characterized  by,  see  24:8;  and  for 
soul  as  meaning  "  appetite  "  see  6  :  30.  *'  If  he  steal  to  satisfy 
his  appetite." 

The  world  is  God's  own  ;  and  is  itself  .the  dainty  feast  He 
spreads  for  us ;  but  we  are  to  be  careful  how  we  thirst  for  it : — 


3  Long  not  after  His  dainty  meats; 
while  He  is  Himself  deceitful  food. 


3  Be  not  desirous  of 
his  dainties  ;  for  they 
are  deceitful  meat. 


This  is  a  good  distinction.  The  world  is  not  so  disappointing 
as  God.  The  world  might  be  heaven,  if  God  were  different ;  if 
He  were  not  angry  with  us.  The  Proverb  boldly  tells  us  (v.  7) 
that  He  "  has  an  evil  eye."  Now  all  this,  of  course,  is  an  accom- 
modation ;  it  is,  as  Paul  would  have  it,  speaking  as  a  man  (Rom. 
3:5).  It  is  like  saying,  God  repents  (Gen.  6  :  6),  and,  God  is 
angry  (Ps.  7:11),  and,  God  is  furious  (Nah.  i  :  2),  and  jealous 
(Ex.  20  :  5),  and  grieved  (Heb.  3  :  10,)  and  a  tempter  (Gen.  22  ; 
i),  and  a  deceiver  (Jer.  20  :  7),  and  sends  a  lying  spirit  (i  Ki. 


Chap.  XXIII.]  COMMENTARY.  371 

22  :  22) ;  in  one  word,  it  is  like  the  Unjust  Judge  (Luke  18  :  6), 
as  we  have  elsewhere  illustrated  (19  :  6,  7  ;  also  v.  6) ;  speaking 
after  the  manner  of  men  to  get  out  the  truth ;  and  yet  it  is  lit- 
erally true.  God's  "  dainty  meats  "  do  deceive  us  ;  but  it  is 
through  our  fault.  The  world  itself,  rich  food,  good  wines,  fair 
women,  power  to  sin,  nerves  to  be  debauched,  sense  to  be  in- 
toxicated, power  to  be  craved — nay,  as  our  text  intimates,  God 
Himself,  may  become  (literally)  a  food  of  deceits  j  and  one  of 
the  very  commandments  of  the  ten  makes  it  a  sin  to  covet  after 
them.  ''''  Dainty  meats;"  from  a  verb  to  taste;  with  the  ex- 
pressive ^  (15  :  8 ;  22  :  10)  meaning  the  ground  of  taste ;  i.  e., 
the  thing  to  be  tasted.  "While;"  simply  ^^ atid :"  translated 
" while"  because  the  conjunction  here  marks  the  condition  at- 
tendant j  or  why  we  are  to  guard  our  appetite.  "He  Himself." 
This  calling  of  God  the  "  food  "  might  be  avoided.  No  mas- 
culine precedes",  to  meet  the  pronoun  which  is  expressed  (10  : 
22)  and  emphatic  (Class  X.) ;  but  we  might  count  it  drawn  for- 
ward (see  Grammar)  to  ''''food,"  which  is  of  either  gender.  But 
this  would  be  the  less  likely  grammar,  and  the  other  the  far  bet- 
ter sense.  It  does  indeed  take  the  Proverb  out  of  all  secular 
use;  but  this  is  done  any  how  (v.  2);  and  is  so  in  other  cases 
(24  :  21,  22  ;  25  :  2).  The  bold,  grand  rendering  is,  that  God 
"  has  an  evil  eye"  (v.  6) ;  that  is,  that  He  is  angry  with  the  sinner ; 
that  He  says,  '■'Eat  and  drink  [w/ien]  His  heart  is  not  with  [//.$•]" 
(v.  7).  He  is  estranged  from  us ;  and  the  food  we  eat,  Christ 
tells  us,  is  "another  man's"  (Lu.  16:12).  He  is,  therefore, 
food  of  deceits,  because  He  lavishes  upon  us  the  bounties  ot 
His  Providence,  when  for  all  these  things  God  will  bring  us 
into  judgment. 

The  man  in  the  parable,  (Luke  12  :  19),  however,  did  not  feast 
so  much  as  tell  when  he  would  feast.  Our  lust  does  not 
enjoy  so  much  as  "long  "  and  "labor."  The  "  rich  man  "  did 
not  say  to  his  soul,  "  Take  thine  ease;"  but,  as  is  most  graphic 
in  the  parable,  "  I  will  pull  down  my  barns."  He  laid  out  a 
load  of  '■'labor"  instead  of  enjoying  a  world  of  "ease."  For 
it  was  after  razing  and  building  greater,  that  he  was  then  to 
address  his  soul,  and  say, — "  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid 
up  for  many  years."     The  cast  of  these  Proverbs  now  is  in 


372  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIII. 

close  analogy.  They  do  not  say, — Eat  not  "  His  dainty  meats," 
but  "long  not  after  "  thetn  :  and  immediately,  as  though  aiming 
at  the  Rich  Man  in  the  Parable, — Do  not  lay  up  for  them  : — 

4  Labor  not  to  create  wealth.  I  .4  Labour  not  to  be 

~  rich;  cease  Irom  thine 

Cease  from  thme  own  discernment.  |  own  wisdom. 

The  verb  to  he  rich,  which  is  the  one  in  the  first  clause,  in  the 
Hiphil  would  be  to  make  rich.  It  sometimes  means  this  in 
Scripture  (Dan,  11:2).  But  often  this  form  is  used  when  "  to 
create  wealth. "  is  as  near  as  we  can  come  to  the  causative.  We 
translate  it  so  here.  '"''Labor  ■"  the  original  implies,  with  pain. 
The  Christian  should  never  do  this  for  anything.  His  work 
even  for  Christ,  should  be,  like  Gabriel's,  cheered  and  trustful. 
How  deep,  too,  the  second  clause  goes  !  It  drifts  quite  away 
from  anything  among  earthly  kings.  The  courtier  who  ceases 
from  his  own  discernment  is  a  fool.  The  sinner  who  does  so  is 
a  Royal  Banqueter.  The  verse  means  more  than  this.  There 
being  a  heavenly  "  ivealth  "  (8  :  18),  which  the  sinner  can  never 
gain  by  just  lusting  after  it  selfishly  (21  :  17);  that  also  is  in- 
cluded in  the  command,  "  Labor  not  to  create  wealth.''  There  is 
a  ''''labor  "  even  for  heaven  that  is  forbidden.  It  has  been  often 
very  painful.  Monks  and  world-trampling  devotees  have  given 
life  for  their  salvation.  But  they  have  labored  in  the  forbidden 
way.  They  have  not  ceased frotn  their  own  discernment.  And, 
therefore,  in  self-righteousness,  and  self-sanctification,  and  self- 
dependence,  and,  imprimis,  self-seeking  (21  :  17  ;  Matt.  10  :  39) 
all  together,  they  are  sure  to  fail  of  the  grace  of  life. 

Even  God  may  be  longed  after  from  a  distance  in  a  way  that 
may  be  utterly  disappointing.  He  is  ^^  bread,"  but  He  may  be 
*^ deceit/ III  bread"  {y.  3).  A  mistake  may  be,  to  look  "after 
Him  with  [our]  eyes,"  and  "  do  not  the  things  which  (He) 
says  "  (Lu.  6  :  46)  : — 

5  Wilt  thou  fly  after  Him  with  thine  eyes, 

and  He  not  there } 
For   He   is  certain  to   make  to   Himself 

wings 
as  an  eagle,  and  fly  away  to  heaven. 


5  Wilt  thou  set  thine 
eyes  upon  that  which 
is  not  ?  for  riches  cer- 
tainly make  themselves 
wings  ;  they  fly  aw.ay, 
as  an  eagle  toward 
heaven. 


This  is  an  extreme  rendering.    We  fear  few  will  like  it.    We, 


Chap.  XXIII.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  2>1l 

on  the  whole,  prefer  it.  We  do  so  because  there  is  no  noun 
near  to  fit  the  pronoun.  We  prefer  it,  because,  in  verse  third, 
He  is  called  ''''  deceit/ id  foocf  Yet  there,  and  in  this  verse 
both,  a  little  straining  would  supply  a  noun,  and  the  wealth,  not 
God,  would  be  the  thing  that  is  deceitful,  and  that  is  to  "  fly 
away."  And  yet  where  is  the  difference.?  It  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  these  equivocals  are  found  where  they  are  matters  of 
indifference.  We  are  at  the  feast  of  God.  Whether  He  deceives 
or  His  feast  deceives  (speaking  Kara  av6po)TTov,  as  Paul  does, 
Rom.  3:5);  and,  therefore,  afterward,  whether  He  J?ies  aioay, 
or  His  feast  J^ies  away,  is  all  one ;  so,  the  reason  of  our  choice 
is  very  much  the  simplicity  of  the  grammar.  If  any  one,  there- 
fore, prefer  the  other,  it  suits  our  general  rendering.  Even 
spiritual  wealth,  if  merely  flown  after  with  the  eye,  will  "  not  [be] 
there."  It  will  be  sure  to  make  itself  7vings  as  an  eagle,  and  fly 
away  to  the  very  heavens.  "Wilt  thou  fly  "  (clause  ist).?  "and 
fly  away  "  (clause  3d),  both  offer  varied  readings.  The  Hip- 
hil  might  be  chosen  in  either  case.  The  Hiphil  would  be  found 
nowhere  else  for  this  verb  to  fly.  It  would  mean  in  the  first 
clause, — ''^  Dost  thou  cause  thine  eyes  to  fly,  etc."  To  choose  be- 
tween this  sense  and  the  one  above  Avould  have  no  practical 
consequence.  Others  retain  the  Kal, and  make  ''''eyes  "  (plural) 
agree  with  "fly  "  (singular) ;  but  there  is  no  good  in  pleading 
for  such  an  exception.  The  rendering  we  have  given  suits 
every  precedent : — "  IVi/t  thou  fly  as  to  thine  eyes  "  or  "  with 
thine  eyes,"  &c  ?  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  final  clause,  the 
Hiphil  would  be  very  peculiar.  We  might  choose  it,  for  it  is 
the  receptus  ;  but  it  would  be  without  all  precedent.  It  would 
make  the  "heavens  "  the  thing  to  fly.  We  have  looked  at  the 
word  heaven,  and  it  has  no  such  movable  sense.  We  nowhere 
hear  of  giving  heaven,  or  taking  away  heaven,  or  even  of  losing 
heaven.  Like  the  firmament,  it  is  fixed.  It  is  not  of  analogy, 
therefore,  to  think  of  the  heavens  Sl^  flying  away.  Otherwise  we 
might  insist  upon  the  Hiphil,  and  say,  not  only  that  God  (or 
M'ealth)  makes  to  Himself  wings  like  an  eagle,  and  thus  strips 
us  of  all  our  present  feast ;  but  also  makes  heaven  fly  aiuay. 
This  would  be  favored  by  there  being  no  preposition  before 
heaven,  or  suffix  after  it,  but  still  not  to  the  extent  of  proof;  for 


374  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIIL 

toward  heaven,  and  to  heaven,  or  itito  heaven,  are  expressed  in 
other  places,  after  a  verb  like  that  of  flight,  by  the  accusative, 
without  the  assistance  of  any  particle  (i  Sam.  5  :  12).  "Cer- 
tain to  make  ;"  "  making  He  shall  make,''  like  "  dying  thou  shall 
die"  (Gen.  2:17). 

Not  only  are  we  not  to  long  after  the  mere  dainties  of  the 
feast  (v.  3),  but  we  are  not  to  eat  them  with  God  unwilling  : — 


6  Feed  not  on  the  food  of  Him  that  has  an 

evil  eye ; 
and  long  not  after  His  dainty  meats. 

7  For  as  He  has  made  an  estimate  in  His 

soul,  so  is  He. 
Eat  and  drink,  He  says  to  thee ; 
but  His  heart  is  not  with  thee. 

8  Thy  morsel,  that  thou  hast  eaten,  thou  shalt 

vomit  up  ; 
and  lose  thy  sweet  words. 


6  Eat  thou  not  the 
bread  oikini  that  hath 
an  evil  eye,  neither  de- 
sire  thou  his  dainty 
meats  ; 

7  For  as  he  thinketh 
in  his  heart,  so  is  he  : 
Eat  and  drink,  saith 
he  to  thee  ;  but  h  i  s 
heart  is  not  with  thee. 

8  The  morsel  ivhich 
thou  hast  eaten  shalt 
thou  vomit  up,  and  lose 
thy  sweet  words. 


"An  evil  eye."  The  opposite  of  "^  bountiful  eye"  (chap. 
22  :  9).  Keeping  up  the  idea  of  innocence,  as  we  must  even 
•when  reading  of  "the  unjust  judge"  (Lu.  18  :  6),  the  eye  of 
God  is  the  most  "  evil  eye  "  that  we  can  possibly  conceive.  If 
God  be  angry,  delicate  delights  are  not  only  deceitful  food,  but 
poisons  that  we  shall  some  day  "vomit  up."  It  is  mad  to  have 
our  very  living  of  "  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness  "  (Lu.  16 : 
9).  God  spreads  the  curtain  of  the  night  over  us,  and  Avakes 
us  to  the  bounties  of  the  day.  "  He  says,  Eat  and  drink  to  \iis\" 
by  all  the  voices  under  heaven  ;  yet  there  is  this  terrible  "  deceit" 
(v.  3),  that  "His  heart  is  not  with  \iis\."  And  though  it  is  a 
deceit  for  which  we  only  are  responsible ;  as  the  Wise  Man  has 
sufficiently  explained  in  other  passages  (i  :  24  ;  20  :  5) ;  yet  it 
has  for  the  bewildered  victim  all  the  fatality  of  a  snare.  The 
very  Gospel  is  made  a  trap  to  us.  We  are  baited  on  by  its  al- 
luring hopes.  And  as  we  fly  only  as  to  our  eyes  upon  its  far- 
off  promises,  they  are  getting  ready  to  make  themselves  wings. 
And  m^ny  a  man,  eloquent  in  his  worldliness,  and  with  the 
tongue  of  men  and  angels  (i  Cor.  13  :  i)  in  his  prayers,  has  but 
secured  a  morsel  of  hopi)  which  he  must  vomit  up,  and  (liter- 
ally,)  '■'■  has  destroyed"  (emphatic  perfect)  his  "sweet  words." 


Chap.  XXIII.]  COMMENTARY.  375 

"  Of  Him  that  has  an  evil  eye  j"  literally,  of  an  evil  eye,  or,  of  one 
evil  of  eye.  "  Eye  "  is  rarely  masculine.  There  is  the  same  un- 
important ambiguity  as  in  the  instance  of  "  l/ie  bountiful  eye  " 
(chap.  22  :  9).  "As  He  has  made  an  estimate  •in  His  soul." 
This  verb  occurs  nowhere  else.  In  the  Arabic  it  means  to  be 
divided,  or  cleft  open.  Hence  the  noun  ioxa  gate.  In  this  sense 
it  would  mean,  "  like  as  one  ivho  has  become  divided  in  his  soul." 
Dividing,  however,  means  judging  (Lu.  12  :  14).  There  are  un- 
failing reasons  for  supposing  such  a  significance  here.  God 
spreads  the  banquet  of  Nature,  and  men  throng  to  the  feast ; 
but,  alas  !  deceived  ones  !  He  snakes  an  estimate  of  every  one 
of  them.  "  As  He  has  made  an  estimate  in  His  soul,  so  is  He. 
Eat  and  drink,  He  says  to  [many],  while  His  heart  is  not  with 
[them]."  They  are  feeding  "on  the  food  of  Him  that  has  an 
evil  eye."  And  whatever  their  toil  has  been,  and  their  eloquent 
success,  the  morsel  that  they  have  cate?i  they  must  vomit  up,  and 
lose  all  their  sweet  words. 

So  of  others.  If  we  ourselves  cannot  be  saved  by  letting  our 
eyes  fly  even  upon  the  good  things  of  the  kingdom,  it  is  useless 
for  us  to  hope  anything,  or  to  labor  anything,  for  men,  if  we 
could  know  that  they  were  thus  persistently  standing  av/ay : — 


9  Speak  not  in  the 
ears  of  a  fool  ;  for  he 
wi|l  despise  the  wisdom 
of  thy  words. 


9  In  the  ears  of  a  fool  thou  shalt  not  speak  ; 
if  there  be  the  reason  that  he  despise  the 
wisdom  of  thy  words. 

We  build  here  upon  the  construction.  It  does  not  say  that 
we  are  not  to  "  speak  in  the  ears  of  a  fool;"  for  that  would  for- 
bid all  preaching  to  the  impenitent,  and  the  second  clause 
would  only  mean  that  they  would  never  hear  (E.  V.)  Now 
some  do  hear.  The  hinge  of  the  sentence  is  13  {because). 
" Thou  shalt  not  speak;"  but  only  when  there  exist  a  certain 
"  reason,"  viz.,  "that  he  despise,  &c."  "i^  has  been  translated 
when.  It  has  been  translated  also  if.  (See  Gesenius).  We 
prefer  always  some  shadow  of  the  sense,  because.  It  would 
make  sense  perfectly  to  say, — Speak  not,  d^c,  when  or  if  they 
despise.  But  we  prefer  to  incorporate  the  idea  of  "  reason."  The 
sense  is,  that  contempt  on  the  part  of  a  fool  is  "  reason  "  enough 
to  desist  from  speaking. 


376  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIII. 

Solomon,  however,  is  always  receding  within  his  guards. 
We  must  not  waste  our  pearls  (Matt.  7:6):  but  then,  at  the 
same  time,  we  must  not  tempt  others  to  trample  them : — 


Draw  not  back  the  ancient  boundary; 
and  into  the  fields  of  the  fatherless  go  not 

thou. 
For  their  Redeemer  is  mighty  : 
He  Himself  will  take  their  case  with  thee. 


10  Remove  not  the 
old  land-mark  ;  and 
enter  not  into  the 
fields  of  the  fatherless  : 

11  For  their  Redeem- 
er is  mighty  ;  he  shall 
plead  their  cause  with 
thee. 


While  we  must  not  force  religion  upon  the  scoffer,  we  must 
take  care  that  we  do  not  relax  religion  in  the  eyes  of  the  scoffer. 
This  is  the  great  danger;  the  world  has  been  ruined  by  the 
church.  It  is  out  of  the  bosom  of  the  faith  that  changes  have 
come  that  have  debauched  the  people.  Lost  men,  even  though 
profligate,  are  God's  orphans.  For  the  churcJi  to  "  draw  back 
the  boundary  "  is  to  ruin  everything.  And  though  lost  men  be 
not  saved  ;  though  it  is  not  in  this  sense  that  He  takes  their 
case  (see  22  :  23) ;  yet,  as  against  believers,  it  is  God's  highest 
displeasure  when  they  debauch  and  corrupt  the  impenitent. 
"  Draw  not  back."  We  noticed  this  word  before.  It  is  the  in- 
sidious step  of  a  slow  recession  from  the  truth.  In  the  East, 
with  no  fences,  a  landmark  could  be  slyly  moved  back.  "  Into 
the  fields."  Each  "  fatherless  "  man  has  a  poor  acre  of  hope. 
"  Their  Redeemer ;"  He  "  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  especially  of 
them  that  believe  "  (i  Tim.  4:10).  "Mighty."  Would  that 
they  knew  it !  "  Take  their  case  ;"  "-plead  their  cause  "  (E.  V.). 
The  Hebrew  is  downright.  He  "  takes  "  their  quarrel ;  and 
wages  it  Himself  against  the  believer.  "Himself;"  the  em- 
phatic pronoun. 

One  thing  we  can  always  do  for  the  wicked: — be  wise  our- 
selves. One  thing  stands  always  in  preeminence  over  all  other 
means  for  others,  i.  e.,  a  godlier  and  a  still  godlier  example. 
Solomon  does  not  forget  this  : — 


12  Apply  thine  heart 
unto  instruction,  and 
thine  ears  to  the  words 
of  knowledge. 


12  Let  thine  own  heart  enter  into  discipline, 
and  thine  own  ears  to  the  words  of  knowl- 
edge. 

The  most  terrible  way  of  removing  old  boundaries  is  to  set 
the  debauching  example  of  a  recreant  believer.    The  saint  must 


Chap.  XXIII.]  COMMENTARY.  377 

do  the  same  things  as  the  impenitent  ;  not  simply  let  fly  his  eyes 
(v.  5),  but   bring  fiear  his  "  heart,"  and  apply  his  "  ears." 

Now  a  fourth  precept. — Mark  the  order.  First,  we  must 
not  urge  ourselves  upon  an  utter  despiser  (v.  9).  Second,  we 
must  not  debauch  even  him  by  unsettling  the  landmarks  of  re- 
ligion. Third,  we  must  shame  him  by  a  bright  example. 
Fourth,  if  he  be  young,  or,  as  the  word  more  properly  means  "  a 
cliild  "  (v.  13),  we  must  treat  him  with  more  rigor.  "  Folly  is 
bound  in  a  child"  (22  :  15),  and  we  can  deal  with  it  more  mas- 
terfully. We  are  not  to  cast  our  pearls  before  swine ;  but  we 
are  not  to  count  children  swine  so  readily  as  older  sinners : — 


13  Withhold  not  from  a  child  correction. 
That  thou  beatest  him  with  a.  rod  shall  be 

the  reason  that  he  shall  not  die. 

14  Thyself  beat  him  with  a  rod, 

and  thou  shalt  snatch  his  soul  from  Sheol. 


13  Withhold  not  cor- 
rection from  the  child : 
for  ?y" thou  beatest  him 
with  the  rod,  he  shall 
not  die. 

14  Thou  shalt  beat 
him  with  the  rod,  and 
shalt  deliver  his  soul 
from  hell. 


"Withhold  not,"  From  a  despiser  we  were  to  ''^withhold'' 
(v.  9).  But,  now,  "^  child''  is  entirely  different.  He  may  be 
a  scoffer;  but  he  is  "  a  child."  The  way  to  cure  a  scoffer  is  to 
take  him  when  he  is  "  a  child."  Many  reasons  blend  them- 
selves for  this.  In  the  first  place  he  is  "  bound"  (22  :  15).  He 
cannot  resist  as  an  old  man  can.  In  the  second  place,  he 
may  be  my  child ;  and  I  ought  to  be  moved  by  the  warmest 
and  deepest  affection.  In  the  third  place,  there  is  a  special 
promise  to  youth  (Ec.  12:1).  And  in  the  fourth  place,  there 
is  a  still  more  special  promise  to  those  who  care  for  them. 
There  are,  perhaps,  but  two  promises  in  the  Bible ;  one  to  per- 
sonal faith,  and  the  other  to  the  care  of  parents.  Both  have 
the  seal  of  baptism.  Both,  I  believe,  are  absolute.  Both,  there- 
fore, have  positive  sacraments.  And  this,  which  relates  to  a 
child,  colors  all  these  sentences.  There  is  a  positiveness  about 
them  (see  22  :  6  ;  also  Jer.  31  :  16)  which  may  be  quoted  as  ab- 
solute. And  in  this  Proverb,  though  the  child  may  be  out- 
breaking, so  that,  in  the  instance  of  a  man,  we  would  be  ex- 
cused from  touching  him  (Matt.  7:6);  though  the  ultima  ratio 
of  the  "  rod  "  is  to  shape  the  appeal ;  yet  the  promise  is  com- 
plete : — "  That  thou  beatest  him  with  a  rod  shall  be  the  reason 


378  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIII. 

that  he  shall  not  die.  Thyself  heat  him  with  a  rod,  and  thou 
Shalt  snatch  his  soul  from  Sheol."  "  That,  etc.,  shajl  be  the  reason 
that."  All  this  is  expressed  by  "^^  {because).  The  English  Ver- 
sion has  it  ''for  if."  We  prefer  (see  in  2  :  i8  ;  also  Ps.  116  : 
10)  something  more  complete  as  expressive  oC  reason."  The 
promise  is  to  the  parent;  but  it  is  because  of  this  difficult  faith- 
fulness. Some  understand  it  as  meaning, — the  child  "  shall  not 
die  "  under  the  strokes.  But  this  is  paltry  ;  untrue,  if  the  par- 
ent gives  too  savage  a  beating ;  unconducive  to  the  context ; 
and  not  in  agreement  with  what  is  direct  in  the  verse  that  fol- 
lows. "  Die  ;"  die  eternally.  Do  thou  thyself  beat  him  (rivli'l)- 
Do  not  delegate  the  thing  to  schoolmasters.  Do  not  sink  the 
advantage  that  you  are  his  father  and  his  friend.  And,  above 
all,  do  not  sink  the  saint.  This  is  the  chief  meaning.  Let  it 
hQ yourself  that  "  beat  him."  In  beating  him  be  yourself.  And 
let  it  be  the  warm  nurture  of  the  most  saintly  interest  in  his 
behalf  that  he  marks  upon  your  face.  *'  And  thou  shall  snatch 
his  soul  from  Sheol."  ''Snatch;"  betokening  the  rigid  meas- 
ures used.  "  Sheol;"  the  imagined  Hades  ;  then  a  figure  of  the 
Pit.     As  death  for  spiritual  death,  so  this  for  Hell. 

Now,  more  beautifully  still :  the  Proverb  personates  the 
father  ;  and,  instead  of  a  round-about  speech,  utters  the  temper 
that  should  inspire  the  beating.  There  will  be  no  good  unless 
the  father  shows  the  son  that  it  will  be  his  highest  joy  if  the 
son  learns  wisdom  : — 


15  My  son,  if  thy  heart  be  wise, 

my  heart  shall  rejoice,  yea,  mine. 

16  Yea,  my  very  reins  shall  exult 

at  thy  lips'  speaking  right  things. 


15  My  son,  if  thine 
heart  be  wise,  my  heart 
shall  rejoice,  even 
mine  ■ 

16  Yea,  my  reins 
shall  rejoice  when  thy 
lips  speak  right  things. 


If  thou  be  really  "wise!"  That  is  the  caution  of  the  first 
clause.  If  it  be  no  sham  thing,  but  an  affair  of  the  "  heart ;" 
then  "  my  heart  shall  rejoice,"  down  in  the  same  depths.  And 
then,  as  men  are  great  actors,  and  may  look  virtue  as  they  whip 
a  child,  when  they  do  not  feel  it  much,  Solomon  protests  that 
it  must  be  real.  Each  part  of  this  sentence  must  be  meant. 
Not, — Thou  must  be  a  good  citizen,  or  a  clever  worker,  or  a 
moral  actor,  or  a  good  gratifying  son ;  but  the  boy  must  see 


Chap.  XXIII.]  COMMENTARY.  379 

(and  he  surely  will  see  it,  if  it  is  felt)  that  the  yearning  is  that 
he  become  wise  in  heart,  i.  e.,  a  good  earnest  Christian ;  and 
then,  on  the  other  hand,  that  down  in  the  same  depths,  not 
with  outward  expressions  of  pleasure,  but  in  your  very  heart ; 
not  in  your  made-up  heart,  which  you  keep  to  show  to  others, 
\iM\.inyour  very  self,  the  Proverb  echoes  your  feeling, — "  My 
heart  shall  rejoice,  yea,  mine,"  The  reduplication  intensifies 
the  sense.  And,  then,  unwilling  to  shake  loose  from  the  thought, 
he  pushes  it  further.  "  Yea  my  very  reins  shall  exult."  That 
deepest,  firmest,  lastingest,  receptacle  of  joy,  the  patient  "  reins;' 
my  very  loins  wall  "  exult  "—the  highest  feeling  coming  from 
the  deepest  depths.  "At  thy  Ups  :"  the  same  old  Oriental  ex- 
pression for  all  the  conduct  of  the  life.  "  At  thy  lips,''  which 
are  the  best  expounders  of  the  heart,  "  speaking  right  things." 
The  doctrine,  therefore,  is,  that  a  man  will  save  his  child,  if  he 
disciplines  him  with  these  witnessed  tokens  of  his  manifest  af- 
fection. 

But  the  sketch  of  them  goes  on.     The  tutelage  must  not  only 
be  earnest,  but  entire  : — 

17  Let  not  thy  heart  be  aglow  in  sins,  I  heLt^envy' sinner! 

but  in  the  fear  of  Jehovah  all  the  day.  ^-,^,^[t^^"i\heda" 

I  long. 

This  is  still  what  Solomon  puts  in  the  good  father's  mouth. 
All  men  are  "  aglow  "  in  something.  Youth  are  more  "  aglow  " 
than  men  of  higher  age.  What  men  are  aglow  in,  they  do  with 
more  success  than  they  do  other  things.  The  difficulty  with 
the  Christian  is,  that  he  cannot  keep  aglow  in  piety.  You  stop 
a  man  in  any  corner  of  the  day,  and  ask  him  his  errand;  and, 
though  he  be  a  Christian,  it  is  probably  not  a  pious  errand. 
His  face  is  all  lit  up,  and  his  breath  hot,  and  he  is  at  high  work ; 
and  he  is  accomplishing  for  that  very  cause  prodigious  amounts ; 
but  it  is  not  piety;  that  is,  he  is  not  all  aglow  in  conducting  his 
business  for  his  Master.  Many  would  like  to  be.  AH  find  it 
hard  to  be;  and  would  be  glad  to  recall  Christ,  and  do  all  they 
do  as  to  the  Lord.  But  age  drags  heavily  in  such  a  lesson.  1  he 
Wise  Man  implies  that  the  father  ought  to  show  that  he  wishes 
to  seize. upon  boyhood,  to  make  his  son  exclusively  the  Lords. 


SSo  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIII. 

How  few  do  this !  We  let  our  sons  see  that  we  are  anibitious 
other  ways.  If  a  father  could  lift  his  son,  and  dip  him  as  Venus 
did  Achilles,  yea,  submerging  his  very  heel ;  if  he  could  even 
let  him  see  he  wished  it,  what  an  influence !  We  could  culti- 
vate a  child  in  this  ;  to  set  the  Lord  always  before  him  (Ps.  i6  : 
8) ;  to  level  the  path  of  his  feet  (4  :  26) ;  with  good  will  to  do 
service  as  to  God,  and  not  to  man  (Eph.  6:7);  whether  he 
eat  or  drink  or  whatever  he  do,  to  do  all  to  God's  glory ;  to 
make  this  perpetual ;  for,  really,  so  doing  belongs  to  our  nature, 
and  everything  beside  is  an  apostacy.  And,  therefore,  the 
Proverb  claims  but  a  single  alternative, — "  Let  not  thy  heart 
be  aglow  in  sins  ;  but  in  the  fear  of  Jehovah,  all  the  day."  "  Be 
aglow  f'  sometimes,  '''' envy''  (E.  V.);  but  expressive  of  all 
emotion  (see  Num.  25  :  11,  13).  "  Si)is  /'  generally,  "  sinners  " 
(E.  V.) ;  but  sometimes  sins  (see  Fuerst).  With  a  change  of 
punctuation,  always  "  sins."  Not  "  /fe  tliou  in,"  as  King  James' 
men  build  it,  by  help  of  Italics ;  but,  most  notably,  as  we  have 
above  translated;  because,  without  Italics,  the  preposition  ^ 
stands  ready  in  both  the  clauses  as  required  by  the  verb ;  and 
intimates  the  balance,  or  the  correspondence,  in  the  two  ex- 
pressions. "  All  the  day."  One  might  think  that  unreasonable. 
But  there  are  many  such  expressions  in  Scripture.  "  Pray 
without  ceasing."  Men  are  aglow  in  sins  all  the  day  ;  and  why 
not  in  holiness }  This  steady  insisting,  as  the  aim  of  the  parent 
from  the  very  beginning,  will  save  the  child,  and  bring  him  to 
the  Eternal  Kingdom. 

Therefore,  the  good  parent  will  tell  him  this  : — 

18  For  if  there  be  indeed  an  hereafter,  I  j^  ^^/°„''d^Tnd  t'hfne 

then  thine  expectation  shall  not  be  cut  off.  expectation  shall  not 

'  be  cut  off. 

"Cut  off;"  as  the  worldling's  is.  The  worldling  expects  it  to 
be  "  cut  off."  He  toils  with  a  hope,  and  that  so  vivid,  that  he 
becomes  "  fl'^/fzc/ "  (v.  17)  in  worldly  earnestness  of  purpose; 
and  yet,  ab  imo,  he  knows  that  it  will  be  "  cut  off."  This  is  very 
curious.  '''Let  not  thy  heart  be  aglow  in  sins  "  because  thou 
knowest  that  it  will  be  all  a  bitterness.  How  can  any  intellect 
stand  against  such  appeals?  Work  for  something  that  will 
pay :  for  if  thine  heart  be  aglow  with  Christ,  "  thine  expectation  " 


Chap.  XXIII.]  COMMENTARY.  381 

is  eternal ;  and  if  there  be  indeed  an  hereafter,  there  is  something 
that  shall  never  be  cut  off.  ''An  hereafter;"  ''end"  (E.  V.). 
The  root  of  the  Hebrew  signifies  afterward.  It  occurs  very 
often.  It  is  nearly  always  translated  "  end"  (E.  V.)  (14  ;  12  ; 
25  :  8).  There  is  no  "  end  "  to  anybody.  There  is  a  long  "  here- 
after." We  do  not  consider  Solomon  as  throwing  it  in  doubt. 
We  do  not  sympathize  with  the  idea  that  our  rising,  under  the 
Old  Testament  was  imperfectly  considered.  We  rather  infer 
the  opposite.-  We  incline  to  the  belief  that  its  rare  assertion  was 
due  to  its  being  so  well  understood.  Not  "  end"  (E.  V.),  there- 
fore, but  "  an  hereafter." 

Now,  the  father  has  still  more  put  into  his  mouth.  There  is 
a  natural  eagerness,  which  the  next  Proverb  labors  to  express, 
that  the  son  should  take  the  bit  into  his  own  mouth,  and  run, 
himself,  in  the  way  of  immortality.  Why  wait  for  the  rod  ? 
Why  even  for  the  tongue?  Why  wait  for  time  to  work  her 
hazardous  and  procrastinating  subduals  of  the  soul  ?  Who 
ever  taught  a  child,  and  did  not  break  out  often  in  these  more 
direct  appeals.?  This  same  Prophet-King  labors  in  Ecclesiastes 
with  this  same  idea.  "  Of  making  many  books ;"  i.  e.,  of  put- 
ting together  whole  parchment  rolls  of  these  preachmg  sen- 
ten'ces,  "  there  is  no  end."  Preaching  is  nothing,  unless  it  is  as 
"goad's"  to  prick  forward  the  unwilling  ox  (Ec.  12:11). 
Therefore  he  breaks  out  often  into  the  more  impatient  ap- 
peals : — 

J  1  •   ^ .  I     ig    Hear   thou,   my 

iq  Hear  for  thyself,  my  son,  and  be  wise ,         L^n^  ^nd  be  wise,  and 
and  direct  thine  own  heart  into  the  way.     |f;^;de^^h;ne  heart  m 

«  For  thyself  "  is  the  emphatic  pronoun.  The  word  "for" 
is  not  there.  The  Hebrew  is,  "Hear,  thyself"  or  "do  thou 
thyself  hear."  The  English  idiom  requires  the  buckram  of  a 
particle.  The  hinging  pivot  of  the  verse  is  this  pronoun  thou. 
Friends  may  do  ever  so  much  ;  but  in  the  end  it  must  be  thy- 
self" There  is  an  eternal  "  way."  It  is  a  "  way  "  not  for  the 
feet,  but  for  the  "heart."  The  "heart"  has  some  day  to  rise 
up  and  enter  it.  Once  in,  it  will  never  wander  any  more  out. 
«  My  son,"  take  that  critical  step.  Do  thou  "  thyself  be  wise, 
and  direct  thine  own  heart  into  the  way." 


382  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIII. 

A  man  has  a  certain  amount  of  strength ;  a  certain  amount 
of  susceptibility,  let  us  call  it,  in  matters  of  conversion.  This 
one  amount  impenitence  consumes.  When  all  gone,  the 
man  has  sinned  away  his  day  of  grace  (Heb.  10  :  27) ;  and  a 
sin  that  would  do  this, /^r  ja//'//;/;,  would  be,  past  doubt,  the  un- 
pardonable sin  (i  Jo.  5  :  16).  Now,  the  father,  in  his  more  im- 
mediate entreaties  to  the  child,  is  to  remember  this.  The  child 
has  a  store  of  "  flesh,"  the  New  Testament  calls  it,  i.  e.,  natural 
parts,  outside  of  the  grace  of  the  Redeemer.  This  ^^  flesh"  is  de- 
praved ;  but  this  ^'^  flesh  "  is  his  "  talent "  for  heaven.  This 
^^ flesh  "  has  in  it  his  conscience.  This  ''flesh  "  may  be  worn 
away.  The  whole  life  wears  it  away ;  but  great  sins  wear  it 
the  fastest.  A  crime  like  drunkenness  may  stand  as  including 
the  list.  A  good  father,  therefore,  will  hover  over  the  boy,  and 
keep  him  from  wearing  away  his  chance  : — 

20  Be  not  among  wine  topers:  1   .^°  ^,\"°'  ^""""^ 

o  I  _'  ri       A  wine-bibbers  ;      among 

among  squanderers  of  their  own  flesh.  I  riotous  eaters  of  flesh. 

Before  this  is  pronounced  fanciful,  let  us  consult  our  same 
writer  (Ec.  2:3).  "I  tried  further  with  my  heart  to  make 
drafts  upon  my  flesh  with  wine,  and  stimulate  my  heart  in  wis- 
dom." Such  seems  to  be  the  plain  meaning.  A  man  grows 
old  by  the  common  use  of  his  faculties ;  but  if  he  pleases  he 
can  travel  faster.  He  can  make  drafts  upon  his  "flesh  "  with 
wine,  and  burn  faster.  He  can  stimulate  his  heart  in  wisdom. 
So  a  man  can  seek  death  under  the  most  moral  impenitence. 
But  he  can  also  travel  faster.  He  can  squander  his  own  flesh. 
He  can  do  it  by  drunkenness.  He  can  do  it  by  trains  of  tres- 
passes, of  which  common  drunkenness  may  stand  as  chief. 
"  Squanderers."  The  verb  means  to  shake.  It  alludes  to  that 
squandering  thrill  with  which  mad  vice  quivers  away  its  nerv- 
ous zest.  It  is  true  physically;  but  our  great  stock  in  trade  is 
our  spiritual  nerve  and  strength  ;  which  is  that  which  grace 
must  act  upon.  Mad  sinning  thrills  it  all  away.  The  father 
will  be  eager  to  protect  it :  "  for,"  says  the  Wise  Man  : — 


21   For  the  toper  and  the  squanderer  shall  be 
made  poor ; 
and  slumber  shall  cover  them  with  rags. 


at  For  the  drunkard 
and  the  filutton  shall 
come  to  poverty ;  and 
drowsiness  shall  clothe 
a  man  with  rags. 


Chap.  XXIII.]  COMMENTARY.  t^H 

"Poor."  What  poorer  than  being  past  grace?  "Slumber." 
What  deeper  than  an  impossibility  of  being  ever  awaked  ? 
"Cover  them;"  literally,  ^^  cover  /'  but  the  verbs  evidently  refer 
to  the  same  substantives. 

Five  appeals,  now,  intervene,  before  Drunkenness  steps  back 
upon  the  stage  : — first,  to  the  advantage  parents  have  in  their 
character  as  parents.  They  saw  life  early.  They  are  older. 
They  have,  therefore,  all  the  experience : — 


2  2  Listen  to  thy  father,  as  the  one  that  begat 
thee; 
and  for  the  very  reason  that  she  is  old, 
despise  not  thy  mother. 


22  Hearken  unto  thy 
father  that  begat  thee, 
and  despise  not  thy 
mother  when  she  is 
old. 


"As  the  one  that."  This  in  the  first  clause  is  simply  (ht) 
this.  "  Listen  to  thy  father,  this  (or  some  might  say,  /le,  or  who) 
begat  thee."  '''' As  the  one  that"  h  more  emphatic.  It  means 
because  (see  Ps.  74  :  2  ;  104  :  8).  In  the  other  clause,  if  the  book 
were  English,  we  would  read  it  differently.  It  would  imply  a 
reason  for  despising,  not  for  "not"  despising.  It  would  mean,  let 
not  thy  mother's  being  "old  "  be  a  reason  for  despising  her  (E. 
V.)  In  Hebrew  we  understand  it  oppositely.  Let  thy  mother  s 
being  old  be  a  reason  for  not  despising  her.  The  meaning  is, 
that  the  superiority  of  parents  and  their  superior  age  should  be 
a  reason  why  sons  should  listen. 

But,  if  there  should  be  an  influence  of  parents  as  parents, 
how  much  more  'of  "  truth "  as  truth.  What  is  the  use  of 
parents,  or  any  guide  else,  if  a  child  will  only  do  justice  to 
"  truth  ?"  .— 


23  Buy  the  truth,  and  sell  it  not. 

It  is  wisdom,  and  discipline,  and  discern- 
ment. 


23  Buy  the  truth,  and 
sell  it  not ;  also  wis- 
dom, and  instruction, 
and  understanding. 


How  tantalizing  inward  "truth."  The  word  is  nigh  us,  and 
a  spark  of  it  would  save  us.  It  is  the  one  thing  needful.  Why 
talk  of  anything  else  }  It  includes  everything.  If  a  man  sees 
"  truth  "  and  that  is  the  same  as  saying,  if  a  man  sees,  or  has 
LIGHT,  he  has  faith,  and  penitence,  and  diligence,  and  vigilance, 
and  excellence,and  everything  beside.    As  this  Proverb  says,  "  It 


384  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIII. 

is  wisdom,  and  discipline,  and  discernment."  We  do  not  mean  by 
this,  that  a  man  can  then  repent,  and  then  believe  ;  but  he  has 
done  it.  We  do  not  mean  by  that,  that  he  must  have  done  it,  or 
he  could  not  have  the  light ;  but  I  mean  that  the  light  is  all  these. 
The  "  truth  "  of  our  text  let  in  upon  the  soul  is  faith,  is  penitence, 
is  diligence,  is  love,  is  hope,  is  everything;  let  it  only  be  that  it  is 
of  a  moral  kind.  We  do  not  have  light  first,  and  all  excellen- 
cies afterward ;  but,  in  the  very  flash,  we  believe,  and  repent, 
and  adore,  and  have  all  the  graces  of  the  believer.  V/hat  a 
purchase  that  is  !  And  the  text  implies  four  things  ;  first,  that 
there  is  a  claim  per  se  (what  folly  to  argtie  that  a  man  should 
"  buy  "  truth  !)  ;  second,  that  there  is  some  clue  to  it  even  in  the 
sinner  (what  folly  otherwise  to  ask  him  to  buy  !  ) ;  third,  that 
he  has  mad  impulses  to  "sell  it,"  What  a  prodigy!  the  selling 
of  "  truths  What  possibly  could  pay  for  it.-*  And  yet  this  is 
the  great  point  of  the  text !  What  need  of  other  appeals,  if 
*'  Truth  "  itself,  with  upbraiding  eye,  is  in  the  market  in  chains.-* 
And,  fourth,  how  coistantly  we  should  "  buy  "  it !  How  eagerly 
we  should  press  up  to  her  all  the  time ;  and  get  near  to  her 
while  we  are  able !  How  mad  to  have  a  heart  that  steadily 
traffics  her  !  And  how  wise  to  circumvent  that  heart ;  and  buy 
truth,  and  keep  always  buying  her,  and  get  all  we  can,  as  the 
only  conceivable  treasure  !  "/j  wisdom."  That  is,  the  bought 
truth  guides.  ^^  And  discipline."  That  is,  the  indwelling  of 
light  makes  chastisement  sanctify ;  otherwise  it  hardens.  "  And 
discernment."  Other  light  only  serves  the  eye ;  this  changes  it. 
One  gives  the  medium  of  vision  ;  this  gives  sight  itself.  The 
second  appeal,  therefore,  is  to  "  truth  "  in  its  own  claim. 

The  third  is  to  that  manifested  interest,  already  described 
(vs.  15,  16),  and  the  fourth,  to  a  common  gratitude,  that  should 
follow  it,  and  that  may  be  built  upon  it : — • 

24  The  father  of  the  righteous  shall  greatly 

rejoice; 
and  he  that  begets  a  wise  son  shall  also 
have  joy  in  him. 

25  Let  thy  father  rejoice,  and  thy  mother ; 
and  let  her  that  bare  thee  be  glad. 

"  Greatly  rejoice ;"  one  of  those  redoubled  verbs  that  express  the 


24  The  father  of  the 
righteous  shall  greatly 
rejoice;  and  he  that 
besjctteth  a  wise  child 
shall  have  joy  of  him. 

25  Thy  father  and 
thy  mother  shall  be 
glad,  and  she  th.it  bare 
thee  shall  rejoice. 


Chap.  XXIIL]  COMMENTARY.  385 

intensest  meaning  (Gen.  2  :  17).  If  thy  father's  joy  is  so  great 
(v.  24),  learn  thine  own  interest  by  his  (v.  24).  And,  again,  if 
his  joy  would  be  so  great,  secure  it  for  him  (v.  25),  as  so  kind  a 
friend.  "  Let  thy  father  rejoice  ;  and  let  her  that  bare  thee  bo 
glad,"  as  itself  an  ingenuous  motive. 

But,  fifthly,  a  bold  appeal, — abdicate  thine  own  will,  and  come 
bodily  over  to  thy  father's.  Impenitence  is  "  deep,"  and  the  snare 
(under  the  image  of  the  "Harlot"  v.  26)  is  so  insidious:  she 
"  lies  "  so  like  a  bait  (v.  28) ;  and  traps  men  so  in  spite  of  them- 
selves, that  the  father,  if  he  be  a  true  father,  is  to  bear  down 
upon  the  son,  and  ask  him  to  "  give  "  up  his  own  "heart,"  and 
to  come  over  bodily,  and  travel  in  the  father's  "ways."  The 
proposal  is  for  an  entire  abdication  : — 

26  My  son,  give  over  thy  heart  to  me  ;  thine^^ear"'  tl  u1 
and  let  thine  eyes  conceive  delight  in  my  thine  eyes  observe  my 

ways, 
ways.  27  For  a  whore  is  a 

27  For  the  harlot  is  a  deep  ditch ;  'J.^^p  ^itch;   and  3 

»  ^  '  .  strange    woman     z  j    a 

and  the  strange  woman  a  narrow  pit.  narrow  pit. 

28  Yea,  she  herself,  like  loot,  lies  temptingly;  ...ft fJ;;,.^'rpS,\nd 
and  increases  the  robbers  among  men.  increaseth  the   trans- 

gressors  among  men. 

The  idea  is,  of  outrageous  and  invincible  temptation.  The 
proposal  is,  to  give  all  up ;  for  the  young  man  to  give  over  his 
heart,  and  not  trust  it  any  longer ;  to  give  it  up  to  his  wiser 
friend;  to  give  up  the  thought  of  baffling  impenitence,  and 
come  right  in  to  the  father's  "  ways."  The  word  "  conceive  de- 
light," by  a  various  reading,  may  mean  to  take  heed  to,  or  "  ob- 
serve," as  in  our  English  version.  Either  reading  might  answer. 
But  ours,  which  is  the  '  received,'  answers  best ;  for  it  implies  a 
new  preference.  Give  over  even  thine  own  heart ;  "  and  let 
thine  eyes  co7iceive  delight  in  my  tvays"  (v.  27).  "For  the  har- 
lot is  a  deep  ditch."  Any  lower  use  of  this  is  entirely  admis- 
sable.  The  man  who  would  quote  the  whole  as  a  warning 
against  vice ;  or  who  would  lecture  on  the  drunken  picture 
below  in  a  discussion  of  intemperance,  would  be  entirely  right ; 
and  yet  its  grand  sense  is  as  a  portrait  of  unbelief  (see  9  :  13; 
also  Class  L.)  "Yea,  she  herself"  (v.  28) ;  i.  e.,  the  ''harlot," 
in  her  own  beauty ;  or  Impenitence,  in  her  own  blandish- 
ments, "like  loot."     Money  lying  loose;  silks  too  much  exposed; 

17 


386  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIH, 

silver,  that  any  prudent  man  would  hide,  lest,  as  the  term  goes, 
it  should  make  thieves;  offices,  that  are  left  too  free,  so  as  to 
encourage  a  default ;  or  accounts  left  too  long  unaudited ;  all 
these  things  are  of  the  nature  of  the  intended  emblem.  The 
fair  body  of  the  "  Harlot,"  i.  e.,  the  bright  charm  of  Impeni- 
tence, "  lies  temptingly,  or  (///  .•)  in  ambush^  in  overwhelming 
seductiveness,  ''''like  loot"  "and  increases  the  robbers  among 
men."  After  the  picture  of  drunkenness  (vs.  20,  21,  and  vs. 
29-35),  (how  mad  it  is),  and  this  white-limbed  "harlot,"  with 
her  desperate  lures,  the  great  text  (v.  26)  stands  clearer,  My 
son,  give  all  up;  ""give  over  thy  heart  to  me  •"  see  with  my  eyes, 
and  walk  in  my  steps.  Or,  as  this  cannot  be  without  some 
newness  of  "  delight,"  "  conceive  (that)  delight  in  niy  zuays"  and 
surrender  the  heart  even  in  its  interior  pleasures. 

Solomon  next  blends  all  in  an  universal  sketch  ;  for  he  returns, 
all  at  once,  to  a  striking  picture  of  drunkenness.  It  is  a  most  nat- 
ural taking  off,  in  itself;  containing,  among  other  things,  the  un- 
conscious accidents,  (v.  29),  the  painless  wounds  (v.  35),  the 
delirious  sights  (v.  33),  the  ruinous  -quarrels  (v.  29),  and 
speeches  (v.  ^^),  the  dizzy  swimming  of  everything  around 
him  (v.  34),  and  the  babbling  (v.  29),  of  the  intoxicated  man; 
in  one  word,  the  witching  pleasures  of  the  cup  (v.  31),  and  its 
horrors  afterward  (vs.  32,  33),  and  yet,  the  death-like  certain- 
ty, whatever  resolutions  intervene,  that,  when  the  mad  riot  is 
over,  the  man  "  will  seek  it  yet  again  "  (v.  35).  It  is  a  rare  pic- 
ture of  intemperance ;  and  yet  its  higher  use  in  depicting  sin, 
is  just  as  strangely  natural.  Its  griefs  and  present  wretched- 
nesses ;  its  unconscious  mischiefs  ;  its  bright  charms,  and  strange 
seductions;  its  sting  like  the  tooth  of  an  adder;  its  strange 
sights  and  mad  speeches;  its  giddy  action  without  thought,  and 
better  thought  leading  to  no  action;  its  grave  promise  to 
amend ;  and  yet,  when  the  cup  sparkles,  its  mad  rioting  again ; 
all  these,  make  it  like  the  "  Strange  Woman,"  a  graphic  portrait 
of  unbelief: — 

29  Who  has  woe  .-•     Who  has  wretchedness .'' 

Who  has  causes  of  strife  J 
Who  has  complaining.''     Who  has  wounds 

without  cause .'' 
Who  has  fierceness  of  eyes  1 


20  Who  hath  woe  ? 
who  hath  sorrow  ?  who 
hath  contentions?  who 
hath  babbling?  who 
hath  wound;  without 
cause  ?  who  hath  red- 
ness of  eyes  ? 


Chap.  XXIII.] 


COMMENTAR  Y. 


387 


30  They  who  are  late  over  wine  ; 

they  who  go  in  for  being  curious  in  mixed 
drink. 

31  Look  not  upon  wine  because  it  is  red; 
because  it  shows  its  bead  in  the  cup ; 
because  it  goes  right  well. 

32  As  its  after  effect,  it  bites  like  a  serpent, 
and  stings  lilce  an  adder. 

2ii  Thine  eyes  see  strange  things ; 

and  thine  heart  speaks  subversive  things. 

34  And  thou  dost  become  like  one  lying  in 

the  open  sea; 
or  like  one  lying  at  the  mast  head. 

35  They  have  beaten  me,  and  I  felt  no  pain ; 
they  have  struck  me ;  I  knew  nothing. 
When  I  awake,  I  will  seek  it  yet  again. 


30  They  that  tarry 
long  at  the  wine,  they 
that  go  to  seek  mixed 
wine. 

31  Look  not  thou 
upon  the  wine  when  it 
is  red,  when  it  giveth 
his  colour  in  the  cup, 
when  it  raoveth  itself 
aright : 

32  At  the  last  it  bit- 
eth  like  a  serpent,  and 
stingeth  like  an  adder. 

33  Thine  eyes  shall 
behold  strange  women, 
and  thine  heart  shall 
utter  perverse  things  : 

34  Yea,  thou  shalt  be 
as  he  that  lieth  down 
in  the  midst  of  the  sea, 
or  as  he  that  lieth  upon 
the  top  of  a  mast. 

35  They  have  strick- 
en me,  shalt  thou  say, 
and  I  was  not  sick  ; 
they  have  beaten  me, 
and  I  felt  it  not :  when 
shall  I  awake  ?  I  will 
seek  it  yet  again. 


"  Causes  of  strife ;"  the  expressive  ^  again.  It  would  be 
curious  to  find  out  how  many  causes  before  our  courts  originate 
in  bad  bargains,  or  bad  actions,  the  result  of  drunkenness. 
"  Wounds  without  cause."  Strange  there  are  not  more  of  them. 
It  is  a  constant  wonder  that  a  drunken  man  carries  himself  so 
safely.  "  Without  cause"  means,  of  course,  imagined  to  be 
without  cause,  i.  e.,  unconscious.  V.  30.  "Being  curious  in;" 
MiexdWy,^''  sedrching  for."  Recherchl  is  a  cognate  thought  in 
another  language.  V,  31.  Not  '''' when"  (E.  V.),  but,  as  the 
word  is  in  each  case,  13,  "because."  These  witching  sights  are 
just  the  reasons  why  we  should  not  look.  "  It  is  red;"  literally, 
"  makes  itself  red."  "  Shows  its  bead ;"  literally,  'Ogives  its  eye." 
"Goes  right  well;"  literally,  '''' spaziert,  (i.  e.  walks.,  Hith- 
pahel)  aright."  V.  32.  "Its  after  effect;"  literally,  ^'' its  after- 
wards." "Stings;"  literally,  cleaves^  or  pierces.  One  sort 
of  serpent  bites ;  another  darts  out  a  sting,  and  pierces. 
V,  T,T,.  "Strange  things."  This  adjective  feminine  usually 
means  "  strange  women"  (E.  V.) ;  and  the  one  vice  does  excite, 
•and  rouse  the  imagery  of,  the  other.  But  it  rouses  a  vast  deal  of 
other  imagery.  The  after-clause  balances  the  more  general 
sense ;  and  so  grand  a  picture  would  hardly  be  perfect,  unless  the 
nightfuare  of  the  vice,  and  its  delirious  horrors,  were  somewhere 


388  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

brought  into  view.  Impenitence  has  such  spectre-making  ter- 
rors at  the  last.  "Subversive  things;"  overturning  things  (2: 
12) ;  things  perfectly  ruinous.  The  thirty-fourth  verse,  in  the 
giddy  tossing  of  the  sea,  and  the  thirty-fifth  verse,  in  the  un- 
conscious hurtings,  and  in  the  mad  will  to  get  drunjc  again,  are 
too  evident,  either  as  direct  images  of  the  vice,  or  as  sharp 
sketchings  of  a  wild  impenitence,  to  need  anything  but  a  mere 
translation. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  next  verses  seem  very  commonplace.  We  have  repeat- 
edly met  such  verses,  and  wondered  how  they  had  won  a  posi- 
tion with  Solomon.  In  themselves  we  could  find  no  freshness. 
Could  we  be  confined  to  themselves,  they  would  be  a  stand- 
ing puzzle.  But,  on  reading  further,  we  have  found  some  sing- 
ular passage,  and  discovered  that  the  plain  one  was  its  preface 
(see  24:  21,  22).  For  example,  a  most  extraordinary  series 
begins  at  verse  7th.  Solomon  announces  that  the  highest  wis- 
dom in  the  universe  is  that  which  has  regard  to  sinners.  He 
states  (v.  9)  that  there  is  a  grand  purpose  in  sin,  and  that  that 
purpose  is  the  ^''  Sin  Offering."  He  is  about  to  lift  to  the  very 
heavens  some  of  the  fortunes  of  the  transgressor ;  and  seems 
determined,  therefore,  as  a  sort  of  poising  for  the  flight,  to 
show,  nevertheless,  the  great  evil  of  iniquity  : — 


Do  not  thou  get  excited  about  evil  men ; 

and  desire  not  to  be  with  them. 

For   their   heart,   in    its   very   mutterings, 

mutters  out  robbery; 
and  their  lips  talk  trouble. 
By  wisdom  is  a  house  builded  ; 
and  by  discernment  does  it  cause  itself  to 

stand. 
And  by  knowledge  are  its  chambers  filled 
with  all  precious  and  pleasant  competency. 
A  strong  man,  if  wise,  is  as  a  power  indeed ; 
and  a  man  of  knowledge  makes  strength 

really  strong. 


Be  not  thou  envious 
agai  nst  evil  men, 
neither  desire  to  be 
with  them  : 

2  For  their  hcirt 
studieth  destruction, 
and  their  lips  talk  of 
mischief. 

3  Through  wisdom 
is  an  house  builded, 
and  by  understanding 
it  is  established. 

4  And  by  knowledge 
shall  the  chambers  be  ■ 
filled  with  all  precious 
and  pleasant  riches. 

5  A  wise  man  is 
strong  ;  yea,  a  man  of 
knowledge  incroaseth 
streng'h. 


Chap.  XXIV.]  COMMENTARY,  389 

6  For  by  helmsmanship  thou  shalt  make  thyf  J  ^or  ^^ise^coun- 

■Yya^]- •  war:  and  in  multitude 

and  in  the  greatness  of  a  counsellor  there  LVety""""°" ''""  " 
is  safety. 

The  King  runs  over  these  preliminary  verses  to  show  that  sin 
is  really  ruinous,  and   "wisdom"  the  great  house-builder,  and 
the  great  bread-getter,  among  men.    It  is  not  unusualwith  him, 
intending  to  utter  some  striking  views,  to  sober  them  by  plainer 
ones  on  the  obverse  side  of  the  question  (24  :  21,  22).    Sm  is  to 
be  spoken  of  as  a  source  of  amazing  wonders  (vs.  7-9).     To 
make  such  views  safe,  and  to  keep  vain  minds  from^  running 
wild  with  the  conception,  he  writes  six  Proverbs  first,  to  tell 
in  fresh  detail  the  evil  of  transgression.     "  Do  not  thou  get  ex- 
cited;" the  same  word  that,  in  the  last  chapter  (v.  17),  we  trans- 
lated, "-be  aglow."    -V.  2.  "In  its  very  mutterings  mutters  out 
robbery ;"    literally,    "  7niitters    (or    meditates)    robbery:'      The 
word  denotes  the  instinctive  habit ;  that  murmuring  utterance, 
which  flows  moodily  from  the  state  within.     "  Do  not  get  excited 
about  "  sinners,  either  enviously  or  emulously ;  for  their  feet  run 
to  evil,  and  they  are  soon  to  fall.     V.  3.  "By  wisdom^^"  (i.  e., 
piety)  "  is  a  house,"  (i.  e.,  all  our  interests)  "  builded  "  (i.   e., 
raised  from  nothing),  "and  by  discernment"  (viz.,  spiritual  dis- 
cernment) "does  it  cause  itself  to  stand  "  (Hithpahel  of  stand) 
(i.  e.,  win  heaven,  and  keep  it),     v.  4.  "  Competency  ;"  from  a 
word  meaning  ease.     v.  5.  "  A  strong  man."     A  common  man,  a 
better  sort  of  man,  a  strong  man,  and  a  mortal  or  vjeak  man, 
are  the  four  words  for  man  found  in  the  Bible.  This  is  ^^^, "  a 
strong  man."  It  means  a  man  "  strong"  in  a  worldly  sense.    That 
man,  "  if  wise,  is  as  a  power  indeed,"     "  As   "  simply  "  in  "  (^ 
essentia).     " /«^^6'^;"  not  verbally  expressed.     The  meaning 
is,  that  ''a  strong  man,"  if  not  '' 7c>ise,"  is  not  ''strong"  at  all; 
that  piety  is  itself  strength ;  that  the  stronger  a  man  without  it, 
the  weaker  he  is;  that  a  strong  man,  who  is  pious,  not  only  be- 
comes strong  in  that,  but  strong  really  by  his  worldly  strength ; 
because  piety  gives  realness   to  every  gift;    and  "a  man  of 
knowledge ;"  meaning,   as  before,  of  spiritual  light ;  gives  real 
strength    to    that   which,   without,    would   be   only   weakness. 
V   6    "  Helmsmanship  ;"  really  plural.     The  root  means  a  cord. 


390  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

The  word  is  often  repeated  (20  :  18).  It  does  not  mean  '■'■good  ad- 
vice" but  our  own  pulling  aright  at  the  cords  of  the  rudder. 
It  means, — that  naked  wisdom  is  far  better  than  weapons  of 
"  war." 

But  though  Wisdom   is  so  high,  Folly,  as  opening  a  path 
for  it,  is  curiously  higher  : — 


7  The  wisdoms  attaching  to  a  fool  are  per- 
fect jewels ; 
though  he  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate. 


7  Wisdom  is  too  high 
for  a  fool ;  he  openeth 
not  his  mouth  in   the 

gate. 


""Wisdoms;"  a.  pluralis  exce/Unf/ce,  translated  "ic/sdom"  in 
other  parts  of  the  Proverbs  (9  :  i).  "Are  perfect  jewels;"  a 
translation  the  reasons  for  which  are  the  best  possible.  The 
word  occurs  but  three  times  in  the  Bible  ;  once  in  Job  (28  :  18), 
translated,  "No  mention  shall  be  made  of  coral;"  once  in 
Ezekiel  (27:16),  translated  "coral  and  agate;"  and  once  in 
this  passage,  where  it  ought,  in  course,  to  be  translated  '■'coral" 
again.  But  it  comes  from  a  root  meaning  high  ;  it  means  high 
things,  in  the  sense  of  being /r^'^/*?//^  y  and  having  gotten  to  be 
applied  to  "Jeivels"  it  means  very  precious  ones.  The  meaning 
is,  that,  though  "  wis'dom  excelleth  folly  as  far  as  light  excelleth 
darkness  (Ec.  2  :  14;  see  vs.  1-6),  yet  that  the  "wisdoms"  in 
respect  to  folly  are  the  highest  and  most  wonderful  of  any. 
"  Though;"  a  word  not  expressed.  The  grammatical  construc- 
tion seems  to  be ; —  Wisdoms  in  respect  to  the  fool,  bcitig  high 
jewels,  he  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate.  This  is  the  stark  He- 
brew, without  any  idiomatic  help.  We  put  in  the  word  "  though," 
to  do  more  justice  to  the  idiom  in  its  Western  dress.  We 
might  prefix  it  to  either  member.  Solomon  has  been  saying, 
that  wisdom  is  the  great  builder  (8  :  30),  and  the  great  enricher 
(8:21);  that  it  makes  strength  really  strong  (v.  5),  and  power 
more  powerful  in  the  history  of  men.  But,  now,  in  a  singular 
connection,  wisdom  is  at  its  very  height ;  strange  to  say,  in  the 
instance  of  the  "  fool "  himself,  it  is  a  perfect  jetvel.  Though 
the  fool  continues  a  fool  so  that  "  he  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the 
gate ;"  though  the  wisdom  is  not  his  wisdom  ;  and  his  folly, 
as  long  as  it  continues,  remains  the  same  poor  helpless  folly; 
yet  the  "  wisdoms  "  in  the  respect  of  him  "  are  perfect  jewels." 


Chap.  XXIV.]  COMMENTARY.  391 

As  David  says  (Ps.  19),  "  There  is  no  speech  nor  language; 
their  voice  is  not  heard."  "  Though  "  evidently  would  assist 
the  Psalm  as  it  does  the  Proverb.  [Though]  "there  is  no 
speech  nor  accent ;  [though]  their  voice  is  not  heard ;  their 
line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth  and  their  Avords  to  the  end 
of  the  world."  Correspondingly  we  are  to  understand  this  text 
from  Solomon.  "  Though  he  opens  ?iot  his  mouth  in  the  gate,  the 
wisdoms  in  respect  to  the  fool  are  the  highest  jewels  ^  The  next 
verse  shows  how.  Though,  to  pause  a  moment,  let  us  deal  more 
critically.  "  The  gate  /'  that  is,  the  court  where  wise  men  sit  for 
counsel.  The  fool  is  no  wise  man,  but  the  wisdom  concerned 
for  him  is  a  very  jewel.  "  Too  high  for  '  (E.  V.).  This  is  the 
favorite  sense  of  all  commentators.  And,  yet,  very  unreasonably. 
The  word  means  "  high"  but  only  ///  radice.  In  use  it  means 
''''jewels."  And  yet,  meaning  ''''high  "  or  "high  things"  it  could 
not  mean  " /^(? /«]^/zy<?r,"  because  that  requires  a  "i^,  and  the 
word  is  3-  -^^i  respect  of  is  the  true  translation  of  the  particle. 
It  might  equally  mean  "  the  wisdoms  attacMag  to  a  fool"  i.  e., 
the  wise  things  they  become  accessory  to,  as  Judas  did  to  the 
crucifixion  of  his  Master. 

The  main  drift,  however,  is  clearly  seen  in  the  verse  that 
follows : — 


8  He  that  deviseth 
to  do  evil  shall  be  call- 
ed a  mischievous  per- 
son. 


8  Though  he  thinks  to  do  evil, 

men  might  call  him  a  very  master  of  de- 
vices. 

"  Him  being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  fore- 
knowledge of  God,  ye  have  taken,  and  by  wicked  hands  have 
crucified  and  slain  "  (Acts  2  :  23).  "  Though  he  thinks  ;"  Xwt- 
x-A\y,  thinking,  meditating.  Conceiving  "to  do  evil,"  the  foo], 
i.  e.,  the  impenitent,  may  be  called  a  very  master  of  devices. 
In  chap.  16  :  10  we  read, — "  There  is  a  divination  on  the  lips  of 
the  king."  Why.?  We  explained  it  at  the  time.  He  may  be  a 
fool.  He  may  be  a  brute.  He  may  be  an  idiot.  He  may 
hardly  know  what  he  thinks.  Yet  his  voice  is  so  potent  as  a 
king,  that  he  is  not  allowed  to  say  anything  that  does  not  an- 
swer to  an  end.  There  is  a  divination  with  him.  And  so  of 
the   meanest  insect.      It  never  "  transgresses  "  (see    16  :  10). 


392  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

Hence  here  : — The  fool  "  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate,"  and 
yet,  in  the  Plan  built  upon  him,  and,  we  may  say,  occasioned 
by  him,  he  7nay  be  called  "  a  very  master  of  devices."  That  Plan 
is  the  most  amazing  in  the  universe ;  and  so,  unconsciously,  he 
has  dug  the  highest  jewel.  "Men  might  call  him,"  literally, 
"  they  might  call  him  "  (impersonal). 
Verse  ninth  uncovers  everything  : — 


9  The  design  of  folly  is  the  Sin-Offering; 
and  the  abomination,  in  the  case  of  man,  is 
the  scorner. 


9  The  thought  o'f 
foolishness  is  sin  ;  and 
the  scorner  is  an  ab- 
omination to  men. 


"  Design ;"  not  the  same  word  as  in  the  last  verse.  That 
word  has  73  before  it.  This  word  is  without  it.  This  word 
oftener  means /«/^z«'{y  (Lev.  18:17).  This  word  might  mean 
''''iniquity  "  here;  and  still  make  sense.  "  The  iniquity  of  folly 
is  the  Sin-Offering.''  Then  it  would  suggest  Christ's  speech, — 
"  If  I  had  not  done,  etc."  (Jo.  15  :  24) ;  and  the  Comforter's  de- 
lictus flagrans, — "  Of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  me  "  (Jo. 
16:9).  It  would  mean,  that  the  direct  infamy  of  sin  appears  in 
wake  of  the  Sin-Offering.  And  it  would  accord  finely  with 
the  closing  clause  of  the  verse,  which  would  but  echo  it, — "  The 
abomination  in  tlie  case  of  man  is  the  scorner."  AH  things  con- 
sidered, however,  it  cannot  be  the  meaning,  (i)  "  Devices,"  in 
the  verse  before  it,  never  means  iniquity.  The  association  of 
the  two  suggests  similarity  of  sense.  Again  (2),  iniquity  is  a 
more  distant  sense,  and,  though  more  frequent,  of  less  claim, 
as  farther  from  the  root.  Besides  (3),  the  sense  as  above  trans- 
lated is  unspeakably  better.  "Sin-Offering;"  primarily  sin. 
And  yet  it  is  a  singular  mistake,  that  everybody  seems  to  fall 
into,  that  translating  it  "  the  Sin-Offering  "  is  a  strained  and 
bold  expedient.  On  the  contrary,  it  hardly  means  sin  in  any 
part  of  the  Old  Testament.  It  means  "  the  sin-offerifig  "  all 
through  the  book  of  Leviticus.  It  means  it  in  much  of  this 
book  (see  13  :  6).  It  read  "  sin-offering"  in  nearly  all  the  cere- 
monial law.  Rooted  in  the  Israelitish  mind,  there  was  nothing 
strained  or  fanciful ;  and  when  Paul  said, — He  hath  made  Him 
to  be  sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin,"  he  was  recurring  to  a  sense 
which  was  familiar  in  the  synagogue  every  Sabbath-day.    "  De- 


Chap.  XXIV.]  COMMENTARY.  393 

j/^g-;?/' subject  to  the  same  play  as  the  English  word  design. 
We  say, '  design  of  a  knife,'  or  '  design  of  a  speaker.'  The  sense 
is  totally  different.  The  sense,  however,  is  nearly  akin.  "  The 
design  of  folly  "  as  a  scheme  of  the  fool  himself,  is  any  insane 
madness  ;  for  he  is  a  born  fool,  and  "  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the 
gate  "  (v.  7);  but  in  the  other  sense  it  is  like  the  "  divination 
on  the  lips"  of  the  brute  king  (see  16  :  10),  it  is  the  highest 
jewel  (v.  7).  It  stands  as  the  star  of  the  universe.  He  mutters 
rapacity  (see  v.  2) ;  and  yet,  conceiving  "  to  do  evil,  men  might 
call  him  a  very  master  of  devices  "  (v.  8).  The  meaning  is,  that 
the  gospel  is  a  high  gem  (v.  7)  made  possible  by  sin ;  and  the 
closing  clause  finishes  the  picture.  If  Christ  is  a  higher  chance 
for  life  than  even  Gabriel  had,  then  sin  cannot  hurt  the  sinner 
except  through  scorning.  We  have  had  this  idea  before  (17  : 
11).  "  Only  the  rebellious,"  the  Psalmist  words  it  (Ps.  68  :  6). 
"  Only  his  enemies,"  he  words  it  in  another  place.  The  fool  is 
a  perfect  "  master  of  devices  "  in  that  startling  scheme  which  his 
case  inaugurates  ;  for  the  design  of  foolishness  is  the  Sin-offering. 
And,  now,  nothing  can  hurt  him  in  his  folly,  if  only  he  is  not 
rebellious.  "  The  abomination  "  for  the  fool  is  in  his  character 
as  **  s corner." 

Therefore  comes  the  next  verse  : — 
10  If  thou  hast  been  remiss  in  the  day  of  nar-1  j^^°/^'^f""J;:'"^^,5,'; 

row  trial,  I  '^y  strength  is  small. 

still  narrower  has  become  thy  strength. 
Solomon  delights  in  these  past  tenses.  The  whole  sense  is 
this  :— Sin  has  afforded  a  chance  for  a  perfect  jewel  of  wisdoms 
(v.  7).  It  is  to  be  set  on  the  brow  of  eternity.  And  yet  there 
comes  a  "day"  in  that  immensity,  when  this  jewel  must  be  won 
or  lost.  It  is  this  of  which  the  Proverb  speaks.  And  he  throws 
all  into  the  past  tense.  If,  at  any  point  in  mature  life,  you  are 
without  the  gem,  it  is  a  sign  of  a  great  blunder.  You  have  been 
"  remiss  in  the  day  of"  straitness  j  and,  as  the  fruit  of  each  in- 
stance of  this,  you  have  straitened,  or  narrowed  injour  "  strength." 
Eternal  life  is  a  glory,  past  thought ;  but  the  hour  for  taking  it 
is  one  of  amazing  narrowness.  The  fingers  that  must  take  it 
are  nightmared  by  a  strange  torpor.  And  each  time  you  do 
not  take  it,  the  strength  on  which  grace  is  poured,  and  which 


17* 


394  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

makes  you  susceptible  of  life,  is  narrowed  in.  All  this  is  in  the 
past  tense.  At  any  given  point  in  the  history  of  life,  if  you  are 
without  salvation,  it  is  a  sign  you  have  been  relaxed  in  days  of 
crisis,  and  that  each  time  your  "  strength  "  has  decayed  away. 
"If;"  a  conjunction  understood,  and  not  expressed;  as. we 
would  say  in  our  English  idiom.  Hast  thou  been  relaxed^  etc.^ 
then  thy  strength  has  been  narrowed  in. 
But  more : — 

11  If  thou  forbearest  to  snatch  them  that  are  |j^];\,^f'^';^°;'^^°^^^/;^^ 

laid  hold  of  for  death,  [diawn  unto  death,  and 

and  them  that  are  tottering  to  the  slaughter;  tob^Jf-^'.  "'''  "^'^^ 

12  because  thou  sayest, — Behold  we  have  not 

the  knowledge  : 
as  to  this,  is  there  not  One  weighing  out 

hearts.?     He  has  the  discernment : 
and  One  watching  thy  soul  1     He  has  the 

knowledge ; 
and  He  has  rendered  to  men  according  to 

His  own  works. 


12  If  thou  sayest, 
Behold,  we  knew  it 
not  ;  doth  not  he  that 
pondereth  the  heart 
consider  it  ?  and  he 
that  keepeth  thy  soul, 
doth  nc'  he  know  it  ? 
and  shall  not  he  render 
to  ei'ery  man  accord- 
ing to  his  works  ? 


Full  as  this  passage  is,  it  scarce  needs  comment  at  all.  In 
that  day  of  crisis,  when  the  gem  is  to  be  won  (v.  lo),  "  if  thou 
forbearest  to  snatch  them  that  are  laid  hold  of  for  death  "  (and 
in  these  thou  must  include  thyself  as  well  as  others),  the  Wise 
Man  states  consequences  with  the  most  theologic  care. 
"  Snatch /' di  primary  sense,  corresponding  very  well  with  the 
days  of  straitness  (v.  lo),  and  the  idea  of  rough  violence  (21  : 
22)  to  get  heaven,  if  we  get  it  at  all.  "Tottering;"  the  unde- 
cided, dazed  and  helpless  gait  of  the  unbeliever.  V.  12.  "Be- 
cause;" giving  the  reason  why  thou  xn:iy est  forbear.  "We;" 
i.  e.,  thyself  and  others,  as  we  explained  in  the  last  verse. 
"Because  thou  sayest,  Behold  we  have  not  the  knowledge." 
This  is  a  most  artistic  putting  of  the  difficulty,  "  Kno'ci'lcdge  " 
saves  a  man  (22  :  19).  "  Knowledge  "  is  the  same  as  piety;  it 
is  that  " //^a/-/ "  which  the  lost  man  is  without  (10:21);  and 
which  belongs  to  the  puzzle,  chap.  17  :  16.  The  lost  man  very 
naturally  pleads  that  he  is  without  a  certain  mysterious  know- 
ing, or  light  (Is.  5:19);  and  that,  without  that,  he  cannot  turn 
a  wheel  in  the  process  of  salvation.  But,  says  the  inspired 
man, — "  As  to   this,  is   there   not   One   weighing  out   hearts  ?" 


Chap.  XXIV.]  COMMENTAR  V.  395 

"ZT^^/'/j-y"  the  very  thing  pronounced  wanting.  Do  not  say, 
"  JVe  have  no  knowledge."  It  is  because  of  this  that  there  is  One 
weighing  it  out.  Not  '''' pondereth  "  (E,  V.) ;  not  "  weigheth  " 
(Zockler) ;  but  "  is  weighing  out,"  a  sense  helpful  to  other  Pro- 
verbs (see  remarks  16:2;  21:2).  The  word  is  not  a  frequent 
one,  and  is  always  with  this  mettng  out  sense  (see  2  Ki.  12:12). 
"He  has  tlie  discernment."  Do  not  say,  "  We  have  not  the 
knowledge  ■"  for  God"  has  the  knowledge  ;"  and  God  ''''has  the 
discernment ;"  and,  in  this  very  view,  he  weighs  out  the  hearts, 
\.  Q.,  gw&s  i\iQ  "  discernment  "  and  gives  the  '''' knoivledgc"  and 
that  on  the  ground  of  "  His  works,"  and  not  of  yours.  Behold 
a  very  complete  gospel !  "  His  works."  All  say, — each  man's 
own.  Like  passages  would  be  appealed  to  (Ps.  62:12);  and, 
in  fact,  the  imperfect  state  of  Old  Testament  knowledge.  A 
prime  rule  of  comments,  some  think,  is  to  keep  within  the  Old 
Testament  intelligence.  We  have  scores  of  answers  to  this. 
First,  the  old  prophets  said  more  than  they  understood.  Se- 
cond, they  understood  more  than  we  think  (Gen.  4:7;  Prov. 
30:1,  etc.;  31:1,  etc).  Third,  they  may  have  said  the  less, 
because  they  understood  so  well  (sec  23:  18);  and  fourth,  in 
respect  to  this  instance  of  their  speech,  we  defy  any  one  to  go 
through  all  its  length,  and  knit  up  its  whole  skein,  and,  if  he 
deal  squarely  with  every  text,  not  get  his  hand  upon  our  clue, 
and  not  build  the  whole  upon  God's  works,  i.  e.,  upon  Jesus 
Christ's  meritorious  and  all-purchasing  obedience. 

As  the  great  breaking-over  act  to  "  knowledge  "  as  from  no 
''knowledge"  (v.  12),  and  so  to  life  as  from  death,  we  are  to 
treat  "  knowledge,"  not  selfishly  (21  :  17),  but  so  as  to  get  a  taste 
for  it,  and  to  learn  to  affect  it  because  it  is  good  in  itself.  A 
man  can  never  be  saved  by  selfishness  (21  :  26),  nor  driven  all 
the  way  by  Sinai's  thunders.  It  is  right  to  be  moved  by  fear  ; 
but  not  sufficient.  The  talent  that  God  must  impart  is  one  of 
appetite.  So,  if  we  seek  wisdom,  we  must  ask  a  taste  for  it. 
For,  after  all,  a  taste  for  wisdom  is  the  very  essence  of  the  soul's 
regenerateness : — 

_        ,  ,  •,    •        \  I     i^  '^ly  son,  eat  thou 

13  Eat  honey,  my  son,  because  it  is  gooa,  honey,  because  u  is 

and    the   droppings,   as   sweet    upon   thy  g-d^;  an^^thcj-ney- 

palate.  '  to  thy  taste: 


396  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

14  So  shall  the  knowledge  of  wisdom  be  tof,  '*  ,^9  ^J^<i^K  ^^'^ 

1  ,  '-'  knowledge    of  wisdom 

tny  soul.  I /if  unto  thy  soul  :  when 

thou  hast  found //,  then 
there  shall  be  a  reward, 
and  thy  expectation 
shall  not  be  cut  off. 


If  thou  hast  found  it,  and  there  be  a  here 

after, 
then  thine  expectation  shall  not  be  cut  off. 


"TMne  expectation."  Behold,  after  all,  self  as  well  as  senti- 
ment. Solomon  never  divorces  them  (21:20,  21).  But  self 
must  follow  sentiment.  Solomon  carefully  distinguishes  them. 
We  cannot  win  heaven  for  self  (21  :  17),  but  we  can  win  self 
with  heaven  (21  :  20).  The  toil  for  an  "  expectation"  all  Scrip- 
ture has  constantly  said  (Matt.  16  :  25)  must  always  be  in  vain. 
But  "if  thou  hast  found  knowledge,"  and  loved  her  in  her 
heavenly  grace;  broken  over  the  gulf;  and  wooed,  and  won, 
this  offered  gift ;  if  thou  hast  not  relaxed  in  the  day  of  straitness 
(v.  10),  but  hast  pressed  in  with  loving  eyes,  and  begged  for  a 
spiritual  appetite;  and  that  God  would  weigh  out  heart  (v.  12), 
and  give  you  the  divine  affection  which  He  shares  (v.  12)  ;  then 
two  things  follow ;  ,first,  a  joyful  sweetness,  such  that  thou  shalt 
"eat  because  it  is  good;"  and  second,  all  self  could  ask;  for, 
Lo  !  "  if  there  be  a  hereafter  ;  then  thine  expectation  shall  not 
be  cut  off."  Recurring,  in  brief,  upon  the  thought,  mark  four 
things.  First, — "  Honey  "  is  ''good."  So  is  "  knowledge  f  and 
cannot  be  good  except  in  itself.  Second, — We  are  to  "eat 
//^;/^y"  and  so  "  knowledge;"  and  cannot  ''eat"  of  it  except 
^'  because  it  is  good."  Third, — We  have  eaten  wisdom  because 
it  was  good  ;  else,  as  the  last  thought  implies,  we  have  never 
eaten  of  it  at  all.  This  is  a  grand  anti-communion  text.  And, 
fourth, — We  had  better  eat  of  it,  not  only  because  of  the  whole 
sweetness  of  the  feast,  but  of  all  else  added;  ^'  If  there  be,  etc." 
"Palate;"  a  juster  word  than  the  English,  meaning  the  hinder 
mouth,  and  all  the  organs  of  taste.  "To  thy  soul;"  we  might 
translate,  " /^ //««^  appetite  "Then;"  simply  "  rt-z/^/y"  a  force 
of  and,  however,  which  is  not  infrequent  in  the  closing  member 
of  a  sentence  (14  :  22). 

These  additional  joys,  which  are  promised  to  the  saved,  are 
so  abiding  that  it  is  useless  to  attack  him.  The  next  Proverb, 
therefore,  is  most  bright  for  the  saint,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
most  solemn  for  the  sinner  : — 


Chap.  XXIV.]  COMMENTARY.  397 


15  Lie  not  in  wait,  O  wicked  man,  against  the 

dwelling  of  the  righteous. 
Rob  not  his  resting-place. 

16  For    the   righteous   man   shall   fall   seven 

times,  and  rise  again ; 
while  the  wicked  shall  be  overthrown  as  an 
evil.  . 


15  Lay  not  w.-iit,  O 
wicked  man,  against 
the  dwelling  of  the 
righteous;  spoil  not 
his  resting-place  : 

16  For  a  just  tnan 
falleth  seven  times,  and 
riseth  up  again  :  but 
the  wicked  shall  faJl 
into  mischief. 


"  As  an  evil ;"  literally,  "  in  an  evil."  "  The  wicked  shall  fall 
ifito  mischief"  is  the  insipid  translation  of  the  English  Version. 
A  good  way  of  treating  such  renderings  is  to  in^st  ad  tmguein 
upon  something  worthy  of  Solomon,  which  such  truisms  can  be 
declared  to  mean.  Treating  the  preposition  as  ^  essentice^  and 
adding  to  a  list  (Class  XXVI)  which  we  shall  collect  in  the  ap- 
pendix to  our  volume,  we  reach  the  clear  meaning  that  the 
Christian  is  invulnerable  ;  that  though  he  "faJl,"  he  shall  "rise 
again  "  (Ps.  37  :  24)  ;  that  all  evil  shall  do  him  good  (Rom.  8  : 
28)  ;  that  no  evil  shall  befall  him  (12:21);  and  that  no  good 
shall  be  denied  him  (Ps.  84:  11);  but  that,  as  to  the  impeni- 
tent, creation  cannot  bear  a  mere  blot,  and  "  lie  shall  be  over- 
thrown as  an  evil." 

While  on  the  subject  of  not  harming  the  saint,  the  lesson  is 
added  of  not  banning  anybody,  and  not  cherishing  resentment. 
It  may  be  necessary  to  punish.  It  may  be  necessary  to  defend. 
It  may  be  necessary  to  inflict;  and  that,  indeed,  the  very  utter- 
most degrees  of  mischief.  But  it  is  never  necessary  to  "  exult," 
or  to  avenge  an  injury  : — 


17  Rejoice  not  at  the  fall  of  thine  enemy  ; 
and   let  not  thy  heart  exult  at  his  over- 
throw ; 

18  lest  Jehovah  see,  and  it  be  evil  in  His  eyes; 
and  He  recall  His  anger  from  him. 


17  Rejoice  not  when 
thine  enemy  falleth  ; 
and  let  not  thine  heart 
be  glad  when  he  stum- 
bleth  ; 

18  Lest  the  Lord 
see  H,  and  it  displea<;e 
him,  and  he  turn  away 
his  wrath  from  him. 


There  might  seem  to  be  an  inconsistency  in  the  four  clauses 
as  a  whole.  "  Rejoice  not  at  the  fall  of  thine  enemy  "  (v.  17) 
"lest  Jehovah  recall  His  anger"  (v.  18).  What  would  that 
matter  ?  If  there  be  no  hypocrisy  in  the  saint,  and  he  dare  not 
be  glad  of  the  fall,  why  object  to  the  "  recall "  of  "  anger"  ?  Is 
there  not  some  defect  in  this  sentence  ? — On  the  contrary,  it  is 


398  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV 

one  of  the  instances  of  clearly  discriminated  thought.  My 
enemy  crushes  me.  I  cry  out  under  my  load,  and  God  sweeps 
him  away.  I  cannot  but  feel  relieved.  There  is  a  vast  differ- 
ence between  this,  and  anything  like  joy  at  his  sufferings.  I 
may  not  wish  him  restored.  I  dare  not  have  him  back.  But 
I  must  not  unfeelingly  "  exult."  And  there  is  no  inconsistency 
in  the  menace,  that  revengefully  to  exult  shall  set  up  and  bring 
back  the  destructive  tyranny. 

Accordingly,  we  are  to  be  very  discriminating  in  our  feelings, 
even  against  "the  wicked."  And  there  is  to  be  a  remembering 
of  the  grounds  for  pity  : — 


19  Be  not  angry  against  evil  doers; 
be  not  excited  ■■'  nit  the  wicked; 

20  for  there  comes  no  future  for  the  evil  man ; 
the  light  of  the  wicked  shall  be  put  out. 


19  Fret  not  thyself 
because  of  evil  metty 
neither  be  thou  envious 
at  the  wicked : 

20  For  there  shall  be 
no  reward  to  the  evil 
man;  the  candle  of  the 
wicked  shall  be  put  out. 

Doctrines  that  Solomon  has  broached  (see  i  :  24-28)  should 
evidently  soften  our  wrathfulness.  "  The  rich  and  the  poor  fit 
together  "  (22  :  2).  "  The  borrower  is  the  servant  of  the  lender  " 
(22  :  7).  God  is  to  give  men  for  us  (Is.  43  :  4).  If  we  are  set 
up  over  the  ruins  of  the  dead.  Oh,  how  tender  we  should  be  ! 
For  there  will  never  come  a  "  future  "  for  the  wicked.  The 
candle  for  the  lost  but  gleams  in  his  earthly  dwelling-place. 
"  Be  not  escited  ;"  be  not  "  emulous  "  (v.  i)  ;  be  not  "jealous  " 
(Num.  5:14);  be  not  "  aglow  "  (23  :  17).  This  word  is  most 
wonderfully  varied.  It  can  have  no  one  translation.  It  means 
"  excited"  in  almost  any  way.  Here,  that  word  seems  decidedly 
the  best.  Be  not  moved  by  their  sins,  or  by  their  successes. 
For,  poor  men,  they  are  not  objects  to  be  envied.  "  There 
comes  no  future  for  the  evil  man.  The  light  of  the  wicked  shall 
be  put  out."  "  Cofjies /'  the  word  to  be,  actually  expressed  (see 
Gen.  1:5).  "Future;"  literally,  after  fart  (Is.  2:2);  bare 
derivative  from  the  preposition  after ;  with  no  right  to  be 
translated  "end"  (see  5  :  4,  et al.,  E.  V.),  or  '*  reward"  (E.  V)., 
as  in  the  present  instance.  "  The  light  j"  sometimes  translated 
"lamp"  (i  Sam.  :^\2„  E.  V.);  less  permanent  than  Tjjj^ ;  not 
luminous  in  itself;  but  dying,  unless  trimmed  and  artificially 
replenished. 


Chap.  XXIV.]  COMMENTARY.  399 

There  follows  a  very  uncommon  teaching.  While  we  are  not 
to  be  revengeful  with  the  workers  of  iniquity,  or  joyful  over 
their  just  misfortunes,  we  are  not  to  patronize  God,  or  make  false 
excuses  for  His  character.  To  guard  everything,  common- 
place is  first  resorted  to,  as  in  the  preface  so  recently  discussed 
(vs.  1-6),  to  fix  firm  the  more  obvious  truth,  before  disturbing 
it  by  more  startling  intimations  : — 


21  My  son,  fear  thou 
the  Lord  and  the  king  ; 
and  meddle  not  with 
them  that  are  given  to 
change : 

22  For  their  calamity 
shall  rise  suddenly; 
and  who  knoweth  the 
ruin  of  them  both  ? 


21  Fear  Jehovah,  my  son,  and  the  King. 

With   them    given   to   change    have    thou 
nothing  to  do. 
2  2  For  Their  heavy  inflictions  shall  come  sud- 
denly ; 
and  the  destruction  by  the  Two,  who  is 
there  that  knows } 

"  And  the  King ;"  viz.,  God.  This  may  seem  a  very  wonder- 
ful rendering.  But  we  shall  recur  to  the  very  like  a  few  verses 
ahead  (25:  2).  "  Jehovai;"  i.  e.,  God  in  all  His  perfections. 
"  The  King"  i.  e.,  God  in  that  strange  work  in  which  He  dis- 
ciplines and  governs.  Not  Jehovah^  eve?i  the  King ;  for  that 
would  preclude  the  words  "  Them  both"  (E.  V.),  or  "the 
Two"  in  the  twenty-second  verse;  but,  as  in  chap.  25  :  2,  ^^  Je- 
hovah" as  a  God  of  Love  (i  Jo.  4:8),  and  in  all  His  grander 
perfections;  '■'' and  the  King"  2a  though  viewed  for  a  moment 
quite  as  a  separate  Being.  The  direction  (vs.  21,  22)  is  a  start- 
ing point  (vs.  1-6),  as  though  to  bring  out  more  sharply  another 
and  more  strange  monition  (vs.  23,  etc.).  The  common-place 
law  must  be  unquestioned.  "  Fear  "  God.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  about  that.  ''Fear"  Him  as  God.  Fear  Him  as  ''King." 
Fear  Him  in  all  His  relations.  There  are  innovators;  caught 
by  new  objections;  "given  to  change;"  literally,  repeaters,  or 
turners  back,  like  the  year  (from  the  same  root,  see  Gesen.). 
"  Have  thou  nothing  to  do"  with  them.  "  Be  not  angry  with  them" 
the  last  passage  says  (v.  19) ;  and  yet,  "  have  nothing  to  do"  with 
them.  "  For  Their  heavy  Inflictions  ;"  i.  e.,  Jehovah's  and  the 
King's.  The  noun  means  weights,  or  crushings.  Their  criishings  ; 
.not  the  victims',  but  God's.  We  talk  with  like  licence  in  English. 
A  man's  crushing  may  mean  where  he  crushes,  or  where  he 
gets  crushed.     Of  course  it  can  only  mean  where  They  crush, 


400  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

if  it  alludes  to  God  and  the  King  (comp.  Ps.  38  :  ii,  marg.  and 
39:10).  "Come;"  literally,  rise  or  stand  up.  "Suddenly;" 
because  that  is  best.  ^^  Jehovah,''  as  a  God  of  love,  and  "///<? 
Xing,"  as  a  God  of  justice,  may  go  on  very  smoothly  with  the 
lost  for  half  a  century  :  but  keep  thou  clear !  By  the  very  ne- 
cessities of  "  the  King,"  the  incorrigible  must  be  crushed  "  sud- 
denly." "  The  destruction  by  the  Two;"  literally,  "  i?/y"  i.  e., 
the  destroying  that  the  Two  do.  As  a  paraphrase  of  the  whole 
passage, — Take  the  tenderness  of  the  Being  Jehovah,  and  add 
to  all  of  that  the  strictness  necessary  to  a  King;  make  Jehovah 
a  God  of  goodness,  but  then,  loving  as  He  is,  by  needs  of  that 
also  a  reigning  King ;  and  we  have  a  terrible  prospect  for  the 
sinner.  By  *all  means  "/^^r  "  Him.  Because  of  the  Two  to- 
gether, most  gloriously  the  God  '"''Jehovah,"  but  most  neces- 
sarily a  God  "///<?  King"  in  the  needful  sternness  of  Their  ad- 
ministration, tuho  knows  the  ruin  by  Them  Both  ? 

Then,  now,  this  adjusted,  the  strange  principle  is  at  once  ad- 
vanced : — 


23  Even  as  to  These,  for  the  wise 

to  be  partial  in  judgment  is  not  good. 


23  These  M/«^i  also 
belong  to  the  wise.  It 
is  not  good  to  have 
respect  of  persons  in 
judgment. 


"  Even  as  to  These  ;"  that  is  '■'■Jehovah  "  and  "  the  King,"  (v. 
21).  For  the  pious  to  defend  God  with  unprincipled  strokes 
of  reasoning,  the  Proverb  says,  "is  not  good."  How  fine  a 
thought  for  learned  theologians  !  In  the  appetite  for  "  change," 
arguments  are  brought  against  the  teachings  of  Jehovah,  that 
are  new  and  hard  to  battle  with.  The  saint,  instead  of  keep- 
ing his  "vineyard"  clean  (v.  30),  and  going  into  the  jungle 
with  toil,  and  cutting  out  the  thorns  and  briars  (v.  27),  rests 
idly  like  a  sluggard  (v.  30),  and  speaks  lyingly  for  Jehovah. 
How  many  words  in  His  defence  are  utterly  disingenuous. 
Now,  the  world  sees  this ;  and  when  gospel  apologetics  say, — 
black  is  white,  and  sin  is  holiness,  "nations  curse,  and  peoples 
treat  with  indignation"  (v.  24).  Yea,  they  that  rebuke  such 
things  are  cheered,  and  there  comes  upon  them  even  the  blessing  of 
the  good  (v.  25).  T^his  is  the  main  gist  of  this  remarkable  pass- 
age.     Nor   need  we    shrink   from  it;    for  Job   pilloried    this 


Chap.  XXIV.]  COMMENTAR  V.  401 

hypocritical  jugglery  before  : — "  Will  ye  speak  wickedly  for 
God  ?  and  talk  deceitfully  for  Him  ?  Will  ye  be  partial  for 
Him  ?  Will  ye  contend  for  God  ?  Is  it  good,  because  He 
searches  you  through  ?  As  one  deceives  a  mortal,  can  ye  so 
» deceive  Him.?  He  will  surely  reprove  you  if  ye  are  covertly 
partial  "  (Job  13  :  7-10).  Defending  God,  therefore,  by  be- 
coming "  patchers  up  of  falsehood,"  as  Job  calls  it  (Job  13:4), 
"  sewers  together  of  nothing,"  Solomon  distinctly  rebukes ; 
with  how  much  necessity  may  be  judged  by  those  who  carefully 
read  the  writings  of  most  polemics.  "Even  as  to  These."  There 
is  no  "  as  to.''  This  must  be  understood  by  the  isolation  of  the 
substantive  (see  other  cases,  Class  XIII).  "  These"  has  always 
been  referred  to  the  subsequent  Proverbs ;  so  as  to  mark  a  new 
collection.  Chap.  25  :  i  might  support  that.  The  opinion  of 
all  expositors  upholds  it.  But  then  let  us  press  the  following 
questions  : — In  the  first  place.  What  motive  could  there  be,  in  a 
collection  by  Solomon,  to  interpose  the  expression, — "  Also 
these  "}  Two  renderings  could  be  had  : — Either  first,  "  These 
things  also  belong  to  the  wise"  (E.  V.);  or,  ''''Also  these  : — ^  For 
the  wise  to  have  respect,  etc'  "  Where  is  the  good  of  such  an 
interruption .''  But,  in  the  second  place, — What  is  the  meaning 
of  the  Proverb  with  such  a  preface  cut  off.''  It  would  be  a  bare 
inanity.  "  To  respect  persons  !"  Who  doubts  whether  this  is 
"  wise  ?"  In  the  third  place,  rendered  as  above,  it  is  perfectly 
fresh  :  it  gives  emphasis  to  all  the  words ;  unity  to  all  the  pas- 
sage ;  force  to  each  separate  text,  when  they  would  be  nullities 
if  they  stood  alone ;  and,  on  the  whole,  brings  forward  such  a 
continuous  significance  as  touches  upon  other  Proverbs,  and 
could  hardly  have  been  invented,  and  could  certainly  have  fal- 
len by  chance  into  no  such  intelligible  connection.  "  Also 
these  "  (chap.  25  :  i)  may  mean  something  different,  just  as  like 
words  may  mean  differently  in  any  Scripture  (see  24:12). 
"  For  the  wise  to  be ;"  literally,  "  In  the  instance  of  (^)  the  wise, 
to  be,  etc."  "  To  be  partial  •/'  literally,  "  to  recogn'ze  faces."  "  In 
judgment;"  literally,  in  a  judicial  verdict.  Here  that  'fudgment" 
is  meant  which  a  man  comes  to  about  his  Maker. 

This  untrue  verdict  for  God,  which,  quoad  hoc,  is  saying  "  to 


402  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV 

the  wicked, — Thou  art  righteous,"  is  one  which  men  in  mass 
will  resent : — 


24  Him  that  says  to  the  wicked, — Thou  art 
righteous, 
nations  shall  curse,  peoples  shall  treat  with 
indignation. 


24  He  that  saith  unto 
the  wicked,  Thou  art 
righteous  ;  him  shall 
the  people  curse,  na- 
tions shall  abhor  him ; 


God,  so  defended,  is  not  really  holy,  but  unholy.  He  is  a 
figment ;  and  men  some  day  will  find  Him  out.  Such  Gods 
have  done  unspeakable  mischief.  They  are  ^''wicked."  And 
he  that  says  they  are  "  righteous  "  must  some  day  or  other  go 
down. 

Nay,  the  sooner  the  better ;  and  he  that  administers  the  re- 
proof will  deserve  a  "  blessing  "  : — 


25  And    to  them  that  set  the  thing  right  it 
shall  be  pleasant ; 
and  upon  them  shall  come  the  blessing  of 
the  good  man. 


25  But  to  them  that 
rebuke  /inii  shall  be 
delight,  and  a  good 
blessing  shall  come 
upon  them. 


"  To  them  that  set  the  thing  right ;"  simply  3  with  the  parti- 
ciple of  a  verb  meaning  to  set  ri'g/it.  It  often  means  to  reprove. 
What  is  set  right  is  very  evident.  We  throw  in  the  word 
''''thing  "with  nothing  to  answer  to  it  in  the  original.  "Plea- 
sant. "  Not  very  seldom  in  this  world  old  arguments  are  now 
proved  to  be  unsound,  which  it  would  have  been  anything  else 
than  ""pleasant  "  to  have  made  a  thrust  at  years  ago.  "  And  upon 
them;  "  i.e.  upon  those  who  shake  to  pieces  the  very  defences 
of  the  gospel,  when  these  become  tricky — when  they  are 
unprincipled,  "  shall  come, "  ^uoad  this  act,  if  they  are  not 
otherwise  its  foes,  "  the  blessing  of  the  good  man." 

He  that  deals  in  things  absolutely  true,  need  not  be  afraid,  even 
though  they  may  seem  to  be  against  the  gospel.  Nor  need  he  be 
afraid  of  having  no  sympathy.  He  will  meet  with  the  truth  in 
others.  He  will  be  the  man  to  get  sympathy.  There  can  be  no 
harmony  of  lie  with  lie  : — 


26  He  kisses  lips, 

who  returns  straight-forward  words. 


26  Every  man  shall 
kiss  kis  lips  that  giveth 
a  right  answer. 


"  Kisses ;  "  (future ;  ergo  continuous  present) :    meets  other 


Chap.  XXIV.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  403 

spirits ;  comes  into  harmony  with  all  intelligence.  "  Straight- 
forward ;  "  from  a  verb  meaning  to  be  in  front.  Of  all  beings 
God  ought  to  be  defended,  not  by  lies,  but  by  what  is  straight 
out.  He  is  a  bad  man,  though  it  may  be  in  the  higher  chambers 
of  his  character,  who  talks  wickedly  for  God,  and  who  lets  pass 
under  his  pen  (unless  through  feebleness  of  wit),  flimsy  and 
uncandid  argumentations. 

Because,  nextly,  there  is  a  remedy  for  want  of  argument.  If 
time  creates  cavils,  and  new  sciences  offer  new  difficulties,  what 
is  our  recourse .''  To  make  light  darkness  }  To  take  scientific 
facts,  and  make  conscience  tramp  them  under  foot.^  Nations 
curse  that ;  peoples  will  be  roused  indignantly.  We  are  to  do 
just  what  the  farmer  does  when  brambles  spring  up.  We  are  to 
go  to  "work."  Fresh  thorny  difficulties  are  the  nettles  (v.  31) 
of  our  spiritual  husbandry.     We  are  to  drive  in  a  deep  plow  : — 

27  Do  up  thy  work  without  ;  ?!  Prepare  thy  work 

T,..^  !<••  (-11  without,   and   make   it 

and  adjust  it  for  thyself  m  the  field.  fit  for  thyself  in  the 

Then  thou  hast  also  already  built  thy  house,  bu'w  thine  hfus^''''^" 

What  is  the  farmer  meant  for  but  to  chop  the  weeds  .''  If  we 
could  plow-in  exploded  errors,  our  husbandry  would  be  a  very 
simple  one  :  but  we  are  to  deal  with  a  new  crop ;  and  in  that 
soil  of  Palestine  {%tQ.  Hackett ;  Illustrations  of  Scripture^  thorns 
had  a  strange  fecundity.  "  Thorns  are  snares  in  the  way  of 
the  crooked  "(22:5);  but  to  the  Christian  they  are  a  necessity. 
They  keep  him  at  ''''work'"  in  his  "field;"  and,  after  all,  what 
else  has  he  to  do.?  When  he  has  ploughed  up  the  brambles, 
and  put  in  the  good  seed  of  truth,  he  may  stop  and  rest.  "  \^He 
has\  already  built  [/;/>]  house."  ^'' House  "  every  interest  (see 
Ex.  1:21).  '^'' "H-slsX  built /'  emphatic  perfect.  After  an  inter- 
val for  a  lesser  thought,  the  claims  of  this  honest  husbandry  are 
to  be  resumed  (vs.  30-34), 

While  we  are  not  to  defend  God  unfairly,  we  are  not  to  assail 
men  even  fairly  : — 

28  Be  not  a  witness  to  no  purpose  against  thyj^g^J^f^^'Jfyt  neighbour 

neighbor,  Iwithout  cause;  and  de- 

and,  mayhap,  deceive  with  thy  lips.  '"'^" .""'  ^'"'^  '^^  ^'^" 

"  To  no  purpose ;"  "  without  cause  "  (E.  V.).     The  same  wrong 


404  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

translation  is  scattered  about  wearisomely  (r :  ii  ;  3  :  30).  In 
this  verse  it  spoils  all  the  sense.  "  Without  cause  "  would 
imply  that  we  may  "  witness  "  if  there  be  a  "  cause.  "  Whereas 
the  other  rendering  is  not  only  good  morals,  but  all  that  can  be 
enacted  in  the  case.  No  definition  can  replace  it.  Scandal  is 
not  lying,  but  use/ess  defaming.  We  are  not  to  tell  the  truth 
"  against  [our]  neighbor,  "  except  for  good  ;  and  so,  plainly,  we 
are  to  understand  the  Proverb, — "  Be  not  witness  to  fio purpose." 
"  Mayhap.  "  This  is  expressed  by  a  little  particle  before  the 
verb.  It  helps  in  the  ancillary  thought,  that,  not  only  is 
speaking  evil  wicked  if  it  can  do  no  good,  but  also  it  may 
prove  actually  unjust.  All  statement  has  a  hazard  of  mistake. 
If  it  can  do  some  good,  we  may  risk  something  so  as  to  "  witness  " 
in  a  case;  but  if  there  can  be  no  good,  we  should  risk  nothing. 
If  we  speak  evil  without  any  good  result,  we  not  only  harm  our 
neighbor,  but  may  wrong  him  by  unintentional  deceit.  We  are 
to  be  silent,  therefore. 

And  it  is  no  reason  to  the  contrary  that  he  has  borne  witness 
against  us  : — 


29  Say  not,  As  he  has  done  to  me,  so  I  will 
do  to  him ; 
I  will  render  back  to  a  man  according  to  f„g  tohiswoTk''""''^" 
his  work. 


29  Say  not,  I  will  do 
so  to  him  as  he  hath 
done  to  me  ;  I  will  ren- 


The  lex  talionis,  which  in  law,  and  also  in  social  defence, 
necessarily  exists,  is  rather  defined  than  at  all  interfered  with  by 
the  present  passage.  Q^n  {without  a  purpose)  regulates  both 
sentences.  We  are  never  to  retaliate,  except  as  in  witnessing  in 
a  court ;  and  then,  not  resentfully,  but  as  for  a  useful  aim. 

Clearing  away  this,  however,  Solomon  resumes : — 

30  I  came  upon  the  field  of  the  slothful,  L  3°  i  went  by   the 

"  J  -^    ,  .  1       /-    ,  •         tiela    of    the    slothful, 

and  upon  the  vineyard  of  the  man  wanting  and  by  the  vineyard  of 

'"-'^"-»  derstanding. 

31  andlo!  it  was  all  grown  up  with  nettles  :       31  And,  lo,  it  was  all 

■,■,-,  y    ■        r  grown  over  With  thorns, 

brambles  covered  its  face  ;  «««- nettles  had  cover- 

and  the  wall,  as  to  its  stones,  was  pulled  down,  the' sLne-waii'theVeof 

32  And  I  looked  for  my  own  sake  ;  I  applied  '^''j'.Vh'e^n"  f"^^^  ^„j 

my  heart  ;  considered    /■/   we'll  ;  I 

I  saw ;  I  received  correction.  iecdvld  mst"  uction."'' 


Chap.  XXIV.]  COMMENTARY.  405 

Z^  A  little  sleep  !     A  little  drowsing  !  a  i^?tirim^SViit^ti^ 

A  little  folding  of  the  hands  for  rest !  folding  of  the  hands  to 

34  and  thy  poverty,  sauntering  along,  has  en-  ^  ^j^^^so  shall  thy  pov- 

f  prpri  •  *'^'y  come  as  one  that 

lt;rcu  ,  1         1  1  J  travelleth  ;     and     t  h  y 

and'thy  want,  as  a  bucklerea  man.  want  as  an  armed  man. 

Of  course,  these  are  Proverbs ;  and  good  for  anything  for 
which  they  can  afford  a  lesson.  They  are  like  the  "  bala7ice  " 
sentences  (11 :  i  ;  16  :  ii),  or  the  ''surety"  sentences  (6:1;  11 : 
15),  or  the  "  abo7mnation  "  sentences  (3:32;  11:  20),  good  wher- 
ever they  can  be  applied.  This  is  a  picture  of  sloth.  At  the  same 
time,  in  its  connection,  it  is  a  picture  of  sloth  under  attacks 
upon  our  faith.  The  world  moves  on ;  and,  in  our  laziness,  our 
garden  gets  all  choked  with  new  dogmas  against  the  gospel. 
The  writer  has  already  said  that  we  are  not  to  bear  with  them ; 
we  are  not  to  yield  to  "  them  that  are  given  to  change  "  (v.  21). 
He  has  also  said,  we  are  not  to  answer  them  with  deceit  (v.  23) : 
and,  now,  what  remains  ?  Why,  that  we  baffle  them ;  that  we 
work  as  hard  as  they  do.  I  know  no  Proverb  more  useful  for 
the  men  of  our  times.  We  lie  upon  our  lees,  till  we  think  phi- 
losophy a  sort  of  wickedness;  till  we  think  quiet  under  its 
advances  a  sort  of  Christian  faith.  We  let  science  work  on  till, 
by  sap  and  mine,  it  is  near  our  citadel.  Great  bodies  of  learned 
work  are  built  up,  while  the  church  sleeps.  If  she  fights,  it  is 
with  a  sort  of  chicane  (vs.  23,  24) ;  with  the  gongs  and  bright 
paper,  like  a  Chinese  troop ;  when  duty  plainly  is,  to  work  up 
abreast  of  science.  If  the  church  has  more  light,  she  must 
expect  more  contest.  If  she  has  better  arms,  she  must  expect 
more  battles;  with  more  mind — of  course,  more  to  oppose; 
otherwise,  she  has  less  to  do  than  less  capable  believers.  The 
world's  science  must  be  met  by  the  church's  science;  and  new 
sturdy  brambles  in  her  prolific  fields  must  be  plowed  under  by 
improved  implements.  Otherwise,  old-time  arguments,  and  a 
sort  of  a  chicane  of  a  retort ;  responses  like  those  of  women, 
rather  intended  to  say, — *  No,'  than  to  be  an  actual  reply,  become 
indicative  of  a  sluggard-church,  and  of  a  garden  cumbered  like 
that  before  us.  V.  30.  "  Slothful ;  "  literally,  sluggard  man. 
"  Man'  here  is  m'lj^  ;  in  the  last  clause,  Cli^-     The  better  off 

T     T 

man  has  a  "field,"  the  commoner  one,  a  "  vineyard."    All  classes 


4o6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIV. 

of  men  are  bound  to  read  up",  and  get  rid  of  occasions  of  cavil. 
"Wanting  heart."  So,  "weighing  out  hearts"  (21:2),  and 
increasing  heart  (15:32);  ^^ heart"  in  many  of  these  texts 
meaning  sanctified  mind,  ox  piety.  V.  31.  "The  wall;"  neces- 
sary to  keep  a  church  at  all.  Let  scientists  trample  in  upon  the 
vineyard  with  nothing  but  a  few  old  clothes  to  scare  them,  and 
presently  we  will  have  no  church  whatever.  The  church  must 
work  with  the  best.  Not  "  stone  wall "  (E.  V.),  but  "  the  wall,  as 
to  its  stones."  "Pulled  down."  It  will  not  slowly  crumble;  but 
interested  parties  will  help  it,  when  it  begins  to  totter.  In  fact, 
the  world  pulls  off  stones  from  the  very  first.  V.  32.  "  Looked." 
Seeing  such  things  requires  an  effort.  "  For  my  own  sake ;  " 
literally,  "  I,"  expressed,  and,  therefore,  emphatic.  Not  the 
slothful  man's  business  alone  !  but  mine  !  I  am  sufficiently  like 
him.  A  vineyard  with  brambles  like  that  of  Geneva,  or  like  that 
of  England,  or  of  cis-Atlantic  Socinian  States,  is  a  picture  for  all 
mankind.  Sturdy  brambles,  dug  at  chiefly  with  chicane,  adorn 
the  gardens  of  almost  every  one  of  us.  V.  ^^.  "  Drowsing ;" 
literally,  nodding ;  from  t]^5>  to  shake.  The  church  cannot 
afford  even  to  nap  an  instant.  V.  34.  "Sauntering  along;" 
Hithpahel  of  walk:  spazieren  (20:7);  ^^-y'*  pleasure  gait. 
"Bucklered  man."  Both  these  descriptions  mean  (t)  slowness 
and  (2)  certainty ;  (i)  unobserved  ease  of  gait;  but  (2)  doom- 
like certainty  in  coming.  A  church  that  enjoys  her  ease  may 
supereminently  prosper.  Her  foe  may  be  behind  the  hill,  and 
her  doom  may  be  "  sauntering"  noiselessly  up ;  but  their  coming 
is  as  certain  as  the  dawn.  If  any  church  becomes  bloated,  and 
fights  with  empty  cartridges ;  if  her  piety  gets  retired  into  scoff, 
and  into  mere  virtuous  indignation ;  if  she  thinks  less  than  the 
world,  and  writes  with  less  purity  and  truth  than  her  arch 
assailants;  then  we  have  the  beginning  of  the  end.  The 
"  woman  "  (see  Class  L)  has  hid  her  leaven  so  effectually  that 
"  the  whole  "  is  beginning  to  be  leavened  (Matt.  13  :  t,2»)-  "  -^ 
little  sleep  !  A  little  nodding  !  A  little  folding  of  the  hands  for 
rest !  And  [//tv]  poverty,  sauntering  along,  has  entered,  and  [kerl 
want  as  a  bucklered  man.i'  "  Ifas  entered;  "  emphatic  perfect. 
^^  A  little  sleep"  more  !  and  the  thing  has  actually  been  achieved. 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  407 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

We  are  half  tempted  to  translate  again,  " Also  as  to  these" 
viz.,  ^'"Jehovah"  and  ''''the  King"  (24:21),  "are  Proverbs  of 
Solomon  which  the  men  of  Hezekiah,  King  of  Judah,  preserved." 
We  are  tempted,  because  the  same  subject  goes  right  forward 
in  the  chapter.  On  the  whole,  however,  "  these  "  Proverbs  seem 
the  thing  intended  : — 

I  Also  these  are  Proverbs  of  Solomon  I    "^"^^^^  "!:^  §'^°  p""**- 

.,  .  verbsof     Solomon, 

which  the  men  of  Hezekiah,  Ivmg  of  Ju-  which  the  men  of  Heze- 
dah,  preserved.  |  ^i;^^  't:^_   "^  ^^^^"^ 

^^  Preserved;  "  Hiphil ;  the  Kal  meaning  to  gro-Ji;  old.  If  a 
man  takes  a  Proverb,  and  records  it,  he  gives  it  age,  or  causes  it 
to  grow  old.  The  word  has  various  meanings.  Making  an 
encampment  old  (Gen.  12:8)  means  changing  it,  taking  it  to  a 
new  place.  Hence  the  idea  of  transferring,  which  men  have 
attached  to  this  very  passage ; — which  Hezekiah's  men  "  copied  " 
(E.  v.),  or  transferred.  It  makes  little  difference  how  the 
idiom  travelled  round. 


2  It  is  the  glory  of  Gods  to  cover  over  a 
thing, 
but  the  glory  of  Kings  to  search  a  thing 
out. 


2  It  is  the  glory  of 
God  to  conceal  a  thing : 
but  the  honour  of  kings 
is  to  search  out  a  mat- 
ter. 


"  Gods ;"  a  word  in  the  Hebrew  rarely  singular.  We  doubted 
whether  not  to  translate,  "  God"  as  usual,  but  chose  the  plural, 
to  balance  "  Kings  "  (2d  clause),  and  to  indicate  the  meaning. 
We  hesitated  whether  not  to  write,  "a:  God."  ^^ It  is  the  glory 
of  a  God  to  cover  over  a  thing,  and  the  glory  of  Kings  to  ferret 
out  a  matter."  It  makes  little  difference.  To  a  Hebrew  eye  it 
was  always  plural.  Some  make  it  i\\Q.  pluralis  excellentice  j  some 
think  it  indicates  the  Trinity.  Here,  there  is  intended  the 
same  distinction  as  in  verse  twenty-first  of  the  last  chapter. 
"The  glory  of  Gods"  is  to  pardon.  "The  gloiy  of  Kings"  is 
inquisitorially  to  punish.  The  meaning  is  strangely  beautiful. 
"  The  glory  of  God"  is  that  He  is  a  God  of  love.     Fury  is  His 


4o8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXV. 

strange  act  (Is.  27:4).  His  highest  perfections  ''''glory"  in 
redemption.  But  He  is  also  King.  He  has  not  only  the 
shorter  track  of  immediate  compassion,  but  the  eternal  road  of 
the  welfare  of  the  universe.  This  last  makes  His  counsels  deep 
(see  V.  3).  The  meaning  of  the  passage  is,  that  it  is  the  glory 
of  God  to  forgive ;  "iSTiOn,  that  is,  to  hide  or  cover  tip.  This 
is  His  grand  attribute.  He  does  not  desire  to  damn  us.  "  He 
willeth  not  the  death  of  the  sinner,  but  that  all  should  turn  and 
live"  (see  i  Tim.  2  :  4).  Preeminently,  then,  it  is  God's  to  pardon. 
But  He  is  also  a  King.  The  necessities  of  an  old  universe  lead 
Him  ;  we  know  not  whither.  Hence  the  second  clause.  "  To 
search,  out;"  literally,  to  bore.  Were  He  simply  God,  i.  e.,  God 
without  the  necessities  of  control,  He  would  pardon  everybody ; 
but  He  is  also  King;  and  His  desires  for  holiness  go  into  the 
utmost  scrutinies  of  strict  administration. 
Where  that  must  lead  no  mortal  dreams  : — 


3  The  heavens,  as  to  height,  and  the  earth, 
as  to  depth, 
and  the  heart  of  Kings  there  is  no  search- 
ing. 


3  The  heaven  fo  r 
height,  and  the  earth 
for  depth,  and  the  heart 
of  kings  is  unsearch- 
able. 


Thrown  into  an  easy  involution,  the  grammar  would  be  thus ; 
— There  is  no  search  as  to  the  heave?is  in  respect  to  height,  and  as  to 
the  earth  in  respect  to  depth,  and  as  to  the  heart  of  Kings.  And 
the  meaning  is  this, —  There  is  no  searching  the  height  or  the 
depth  of  the  King's  heart,  any  more  than  the  height  of  heaven 
or  the  depth  of  the  earth  (which  in  those  unastronomic  days 
meant  blankly  not  at  all).  Give  God  a  universe  to  rule;  and 
what  He  must  do,  in  that  great  compass,  as  a  King,  is  quite 
unsearchable.  This  is  a  splendid  subsoiling  of  at  least  one  of 
the  nettle  banks  (24  :  31)  in  the  believer's  vineyard.  "  Search- 
ing ;"  the  same  word  as  in  the  verse  before  it;  intentionally,  we 
have  no  doubt.  If  the  King  searches  into  an  offender,  it  is  idle 
for  us  to  have  any  cavil,  unless  we,  on  our  part,  zdxv  search  ;  and 
that,  into  His  eternal  Kingship. 

The  Wise  Man  does  this,  but  in  a  gleam  at  best,  and  at  most 
in  but  one  particular : — 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  409 


4  Try  dross  from  silver, 

and  there  comes  forth  a  vessel  for  the  finer. 

5  Try  the  wicked  before  the  King, 

and  His  throne  is  set  firm  in  righteousness. 


4  Take  away  the 
dross  from  the  silver, 
and  there  shall  come 
forth  a  vessel  for  the 
finer. 

5  Take  away  the 
wicked yVo;«  before  the 
king,  and  his  throne 
shall  be  established  in 
righteousness. 


This  is  a  key  to  Providence.  It  is  worthy  of  the  fame  of 
Solomon.  The  mystery  of  mysteries  is  evil.  The  sum  of  all 
puzzles  is,  how  it  won  foothold  under  Jehovah.  Men  are  press- 
ing science  most,  just  in  our  day  ;  but  the  fiercest  gales  that  rack 
the  timbers  of  the  truth  have  blown  from  that  course,  viz.,  the 
^'^  Origin  of  evil."  "Try."  This  is  a  difficult  word.  In  the 
first  place,  (lexically)  it  may  be  either  of  two.  One  means  to 
drive.  The  other  means  to  mutter.  From  this,  passing  into 
other  shades,  one  means  to  separate  j  the  other  means  to  think. 
We  are  divided  between  the  two.  We  are  inclined  to  the  latter 
word ;  and  half  induced  to  suppose  (Job  37  :  2),  that  it  refers 
to  the  rumble  of  a  furnace.  We  might  say,  "  Digest  aivay"  or 
"  Sinelt  away"  or  "  Try  away  j"  but  notice  one  fact. — It  does 
not  say  (v.  5), — "  Take  away  the  wicked  from  before  the  King  " 
(E.  V.) ;  but  most  pointedly  something  different.  Digest  the 
dross  "  from  "  the  silver  (v.  4) ;  and  then,  varying  it, — Digest  the 
wicked  "  before  "  the  King  (v.  5).  If  it  were,  "  Take  away  the 
wicked,"  the  question  would  remain, — Why  ever  create  him  ? 
but  if  it  be, — "  Try  the  wicked,"  it  accords  with  other  passages 
(14  :  7  ;  Rom.  9  :  22).  There  is  something  in  the  existence  of 
*^  the  wicked j"  in  their  being  tried;  in  their  being  tolerated 
before  the  "throne;"  in  their  being  discovered  to  themselves; 
in  their  being  laid  bare  to  the  universe  ;  in  their  being  searched 
into,  and  their  crimes  punished;  that  seems  to  be  necessary  to 
the  kingcraft  of  "  the  King."  It  is  a  clinic  in  a  school  of  medi- 
cine. "  God  acts  that  beings  may  fear  before  Him  "  (Ecc.  3  : 
14)  :  so  said  Solomon  on  another  occasion.  And  if  He  does 
this  in  all  His  wider  Providences,  why  should  He  shrink  from 
it  in  the  picture  of  our  text .''  "  Try  dross  from  silver,  and  there 
comes  forth  a  vessel  for  the  finer.  Try  the  wicked  before  the 
King;"  for  what?  Why,  for  just  what  Solomon  declared: — 
"  that  beings  may  fear  before  Him ;"  or,  in  more  figurative 
18 


410  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXV. 

dress, — that  ''''  His  throne"  (i.  e.,  His  influence  as  a  King)  may 
be  "  set  firm  in  rigMeousness. " 

As  this  is  the  very  object  of  the  King;  viz.,  to  ''''try"  or 
thoroughly  to  digest,  the  creature ;  then,  though  as  God  happy 
to  forgive,  yet,  if  as  King  (v.  2)  certain  to  search  out,  how  idle 
for  a  sinner  to  push  himself  before  His  throne,  or  to  cheat  Him 
with  a  show  of  ornament.  This  sham  piety  naturally  is  the 
subject  next : — 

6  Trick  not  thyself  out  before  the  King;        f  f  Put  not  forth  thy- 

.  -'  c      ^  1  |self  in  the  presence  of 

and  m  the  place   of  the  great   stand  not  the  king,  and  stand  not 

.v^ iin  the   place    of  great 

thou  up.  \,„,„, 

7  For  it  is  better  to  say  to  thee, — Come  up '.^  7^  Fo"- better fV/V that 


hither; 
than  to  put  thee  down  before  the  Prince 


be  said  unto  thee, 
Come  up  hither,  than 
that  thou  shouldest  be 
put  lower  in   the  pres- 

whom  thine  eyes  have  seen.  'ence  of  the  prince 

whom  thine  eyes  have 
I seen. 

"Trick  not  thyself  out;"  literally,  Adorn  fwt  thyself;  pri- 
marily, Swell  not  thyself  out ;  or,  as  moderns  are  beginning  to 
say,  Spread  f lot  thyself .  "Before  the  King."  That  is  the  exact 
spot  (v.  5)  where  the  wicked  are  digested,  and  that  as  a  lesson 
to  the  universe.  How  mad  that  bright  spot  as  a  place  for 
spreadifig  oneself,  when  the  digestion  of  such  states  in  that  spot 
is  its  very  object.  The  mazes  of  all  conceit  in  the  hypocrite 
are  mainly  the  things  creation  makes  by  in  this  clinic  before 
the  Most  High.  V,  7.  "Better  to  say;"  i.  e.,  better  that  it 
should  be  said.  "Thine  eyes  have  seen."  This  seems  in  allu- 
sion to  a  former  text  (23  :  5), — ''''Dost  thou  fly  after  Him  as  to 
thine  eyes  .?"  The  sinner  roves  with  his  "  eyes"  after  Christ,  and 
learns  to  count  that  sufficient,  though  it  be  mere  selfish  desire 
(21  :  26).  How  sad  the  astonishment  in  the  end  !  A  soul  has 
tricked  itself  out  through  a  life-time,  and  stood  in  the  places  of 
the  great.  It  has  ^^  seen  the  Generous  One"  (literally),  and 
looked  pityingly  at  other  men.  It  never  knew  the  call,  "  Come 
up  hither;"  and  hence  never  obeyed  it.  And,  serving  but  as 
another  spectacle  before  the  throne  (v.  4),  it  shall  doff  its  brav- 
ery at  the  last,  and  be  "  put  down  before  the  Prince  whom  [//j] 
eyes  have  seen." 

Tricking  oneself  out  to  deceive  the  King  (v.  6)  is  not  so  in- 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  411 

sane,  however,  as  boldly  to  doubt  Him.  It  is  amazing  how 
men  build  skepticism ;  when,  of  course,  the  trust  to  it  must  be 
for  a  dread  eternity.  What  if  it  should  all  be  false .?  Suppose 
the  King,  in  planning  for  a  universe,  be  for  that  cause  un- 
searchable, how  desperate  the  mistake  of  pluming  our  thought 
against  His,  and  braving  Him  in  a  cool  impenitency ! — 


Go  not  forth  hastily  to  strive ; 
lest  what  thou  doest,  in  its  after  conse- 
quence, 
be  thy  neighbor  putting  thee  to  shame. 


8  Go  not  forth  hasti- 
ly to  strive,  lest  thou 
know  not  what  to  do 
in  the  end  thereof, 
when  thy  neighbour 
hath  put  thee  to  shame. 


It  is  this  quarrel,  not  his  weakness  or  his  shame,  that  makes 
the  reprobate.  Sin  can  be  forgiven.  It  is  going  "  forth  hastily 
(i.  e.,  crudely,  as  the  sinner  does)  to  strive"  Avith  God  that  is  to 
emerge  in  ^le  "after  consequence."  Corruption  ruins,  no 
doubt ;  but  it  must  bud  now  in  the  form  of  unbelief.  Hence 
many  of  these  gospel  passages.  "  Cast  out  the  scorner,  and  the 
cause  of  quarrel  passes  away  "  (22  :  10).  "  Only  rebellion 
goes  in  search  of  evil"  (17:10).  And  a  like  lesson  in  the 
Psalms  (68  :  6),  "  Only  the  rebellious  shall  dwell  in  a  dry  place." 
False  piety  is  death  (v.  7) ;  but  open  enmity  and  cavil  is  the 
insaner  issue.  "Lest  what  thou  doest,  etc."  Here  there  has 
been  always  a  difficulty.  King  James'  men  settled  it  by  help 
of  Italics,  and  derived  from  it  a  striking  version.  But  such 
bold  resort  is  too  much  in  the  manner  of  Hitzig.  The  mean- 
ing would  answer  perfectly.  *  Hast  thou  thought,'  it  would 
virtually  ask,  '  as  would  be  Avell  certainly  before  an  earthly 
fight,  what  thou  wouldst  do  if  overmatched  and  beaten  V  We 
have  tried  to  avoid  the  Italics  by  imagining  the  word  "  lest "  to 
have  the  sense  of  '  else.'  "  Go  not  forth  hastily  to  strive  ;  else, 
what  wilt  thou  do  in  the  end  thereof,  when  thy  neighbor  has  put 
thee  to  shame .?"  We  find  no  precedent.  We  must  give  up  the 
old  version.  We  are  driven  to  a  sense  which  has  not  the  ease 
of  King  James',  but  has  a  profounder  lesson.  It  preserves  the 
significance  of  ^^  lest,"  because,  really,  above  all  one-syllabled 
particles,  "ig  seems  incapable  of  change.  More  than  that,  it 
adds  a  thought. — The  hostile  caviller  not  only  may  come  to 
grief,  but  h\s  going  forth  hastily  to  strive  may  be  the  very  thing 


412  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXV. 

most  grave  in  the  sequel,  when  his  neighbor  shall  be  "  putting 
[him]  to  shame."  "  Neighbor ;"  the  word  that  preserves  the  secu- 
lar dress  of  the  Proverb  ;  but  really,  as  perforce  of  the  context 
(vs.  9,  17),  it  is  our  Great  "  Neighbor  "  I  mean  God  Almighty. 
"  Be  ;"  literally  "  <^^ /Vz  y"  a  new  case  of  "^  essetiticE.  "Its;"  a 
suffix  feminine;  either  to  be  understood  as  neuter,  or  as  agree- 
ing with  ^^  strife  /'  for  ^^  strife,''  let  it  be  observed,  is  the  He- 
brew in  the  first  clause ;  not,  "  to  strive"  as  it  is  more  euphuisti- 
cally  translated.  This  Hebrew  is  usually  masculine.  It  is 
sometimes  feminine,  however,  in  its  plural  ending;  and  may, 
therefore,  be  a  feminine  here,  from  that  ambiguity  of  gender 
which  may  inhere  in  it  even  as  a  singular. 

But,  "  strife "  or  no  "  strife,  "  says  Solomon,  it  is  better  to 
settle  our  disputes  with  first  parties : — 


Debate  thy  cause  with  thy  neighbor; 
and  have  not  the  exposure  of  another  tri- 
bunal ; 
lest  whosoever  hear,  pity  thee  ; 
and  thine  infamy  turn  not  away. 


I  9  'Debate  thy  cause 
with  thy  neighbour 
himself^  and  discover 
not  a  secret  to  another  ; 
10  Lest  he  that  hear- 
eth  it  put  thee  to 
shame,  and  thine  in- 
famy turn  not  away. 

Sad  as  it  is  to  "  debate  "  with  God,  yet,  reverently,  if  we 
have  a  difference  with  Him,  it  is  the  very  way.  The  civilities 
among  "  neighbor  "  men  would  lead  them  to  talk  mildly,  if  they 
Vere  desiring  to  adjust  a  quarrel ;  and  modesty  of  the  feeblest 
kind  would  lead  us  to  talk  gently,  if  we  are  approaching  our 
Maker.  ^'' By  slowness  of  anger,"  says  the  fifteenth  verse,  ''''is  a 
prince  persuaded  ;  and  a  soft  tongue  breaks  the  bone."  Our  cavil, 
if  it  have  the  small  st  honesty,  we  can  afford  to  tell  reverently 
to  God;  and  what  possible  can  be  a  more  promising  way.? 
"Have  not  the  exposure  of;"  literally,  ''''  lay  not  bare."  Our 
choice  is  between  now  and  at  the  last,  between  the  mercy-seat 
and  the  judgment-seat.  Tell  God  all  you  think  ;  state  to  Him 
your  utmost  cavil;  press  down  upon  Him  with  all  your  difficul- 
ties ;  make  Him  feel,  in  eloquent  "  debate^"  all  that  your  mind 
has  to  baffie  it ;  complain  as  deeply  as  you  suffer  :  there  can 
hardly  be  a  more  hopeful  interview.  Do  any  thing  with  God 
that  is  manly  and  sincere  in  earthly  earnestness  of  desire  to 
know  the  truth ;  but,  oh,  as  the  most  homely  shrewdness,  "  have 
not  the  exposure  of  Another  Tribunal. "  V.  10.  "  Lest  whosoever 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  413 

hear,  pity  tiiee."  This  is  a  strong  expression  ;  and  yet  people 
seem  to  have  been  dissatisfied  with  it,  and  to  have  sought  an 
uncommon  meaning  for  the  verb,  which  is  the  usual  one  mean- 
ing to  "///y, "  or  show  mercy.  We  doubt  whether  it  ever 
means  to  reproach  (14  :  34).  We  have  examined  all  the  passages 
(Lev.  20  :  17  ;  Job  6  :  14),  and  we  doubt  whether  verb  or  noun 
ever  mean  anything  distinct  from  "///y.  "  If  they  do  in  other 
cases,  they  need  not  do  so  here.  A  common  rendering  of  this 
verse  is,  that  when  we  have  a  quarrel  with  a  man,  we  had  better 
debate  the  difficulty  with  himself  in  person,  "  and  not  discover 
the  secret  to  another'  (E.  V.),  lest  he^  hearing  of  it,  feel  that  his 
secret  is  out ;  suspect  that  we  have  laid  charges  more  than  we 
really  have ;  and,  in  this  way,  like  a  blind  man  striking  in  the 
dark,  begin  to  lay  about  him,  and  utter  reproaches  which  time 
eveii  may  not  wipe  away.  This  would  do  very  well  as  a  maxim. 
But  the  word  ''''pity "  does  not,  in  the  Hebrew,  ever  mean 
reproach.  If  it  did,  it  would  be  so  strangely  seldom,  that  the 
chance  would  be  always  adverse.  If  it  does  not,  the  above 
meaning  is  impossible.  The  word  "  secret  "  (E.  V.)  is  primarily 
a  council  or  divan.  "  Another'"  is  an  adjective.  The  word  "  to  " 
(E.  V.)  is  not  before  it.  It  is  masculine  and  singular,  and 
agrees  with  council.  The  meaning,  thus  evolved,  is  good 
secularly.  Go  settle  your  quarrel  with  your  foe,  and  don't  let  it 
go  to  court.  But  it  is  good  eminently  with  the  Almighty. 
Debate  your  cause,  and  bring  out  as  eloquently  as  you  are  able 
all  your  injuries.  Ask  boldly  what  this  means,  and  what  that 
means,  in  God's  administration.  You  know  that  He  is  a  "  King. " 
He  admits  that  as  a  "  King"  He  is  strangely  unsearchable  (v,  3), 
and  that  tough  obstacles  to  faith,  like  brambles,  infest  His  king- 
dom (24  :  31).  He  does  not  wish  you  to  "  respect  His  person  " 
(24  :  23),  or  to  be  partial  to  Him  in  the  working  of  your  thought. 
He  only  asks  you  to  be  forbearing  (25:8);  to  be  patient 
(v.  15) ;  to  be  diligent  (24  :  27) ;  to  be  fair  towards  Him  in  the 
management  of  your  case  (v.  6) ;  and,  by  all  means,  to  come  to 
Him  personally  (v.  9)  ;  and  not  stay  off  in  an  indolent  unbelief; 
or  abide  "  the  exposure  of  Another  Tribu7ial.  " 

The  Wise  Man  has  already  said  that  "  Death  and  life  are  in 
the  hand  of  the  tongue"  (18;  21).     This  means  that  we  may  be 


414  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXV. 

lost  or  saved  by  a  single  utterance.  In  Eastern  speech  (i6  :  i ; 
i8  :  2 1)  the  tongue  is  the  universal  agent.  It  means  all  conduct. 
This  we  have  seen  repeatedly.  Paul  was  familiar  with  the  idiom. 
"  If  thou  wilt  confess  with  thy  lips  the  Lord  Jesus  "  (Rom.  lo  :  9) 
is  tantamount  in  the  East  to  speaking  of  all  heartfelt  submis- 
sions. What  is  wanting,  therefore,  in  the  sinner  is  *'  a  word 
uttered  upon  its  time;"  like  a  rail-car  appearing  upon  its  ap- 
pointed hour.  "  How  grand  for  a  man,"  so  speaks  the  Proverb, 
"  to  confess  Christ  so  as  to  be  in  time  for  the  final  judgment." 
There  is  danger  of  hollow  words,  of  course  ;  but  so,  of  hollow 
faith,  or  hollow  everything.  It  was  the  form  of  language  of  the 
Old  Testament  age.  Solomon  has  been  warning  the  sinner 
about  the  "  presence  of  the  King  "  (v.  6) ;  and,  after  telling  him 
that  men  like  him  are  to  be  digested^  and  for  the  eye  of  the 
universe  ;  and,  after  appealing  to  him, — How  foolish  to  trick  him- 
self out  (v.  6),  when  the  clinic  may  need  just  such  a  case  of 
intricate  deception  ;  he  turns  now  to  the  other  conduct,  and,  in 
use  of  the  popular  speech,  warns  his  hearer  to  prepare  for  that 
"  time  "  by  "  a  word  "  of  piety  : — 


n  Apples  of  gold  on  a  back  ground  of  silver 
is  a  word  uttered  upon  its  time. 


II  A  word  fitly 
spoken  zV  /lie  apples 
of  gold  in  pictures  of 
silver. 


That  is,  I  being  unlikely  to  repent ;  intending  it  always  (Acts 
24  :  25) ;  pretending  it  often  (Matt.  7:14);  but  attending  to  it 
rarely :  never  hitting  the  mark  of  an  humble  and  docile  faith : 
how  grand  that  ^^ii'ord"  for  me  which  (in  Eastern  thought) 
owns  my  sinfulness,  and  summons  the  advent  of  my  Great 
Redeemer.  "Apples  of  gold;"  some  bright  decorating  relief 
(like  Sorek,  Is.  5  :  2,  the  fashionable  vine)  high  in  fashion  in  the 
days  of  this  King.  "On  aback  g^roimd.  "  We  have  ho  idea 
that  we  make  this  literal.  The  words  mean,  ''''  in  figures;  "  so, 
strictly, — ^''apples  of  gold  in  figures  ofi  silver."  Hence,  let  us 
translate  at  this  distant  period, — " back-ground"  as  all  that  is 
important.  It  was  some  costly  elegance  that  hit  the  reigning 
taste.  Now,  says  Solomon,  like  that  is  the  ^^icord"  that  the 
sinner  utters.  Like  that  the  act,  we  would  say,  or  like  that  the 
exercise ;  but  it  is  because  the  fashion  has  changed.     That  day 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  415 

referred  everything  to  speech  (21  :  6).  Man's  business  was  his 
speech  (12  :  14).  His  ruling  decision  was  his  "  word"  (15  :  23). 
"  A  man  shall  eat  good  by  the  fruit  of  his  mouth  "  (13  :  2).  He 
was  doomed  by  his  "  decree  "  (16  :  i) ;  and  therefore  his  most 
extraordinary  changes  would  be  marked  by  the  nature  of  his 
confessions  (Ps.  37:30).  The  tongue  is  just  as  great  in  our 
day  (Jas.  3:5,  6) ;  but  we  say  act^  or  feeling.  "  Upon  its 
time.  "  Some  prefer,  "  On  its  wheels  "  (Bottcher) ;  i.  e.  deftly, 
with  skill.  The  Hebrew  does  give  such  a  word  ;  but  it  is  rude. 
It  means  threshing-wheels  (20  :  26),  and  probably  of  a  heavy 
character.  Why-,  therefore,  any  such  resort  1  A  noun,  com- 
moner by  far,  comfortably  in  accord  with  the  rest  of  the 
passage,  etymologically  all  in  place,  should  hardly  be  put  aside 
for  one  less  well  in  every  philological  particular. 

This  ''''word''  that  saves  a  man,  prayerfully  uttered  forth, 
will  save  his  neighbors.  Solomon  often  couples  our  own  escape 
with  our  agency  for  others.  If  a  "  word  "  for  one's  self  is  like 
"  apples  of  gold,  "  a  "  word  "  to  others,  if  under  a  corresponding 
figure,  must  be  equally  gay  and  beautiful : —  • 


12  A  ring  of  gold  and  trinket  of  fine  gold 
is  a  wise  reprover  upon  a  listening  ear. 


12  As  an  ear-ring  ©I 
gold,  and  an  ornament 
of  fine  gold,  so  is  a  wise 
reprover  upon  an  obe- 
dient ear. 

We  may  take  the  whole  literally.  We  are  to  live  for  ever. 
Eternally  the  friendship  that  saved  us  will  be  in  the  casket  of 
our  gems.  On  the  "  ear  "  that  listened  shall  hang  the  word  that 
taught  it ;  and  it  shall  be  bright  with  blessed  remembrances ; 
yea,  kept  and  gazed  at  through  unnumbered  ages. 

For  really,  for  such  acts  of  mutual  service  must  it  be  in  the 
main  that  we  are  brought  into  the  church  of  the  elect.  The 
word  mean'mg  worh  in  Hebrew  (24  :  27,  HDJ^b^s)  means,  first  of 
all,  an  errand.  The  service  of  "  a  messenger"  in  a  pedestrian 
age  gave  color  to  mere  abstract  speech.  The  Christian  is  "  a 
messenger."  In  the  great  realm  where  Jehovah  'is  the  King 
(22  :  29  ;  25  :  6),  acting,  as,  of  course.  He  must,  in  large  respects, 
through  others,  how  it  revives  desperate  forlornnesses  in  our 
experience  to  have  a  true  "  messenger  "  in  God's  great  adminis- 
trations.    Paul  and  Peter  !    What  did  they  not  do  for  us !     In 


4i6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXY. 

the  period  of  great  account,  how  beautiful  the  acts  of  men,  who, 
though  poor  sinners,  turned  many  to  salvation  (Rom.  10:15) : — 


13  Like  the  sharp  tingling  of  snow  on  a  har- 
vest day 

is  a  trusty  messenger  to  them  that  send 
him; 

yea,  the  soul  of  his  master  he  revives. 


13  As  the  cold  of 
snow  in  the  time  of 
harvest,  so  is  a  faithful 
messenger  to  them  that 
send  him  ;  for  he  re- 
fresheth  the  soul  of  his 
masters. 


"  Tingling  ;"  literally  sharpness  j  the  "  sharp"  pleasant  "  iing- 
ling."  "Snow,"  for  its  uses  in  the  summer,  can  be  gotten  in 
those  Eastern  towns  either  from  the  mountains,  or  from  some 
winter  store-house.  God  will  make  everybody  serve  Him,  the 
reprobate  as  well  as  the  saint,  or  figuratively,  the  rich  as  well  as 
the  poor  (22  :  2).  But  the  aptly-fitted  errand,  that  the  man 
peacefully  in  league  with  Him  achieves,  is  like  "  the  tingling  of 
snow "  in  the  heat  of  "  harvest,"  inconceivably  refreshing. 
"  A  sweet  savour,"  Paul  calls  it.  "  We  are  to  God  a  sweet 
savour  of  Christ"  (2  Cor.  2:15).  God  "  smelled  a  sweet 
savo.ur  "  when  Noah,  in  the  dearth  of  our  planet,  looked  out 
upon  his  famined'home,  and  sacrificed  some  of  his  few  remain- 
ing "  clean  beasts."  Every  Christian  is  a  *'  messenger."  Life  is  a 
rounded  errand.  It  is  set  into  the  universe ;  for  "  God  has  set 
the  universe  in  [our]  hearts  "  (Ec.  3:11).  If  we  run  well,  it 
will  be  a  perpetual  delight.  And  "  lihe  snoio  in  harvest"  it  will 
be  a  dainty  of  the  Feast,  and  tingle  upon  the  palate  both  of  our- 
selves and  of  our  Emmanuel. 

How  sad  through  life  to  be  dreaming  of  this  (Is.  59  :  5),  and 
never  realize  it ! — 


14  Clouds  and  wind  and  no  rain 

is  a  man  boasting  himself  of  a  false  gift. 


14  Whoso  boasteth 
himself  of  a  false  gi.'t  is 
like  clouds  and  wind 
without  rain. 


The  frequency  of  such  a  character  makes  those  sentences 
just  passed  more  striking.  The  "  apples  of  gold"*(v.  11)  and 
the  "  trinket' of  fine  gold  "  (v,  12),  and  the  "  snow  in  the  day  of 
harvest,"  would  be  less  a  treasure,  if  there  were  not  so  many 
counterfeits.  A  late  enquirer  among  the  churches*  believes, 
that  a  large  majority  of  Protestant  professors  are  "  boasting 

*  Rev.  Dr.  Fuller,  of  Baltimore. 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  417 

(themselves)  in  a  false  gift."  How  apt  the  simile  !  "  Clouds 
and  wind,  and  no  rain  "  !  Who  can  distinguish  from  these, 
''''clouds  and  wind"  and  plenteous  refreshings!  How  do  they 
sail  over  the  sky  with  the  same  pretentious  looks,  and  even 
with  more  boding  of  a  torrent !  "  Boasting  himself."  This  is 
literal.  Mark  how  the  Wise  Man  accentuates  the  evidences. 
Here  is  a  cloud  sailing  over,  that  fairly  exults  in  its  freighted 
treasures.  The  word  could  not  be  better  chosen.  There  are 
worshipers  often  more  joyous  under  ''''  a  false  gift"  than  poor 
starvelings  dare  to  be  under  a  genuine  profession.  It  is  one  of 
the  unsearchablenesses  of  the  King  (v,  3)  that  He  tries  the 
wicked  (v.  5),  and  of  course  He  shows  them  in  all  conceivable 
characters  before  the  throne.  The  church  has  two  uses, — to 
nourish  saints,  and  to  furnish  curious  hypocrites.  The  one  or 
the  other  (which,  God  only  knows)  is  the  larger  company.  He 
only  tells  us,  "apples  of  gold  "  (v.  11)  is  a  genuine  religious 
confession:  "a  trinket  of  fine  gold"  (v.  12)  is  a  successful 
application  of  the  gospel :  "  the  cold  of  snow  on  a  day  of 
harvest  "  is  a  really  faithful  "  messenger ;  "  but  "  clouds  and 
wind,  and  no  rain,  is  a  man  boasting  hiffiself  ift  a  false  gift." 
"  Boasting  himself ;  "  this  is  to  be  read  literally  :  thinking  well  of 
himself  ;  self-righteous. 

Cavilling  and  self-excuse  are  signs  of  ^^  a  false  gift ;"  not 
modesty  and  slowness  to  criminate  The  King: — 

15  By   slowness   of  anger    is    a   prince    per- 
suaded ; 
and  a  soft  tongue  breaks  the  bone. 


15  By  long  forbearing 
is  a  prince  persuaded, 
and  a  soft  tongue  break- 
eth  the  bone. 


We  have  explained  this  before  (see  vs.  8,  9).  That  we  are  to 
be  bold  is  a  great  counsel  of  this  book ;  not  complaining 
(17  :  19,  22);  not  defending  with  deceit  (24:  23) ;  not  settling 
down  under  the  difficulties  of  the  faith  (24:31);  but  working 
(24:  27);  rather,  fighting  (Is.  i  :  18);  and  carrying  our  debate 
into  the  very  presence  of  the  Most  High  (v.  9) ;  tD"'^^"in  ;  i-  e., 
quick-cut  or  prompt;  not  putting  off  matters  to  the  final  judg- 
ment (v.  9,  second  clause).  This  text  assumes  all  this  as  consis- 
tent with  the  most  perfect  humility.  "  By  slowness  of  anger  is 
a  prince  persuaded."  The  humility  is  most  politic.  "  Per- 
18* 


4i8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXV. 

suadedj"  literally,  ^^  laid  open."  We  shall  certainly  do  well  if 
we  "  debate  "  with  God  (v.  9) ;  but  we  must  do  it  modestly.  It 
is  the  "  soft  tongue  "  that  "  breaks  the  bone." 

But,  with  strange  insight,  Solomon  lays  bare  another  principle ; 
a  something  patent  in  the  modern  church.  We  hope  too 
greedily.  I  do  not  mean  by  that,  that  we  trust  too  much ;  but 
we  go  after  hope  too  nakedly.  We  take  the  "honey"  of  the 
gospel  too  selfishly ;  and  feed  on  peace  too  indolently,  and  on  its 
own  account : — 

16  Hast  thou  found  honey,  eat  what  is  suf- 
ficient for  thee ; 
lest  thou  be  filled  with  it,  and  vomit  it  up. 


16  Hast  thou  found 
honey  ?  eat  so  much  as 
is  sufficient  for  thee, 
lest  thou  be  filled  there- 
with, and  vomit  it. 


The  figure  varies.  In  a  former  sentence  we  are  commanded 
to  "  eat  honey  because  it  is  good  "  (24  :  13) ;  and  that  was  very 
carefully  explained.  It  meant  that  piety  was  itself  good,  and 
that  we  were  to  "  taste  and  see  "  (Ps.  34  :  8)  that,  before  we 
could  be  Christians.  But  now  the  figure  varies; — There  is  a 
sweetness  of  eternal  hope,  even  when  we  have  not  got  down  to 
the  sweetness  of  a  saving  piety.  We  are  to  put  on  the  helmet 
of  hope.  So  the  Apostle  tells  us  (i  Thess.  5  :  8).  But  Solomon 
cautions  us  that  we  are  to  put  no  more  on  than  is  "suflBcient." 
We  are  eating  more  than  enough  "  honey  "  when  we  have  no 
right  to  eat  any ;  and  so  we  may  be  eating  too  much  when  we 
ought  to  be  getting  more.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  having 
mote  hope  than  evidence.  And  if  a  man  has  too  much  confi- 
dent hope  of  heaven  for  the  amount  he  has  of  piety,  there 
certainly  is  a  case  of  eating  more  ^^  honey"  than  is  '"''  sufficient." 
Now,  honey  is  useful ;  or  why  say,  "  what  is  sufficient  "  .?  It 
cheers  and  lifts  and  feasts  us  while  we  do  the  work.  Paul  calls 
it  a  "  helmet,"  because  it  protects  the  head.  We  should  be 
crazed,  if  we  had  no  hope.  But  when  hope  becomes  a  mere 
honey  to  gorge  ourselves  with,  while  we  stop  altogether  our 
onward  march,  it  is  a  sign  that  we  are  boasting  ourselves  in  a 
false  gift  (v.  14).  Blessed  be  the  man  that  has  "found  honey." 
Let  him  eat  so  much  as  is  sufficient  for  him  in  this  dismal 
pilgrimage.  But,  when  he  is  once  refreshed  like  Jonathan,  let 
him  sound  for  an  advance.    Let  him  strike  for  more  confidence. 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  419 

Above  all,  let  him  search  his  own  glory,  as  a  text  below  has  it 
(v.  27)  ;  making  inquisition  of  all  his  trusts  ;  and  so,  avoiding  the 
danger  (23  :  8)  that  the  morsel  he  has  eaten  he  must  *'  vomit 
up,"  having  only  been  cloyed  with  a  sweet  but  deceitful  dainty. 
Now,  again,  more  strikingly  : — 


17  Make  scarce  thy  foot  from  thy  neighbor's 
house ; 
lest  he  be  full  of  thee,  and  hate  thee. 


17  Withdraw  thy  foot 
from  thy  neighbour's 
house  ;  lest  he  be  weary 
of  thee,  and  so  hate 
thee. 


No  householder  but  must  have  other  ends  in  view  than  mere 
host-craft.  If  we  grow  utterly  uninteresting  ;  if  the  freshness 
even  of  a  new  face  wears  common,  and  we  go  to  him  for  mere 
talk  and  shelter  ;  if  we  turn  our  feet  over  to  our  Master's,  simply 
that  we  may  be  wined  (21  :  17),  and  fattened  in  our  hopes  ;  how 
long  will  even  Christ  keep  open  door  for  such  a  visitor .?  With  all 
hospitality  there  must  be  some  answering  back.  We  must  be  a 
credit  to  our  host ;  or,  at  least,  some  sort  of  object  of  respect ; 
or,  at  the  very  smallest,  some  sort  of  a  subject  of  compassion : 
it  must,  at  any  rate,  do  us  good  to  be  a  guest,  or  else  what  an 
insanity  ever  to  admit  or  entertain  us.  So,  therefore,  with 
Christ.  It  is  not  even  kind  in  Him  to  have  us  ever  at  His 
"  house."  That  mode  of  using  His  mansion  that  we  have  now 
portrayed ;  merely  to  eat  honey  in  ;  merely  to  feel  sheltered 
by ;  merely  to  waste  our  time  at,  when  we  ought  to  be  busy  at 
our  duty ;  is  quite  out  of  the  question  as  any  good  to  us  from 
our  Redeemer.  We  are  to  " make  scarce  [our]  foot;"  that  is,  to 
make  it  rare  (literally).  If  we  strike  one  blow  of  work,  and 
then  run  in  to  rest  and  warm,  it  is  a  picture  of  self-pleasing ;  and, 
alas  for  our  hopes !  it  must  make  Heaven  "full  of  [us],  and  [so] 
hate  [us]." 

And  this  is  not  only  bad  on  our  own  account,  but  bad  on  the 
account  of  them  who  "  witness  "  it : — 

18  A  club  and  a  sword  and  a  sharp  arrow         ethfeheTitness'^igainn 

his  neighbour  is  a  mau], 
and  a  sword,  and  a 
sharp  arrow. 


is  a  man  Ynaking  answer  for  his  neighbor 
as  a  deceived  witness. 


Witness-bearing  influences  seem  to  be  endlessly  in  the  eye  of 
Solomon.     God  is  known  by  such  things.    He  has  no  utterance 


420  PRO  VERBS.  [Chap.  XXV. 

for  Himself  except  through  the  mouths  of  His  creation.  All 
men  speak  for  Him.  He  that  feeds  on  the  honey  of  the  gospel 
without  its  rights  is  a  most  insidious  deceiver ;  and,  considering 
the  mischief  of  deceit,  violent  figures  are  not  too  bitter.  "A 
club  ;"  i.  e.,  a  war  club.  "  A  sword  and  a  sharp  arrow."  Even 
some  amiable  woman,  full  of  affectionate  courtesies,  is  these 
deadly  things  ;  and  her  ^^  witness  "  is  more  deadly  on  this  very 
account  of  her  grace  and  excellence.  "  A  man  making  answer 
for  his  neighbor  as  a  deceived  witness."  This  in  our  Old  Ver- 
sion reads,  "  A  ma?i  that  beareth  false  witness  against  his  neigh- 
bor." So  is  the  language  of  the  Decalogue.  The  Hebrew  is 
the  same.  "  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy 
neighbor"  (Ex.  20  :  16).  As  a  statute  among  the  all-compre- 
hensive Ten,  there  seems  a  falling  off  about  this  even  before 
we  inspect  the  original.  "Thou  shalt  not  kill;"  "Thou  shalt 
not  steal ;"  "  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery,"  are  sample  or- 
ders, which  would  lead  us  to  expect,  as  their  companion,  this  : — 
"  Thou  shalt  not  deceive."  Instead  of  that,  we  have  something 
narrower,  as  to  courts  of  justice.  The  Hebrew  at  once  en- 
larges it,  however.  The  word  "  bear "  (E.  V.)  is,  literally 
" answer"  or,  in  strictness,  strike  up.,  or  begin  to  speak.  The 
word  '"''against"  (E.  V.),  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  preposition 
*'  /;/."  Let  us  stickle  for  each  distinctive  meaning.  God  wrote 
i)  i^ot  ^2?.  He  meant,  therefore,  ///,  or  in  the  interest  of ;  con- 
cerningy  or  '''' for  "  that  is,  we  are  to  understand  an  involvement^ 
or  concern?nent,  on  our  neighbor's  part.  The  idea  is,  that  we 
are  not  to  utter  untrue  testimony  where  our  neighbor  will  be 
concerned.  And,  therefore,  all  falsehood  ;  all  sad  example ;  all 
counterfeit  hope  ;  everything  whereby  my  neighbor  may  be 
stumbled,  or  made  weak ;  every  instance  where  I  deceive  him 
when  he  has  a  right  to  know,  or  bewilder  him  where  he  has  a 
claim  to  guidance  (of  course  much  wider  injuries  than  bearing 
false  witness  in  a  court)  are  every  one  of  them  covered  by  our 
text,  and  every  one  intended  by  the  ninth  commandment.  It 
ought  to  be  read  that  way,  therefore  : — "  Thou  shalt  not  kill." 
"  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery."  "  Thou  shalt  not  steal." 
"  Thou  shalt  not  make  answer  for  thy  neighbor  as  a  witness  of 
falsehood." 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  421 

We  must  remember,  next,  that  "  a  decdved  witness  "  cannot 
make  good  his  error  in  the  day  of.  trouble.  The  child  warmly- 
nestled  at  home — if  his  minister  lead  him  astray  ;  if  his  parents 
feed  him  on  honey,  and  inspire  his  hopes;  if,  having  been 
plunged  into  distress,  people  hail  it  as  faith,  and  lift  him  imme- 
diately back,  and  pronounce  it  conversion — may  think  it  cruel 
to  be  ruined  by  the  good ;  and  so  this  Proverb  thinks  it.  That 
is  its  special  meaning.  They  are  "  a  club  and  a  sword  and  a 
sharp  arrotu'  (v.  18).  Even  God's  minister,  if  he  make  answer 
for  his  neighbor  as  a  deceived  witness,  is  a  painted  Indian.  But 
does  that  help  the  matter  1  The  child  cannot  come  back  upon 
the  church,  and  plead  his  having  been  deceived,  as  a  bar  to  the 
final  judgment : — 


19  A  broken  tooth  and  a  stiffened  foot 

is  the  trustiness  of  the  faithless  in  the  day 
of  trouble. 


19  Confidence  in  an 
unfaithful  man  in  time 
of  trouble  is  like  a 
broken  tooth,  and  a 
foot  out  of  joint. 


•  "  Stiffened;"  supposed  by  others  to  be  from  a  different  verb.* 
The  lexicographer,  however,  must  fix  it  so,  as  an  exception  and 
by  a  change.  It  comes  naturally  from  the  verb  *y$\  the  Ho- 
TDhal  of  which  means,  to  be  fixed,  or  set.  The  text  implies  not 
only  worthlessness,  but  disappointment.  If  "  a  tooth  "  were 
not  a  tooth,  nor  "a  foot"  a  foot,  it  would  make  less  difference. 
It  is  as  teeth  and  feet  that  they  curse  so,  if  "  broke  "  or  "  stiffen- 
ed." If  a  hope  were  not  a  hope;  yea,  all  a  man  has  to  stand 
on,  it  would  make  less  difference  though  it  failed  in  "the  Day 
of  Trouble." 

Confidence,  therefore,  particularly  in  its  more  exalting  moods 
(Luke  18  :  11), — how  sad  it  seems  when  it  has  no  possible  foun- 
dation ! — 

20  One  tricking:  out  a  garment  on  a  cold  day; I    '°  "^^^^  thnttaketh 

^w    ^^li^   i.xi^         a  0  J  ^    away  a  garment  in  cold 

weather,  and  as  vine- 
gar upon  nitre,  so  is  he 
that  singeth  songs  to 
an  heavy  heart. 


vmegar  upon  natron ; 
and  a  singer  of  songs  upon  an  evil  heart. 


This  is  in  the  purer  proverbial  form.     These  three  are  sorted 
in  a  class.     There  are  other  similar  instances  (11  :  22).     It  is 


*  Meaning  to  waver,  to  (otter. 


422  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXV. 

hot  well  to  destroy  this  antique  look.  The  meaning  is,  that 
there  are  three  things  that  are  ajar,  all  of  them  ;  first,  a  gay 
trimmer  of  his  robes,  when  he  should  have  them  on  to 
cover  him  from  "cold;"  second,  "vinegar  upon  natron,"  when 
all  the  value  of  the  alkali  is  that  it  should  be  kept  from  acid  ; 
and  third,  "a  singer  of  songs;"  the  Bible  language  for  high  de- 
light, "upon  an  evil  heart;"  i.  e.,  upon  a  condition  of  spirit  that 
justifies  no  rejoicing.  "  Tricking  out."  Some  say, — ^'' putting- 
off."  Our  Bible  has  it,  '''' taketh  away.''  All  help  us  to  the 
sense.  But  the  idea  of  "  tricking  out "  has  usage  in  its  defence 
(Job  40  :  lo  ;  Ezi  23  :  40)  ;  whereas  both  the  others  are  accom- 
modated for  this  single  text.  "  Natron  ;"  not  potas/i,  or  common 
nitre.  "Upon;"  more  usually  interpreted  "/^."  The  '^  em'/ 
heart"  has  been  imagined  "  an  heavy  heart  "  (E.  V.)  ;  and  the 
unfitness  conceived  has  been  that  of  "  singing  to"  others  when 
their  hearts  were  troubled.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  just  the  op- 
posite ;  the  evil  of  being  not  troubled  ;  the  evil  of  a  shout  of 
ecstacy  when  we  are  quite  deceived.  The  " tricking  out"  when 
we  are  in  the  "  cold"  and  the  blunting  of  what  is  caustic,  only  to 
render  it  naught,  is  the  symbol  in  the  Proverb  for  a  man's  glad- 
ness, when  his  soul  is  lost. 

Forbearing  self-flattery,  however,  is  not  so  good  as  justifying 
it,  or  realizing  the  hopes  we  have  prematurely  imagined.  Cer- 
tain rugged  evidences  will  assure  of  this,  which  Paul  repeats  in 
a  chapter  to  the  Corinthians  (i  Cor.  13).  Do  not  abandon 
hope  ;  but  be  what  you  think  you  be.  So  that,  instead  of  gorg- 
ing honey  (v.  27),  you  should  be  collecting  it ;  and  while  mak- 
ing scarce  your  foot  from  your  Neighbor's  house  (v.  17),  you 
should  be  out  in  the  field,  cultivating  mild  tastes  and  forbear- 
ing tempers ;  preparing  to  be  honored  guests,  and  not  fre- 
quenters of  an  imagined  refuge : — 

21  If  he  who  hates  thee  hunger,  give  him  food 

to  eat ; 
if  he  thirst,  give  him  water  to  drink  ; 

22  for,  shovelling  live  coals  thyself  upon  his 

head, 
Jehovah  shall  punish  thee  also. 

Solomon  and  the  Apostle  Paul  wonderfully  agree.     Paul  has 


I  If  thine  enemy  be 
hungry,  give  him  bread 
to  c.Tt ;  and  if  he  be 
thirsty,  give  him  water 
to  drink  : 

22  For  thou  shall 
heap  coals  of  hre  upon 
his  head,  and  the  Lord 
shall  reward  thee. 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  423 

carried  mistake  to  its  very  utmost  margin.     "  Though  I  speak 
with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels;  though  I  bestow  all 
my  goods  to  feed  the  poor;  though  I   give   my  body  to  be 
burned!"  (i  Cor.  13:  3)-     The  poor  postulant  who  had  been 
inspired  with  every  miracle;  who  had  preached  as  with  the 
breath  of  angels ;  who  had  sold  all  he  was  worth,  and  brought 
it  to  this  very  Paul;  who  had  stood  out  grand  martyr  for  the 
faith,  till  it  had  blown  upon  him,  and  haled  him  to  the  stake, 
the  Apostle  conceives  0/  as  never  having  been  religious.     No- 
tice his  immediate  instinct.     In  going  for  the  finest  evidences 
we  find  him  per  saltum  just  with  Solomon.     "  Chanty  suffereth 
long  and  is  kind.     Charity  beareth  all  things."    There  is  scarce 
a  feature  that   is   not   painted   with    a   kindred   brush.     The 
Apostle  resorts  to  this  very  Proverb  (Rom.  12  :  20).     He  takes 
the  Septuagint  translation.     Here   let   me   pause   a   moment. 
This  Septuagint  translation;  what  was  it.?     It  was  made     Be- 
fore Christ.'     It  was  not  inspired.     It  had  not  even  all  advan- 
tages for  being  correct.     It  was  the  opinion  of  a  mass  of  com- 
mentators (not  all  learned,  at  a  time  long  after  Solomon  wrote, 
and  in  a  region  and  of  a  language  quite  well  removed)  m  res- 
pect to  the  perfect  meaning  of  all  the  Scriptures.     Of  course  it 
had   great   mistakes.     When   those   mistakes  were   known  to 
Paul,  he  sometimes  corrected  them  (Rom.  9  :  zz ;  so  i  Pet.  4 : 
8).      When  they  were  not  important ;  when  they  had  grown 
fast  to  Jewish  speech;    when  they   expressed  the  truth,  and 
merely  varied  it  from  the  old  idea;  the  Holy  Ghost  embraced 
them,  and  ratified  the  change.     This  Proverb  is  a  noble  in- 
stance.    It  had  evidently  become  idiomatic  among  the  Jews; 
and  heaping  coals  of  fire  meant  surpassing  placablencss.     Paul 
found  it  just  in  this  shape ;  and,  whether  he  knew  or  not,  the 
Holy  Ghost  knew,  all  His  own  first  intention  and  all  His  now 
present  use  of  what  the  Seventy  had  been  makmg  of  the  text. 
He  takes  it  as  it  is.     He  gives  it  a  new  heavenly  warrant.     He 
adopts  the  adopted  emblem;  and  it  comes  down  m  the  New 
Testament  shape  as  really  a  fresh  inspiration.     There  are  many 
such  cases  (Rom.   11:26,   27;    Heb.    13:15;  ^   P^^.   4:1^)- 
Indeed  all  renderings  are  a  departure  somewhere.     So  we,  go- 
ing back  to  the  Hebrew,  have  a  right  to  the  original;  and  may 


424  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXV. 

seek  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  as  the  Proverb  gave  it.  If  so ; 
^'' heaping  coals"  \'=>  not  a  good  emblem.  Some  commentators 
say  that  it  means  really  vengeance ;  that  is,  that  our  kindness 
to  an  enemy  will  bring  him  vengeance:  we  shall  be  revenged 
for  our  very  tenderness  (Estius,  Grotius,  Whitby).  But  what 
an  inconsistent  interpretation  !  Solomon  is  teaching  charity. 
Charity  lies  not  in  acts,  but  in  feelings.  Solomon  would  bribe 
charity  by  the  fire  it  will  bring  upon  its  enemies.  How  utterly 
impossible.  The  usual  thought  is,  that  ^^  coals"  express  the 
utter  melting  of  the  adversary ;  that  being  kind  to  him  after 
his  acts  will  perfectly  soften  him  ;  and  this  might  be  a  very 
good  meaning  if  the  figure  were  not  so  utterly  inapt.  "  Coals  " 
are  a  favorite  emblem  in  the  Bible  for  overwhelming  wrath 
(Ps.  120:4;  140:10).  There  is  great  unity  in  all  types.  In 
that  hieroglyphic  age,  emblems  remained  fixed  in  practice. 
Pouring  out  coals  was,  withering  blast  and  vengeance.  But 
when  we  come  to  examine  the  grammar,  everything  is  against 
the  Septuagint.     The  emphatic  pronoun  Hvli^  (i-  e.,  Hiou  "thy- 

T      — 

self  shoveling  coals,"  instead  of  leaving  it  for  God) ;  the  par- 
ticiple with  its  contingent  sense ;  the  "i,  to  express  the  conse- 
quence ;  and  the  repayfiicnt,  which,  in  this  Hebrew  verb,  means 
either  good  (Ruth  2:12),  or  evil  (Gen.  44  :  4) ;  all  carve  nicely 
one  sense  : — "  If  {thine  enemy,  or,  literally,)  he  who  hates  thee 
hunger,  give  him  food  to  eat ;  if  he  he  thirsty,  give  him  water  to 
drink ;  for  (not  "  in  so  doing"  LXX.,  but)  shovelling  live  coals 
thyself  upon  his  head  (instead  of  leaving  it  to  God),  Jehovah 
shaU  also  (i.  e.,  in  addition  to  the  wrong  doer,  whom  He  would 
have  punished  at  any  rate,  if  thou  hadst  stood  off;  in  addition 
to  him  who  hates  thee.  He  will  also)  pumish  thee."  Paul  takes 
up  the  spirit  of  the  passage  by  prefixing  the  expressions, 
"  Dearly  beloved  brethren,  avenge  not  yourselves,  but  rather 
give  place  unto  wrath ;  for  it  is  written.  Vengeance  is  mine  ;  I 
will  repay,  saith  the  Lord.  Therefore,  if  thine  enemy,  etc." 
"  Live  coals  "  from  a  verb  to  burn  ;  distinct  from  black  coals, 
which  occur  in  an  after-Proverb  (26  :  21).  It  is  used  by  David 
(Ps.  40  :  10), — "  Let  burning  coals  fall  upon  them."  "  Shovel- 
ling ;"  literally,  taking  up  as  from  a  hearth.  For  this  parti- 
cipial contingency   see    Class  II.     "  Punish  j"  literally,  make 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  425 

whole  ;  finally,  requite,  either  with  good  or  evil.  This  difficult 
benevolence,  so  much  like  the  "  charity"  of  the  Apostle  (i  Cor. 
13  :  3),  Solomon  imposes  as  an  evidence  of  piety. 

An  opposite  conduct  plays  havoc  among  the  ungodly  : — 

,         .      i  i_  J  •  I      2-?    The  north   wind 

23    A  north  wmd  breeds  ram,  driveth   away  rain  ;  so 

and  angry  countenances  a  secret  tongue,     r"^'' l''^^^'%l°^^^^^,' 

1  tongue. 

The  recoil  from  a  bad  church  is  almost  always  "secret" 
among  the  impenitent,  especially  at  the  beginning.  A  bad 
tempered  believer  revolts  the  world's  people  about  him,  even 
when  they  confess  it  hardly  to  themselves.  The  vast  majority 
of  infidelity  has  been  "  secret "  infidelity.  The  vast  majority  of 
cavilling  has  been  by  "  a  secret  tongue. "  "  A  north  wind  breeds 
rain;"  so  said  the  weather-wise  in  Palestine;  "  and  angry  coun- 
tenances" (that  is,  such  as  would  heap  coals  themselves,  v.  22  ;  rnen 
without  charity,  i  Cor.  13),  secret  talk,  and  secret  doubt,  and 
secret  hate,  as  against  the  system  of  the  gospel. 

Because,  though  those  strange  forgivenesses  (v.  21)  may  seem 
miraculous,  yet  any  thing  short  is  cousin-german  to  bare 
maliciousness.  To  avenge,  is  to  be  a  judge  ;  to  be  a  judge,  is  to 
have  a  leash  to  let  loose  passion  whenever  we  please.  To  let 
loose  passion,  is  to  be  a  devil.  And  to  be  a  devil,  is  to  be  an 
utter  abomination,  and  that  to  both  God  and  man.  Solomon, 
therefore,  points  the  whole  with  the  Mad-Woman-Proverb 
(v.  24) ;  and  then  goes  back  again  in  verse  25  to  the  considera- 
tions of  hypocrisy  : — 

24  Better  is  dwelling  upon  a  pinnacle  of  the  dJe'i/i'n 'a  Sr  of. 

__ -f  the    house-top,   than 

'  .  J         I,  ;»,    with  a  brawling  woman, 

than  a  contentious  woman  and  a  nouse  m  and  in  a  wide  louse. 
common. 

We  will  not  pause  upon  this  (see  21:9,  19). 

^    ,,  r   •     ..•  1  25  .^f  cold  waters  to 

25  Cold  water  upon  a  famtmg  soul,  ^  thirsty  soul,  so  is 
and  good  news  from  a  Far-Off  Land.  f°°nf^!'''  ^"'°"'  ^  ^^ 

Religion  has  amazing  difficulties;  and  we  have  been  wading 


426  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXV. 

through  them,  text  after  text ;  but  oh,  glorious !  the  genuine 
assurance  !  "  Far-OflF  Land."  "  A  far-off  land  "  sends  specially 
"  good  news,"  because  we  faint  the  more,  and  long  the  harder, 
for  the  very  reason  that  it  is  so  distant.  They  come  more 
seldom.  And  our  relations  with  far-off  lands  are  weightier  and 
more  critical  than  with  those  beside  us.  So  much  for  the  secu- 
lar significance,  But  oh  !  the  spiritual !  The  righteous  scarcely 
are  saved  (i  Pet.  4 :  18).  We  are  in  a  wilderness  (Rev.  12:6, 
14).  Our  enemies  are  Legion  (Eph.  6:12).  We  run  the 
gauntlet  with  daily  foes  (Eph.  5:16);  and  that  with  daily 
changes  in  their  attempts  to  trip  us  (Prov.  5  :  6).  The  sinner, 
wherever  he  may  be  met,  is  faint  with  fatigue.  Our  Saviour 
knew  this  when  He  shaped  His  appeal,  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye 
that  labor,  &c."  (Matt.  11:28).  Now,  high  over  all  other 
modes  of  comfort  is  the  ''''  good  news  from  a  Far-Off  Land."  All 
right  there, — come  anything !  A  man's  life  may  be  a  perfect 
failure,  quoad  ih^  opinion  of  the  world  (v.  26) ;  but,  if  he  have 
Heaven,  it  has  been  the  very  best :  there  has  not  been  an  hour 
of  it  that  has  not  been  "  marshalled  by  a  divine  tactic ;  "  the 
best  for  the  man,  and  the  best  for  his  part  in  the  war. 
This  is  the  teaching  of  the  next  Proverb  : — 


26  A  trampled  fountain  and  ruined  spring 
is  a  righteous  man  thought  tottering  by  the 
wicked. 


26  A  righteous  man 
falling  down  before  the 
wicked  is  as  a.  troubled 
fountain  and  a  corrupt 
spring. 

''  A  trampled  fountain."  Consider  that.  Is  it  any  less  "  a  foun- 
tain}" Its  lord  has  turned  in  cattle  upon  it.  And  why.? 
First,  because  he  wanted  it  for  that ;  second,  because  the 
injury  would  be  only  on  the  top ;  third,  because  a  stroke  at  any 
'time  would  repair  it.  Then  where's  the  difference?  You 
remember  how  it  looked  when  you  were  a  boy.  It  was  clear 
and  sparkling  and  perpetual  under  the  oak.  You  come  to  it 
after  a  lapse  of  years,  and  you  can  scarcely  find  it.  The  cattle 
have  "  trampled"  it  out,  and  the  mud  qnd  tussock  have  usurped 
its  place ;  and  yet  what  matter .?  deep  under  the  hill  it  is  rilling 
out  as  beautiful  as  of  yore.  This  is  the  image  of  the  Proverb. 
Literally,  "  a  righteous  man  shaking  before  a  wicked  jnan  "  i  e., 
in  his  presence.     The  old  idiom  makes  this  mean  in  his  eyes 


Chap.  XXV.]  COMMENTARY.  427 

(16  :  2),  or  in  his  opinion  (Jas.  i  :  27).  Zacharias  and  Elizabeth 
"were  righteous  before  God  ;"  that  is,  "  in  His  opinion"  (Luke 
I  :  6).  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  Gods  before  Me "  (Ex. 
20  : 3)  i.  e.,  in  My  opinion;  though  thou  mayest  not  think  them 
other  Gods  at  all.  "  A  righteous  man  shaking  before  a  wicked 
man  •"  i.  e.,  thought  to  totter,  or  to  be  a  failure ;  one  of  those  poor 
unfortunates,  in  a  corner  of  a  counting-house,  when  the  world- 
ling, who  has  pitied  him,  stands  up  on  'Change  as  the  envy  even 
of  believers ;  though  he  may  be  faint  (v.  25)  and  broken,  has  heard 
the  "good  news  from  [the]  Far-Off  Land"  (v.  25),  and  has  the 
"  cold  waters  "  yet  for  his  thirsty  appetite.  "  Troubled  fountain  " 
(E.  V.) ;  literally, ''  trampled."  "  Corrupt"  (E.  V.) ;  literally,  des- 
troyed, disfigured.  The  emblem  can  have  no  mistake.  The 
cdX\\t-trampled  fountain,  and  the  disfigured  spring,  is  the  world- 
battered  believer ;  a  failure  merely  to  the  eye ;  but  springing, 
under  the  very  hoof  of  earthliness,  with  a  gracious  stream  of 
perennial  refreshing. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  the  ''■fountain"  even  should  know  its 
clwn  wealth.  The  righteous  man  is  a  failure  often  "  before " 
himself.  It  is  the  habit  of  God  to  discipline  men  by  the  lack 
often  of  even  spiritual  delights.  And  it  is  better  for  a  man  to 
lack  assurance,  if  it  leads  him  deeply  to  probe  his  own  state, 
and  to  sift  sufficiently  his  real  excellencies  of  living : — 

27  To  eat  much  honey  is  not  good  ;  _    eat' much  "horfeT'^  '° 


but  close  scrutiny  of  men's  own  glory  is 
glory. 


ortnen  to  search  their 
own  glory  is  ?ioi  glory. 


The  earlier  clause  has  been  largely  anticipated  under 
another  Proverb  (v,  16);  the  second  has  been  very  differently 
translated  (E.  V.).  It  has  been  understood  to  mean,  "  //  is  not 
good  to  eat  much  honey,  and  to  gloat  over  one's  own  glory  is  not 
glory."  This,  secularly,  would  have  an  excellent  sense;  and, 
spiritually,  would  confirm  that  lesson  about  hope  (v.  16);  that 
it  is  not  well  to  gloat  over  it ;  or  to  be  lounging  at  the  fireside 
of  a  mere  assurance  (v.  17) ;  but  Italics,  it  will  be  seen,  have  to 
be  inserted  for  the  word  ''not"  (E.  V.);  and  the  strain,  to 
justify  that,  is  not  needed  in  the  other  rendering.  The  other 
rendering    is  an    advance  upon   the  sense,  and  shows  us  the 


428  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

great  reason  that  eating  honey  (clause  first)  is  not  good.  "  Glory ;" 
literally  weight.  It  means  in  the  Old  Testament  both  excellence 
and  the  honor  that  attends  it.  The  great  excellence  of  the 
saint,  quoad  an  attention  to  himself,  is  to  search  into  his  own 
excellence,  and  see  whether  it  be  of  a  genuine  kind.  "  Men's ;  " 
literally,  '"'' their."  It  might  be  translated  '''"one's."  We  retained 
a  plural  as  the  original  expression. 

There  follow  all  sorts  of  statements,  showing  the  advantage 
of  the  saint,  if  he  is  not  a  failure  (v.  26),  and  how  great,  as  the 
one  good  thing,  is  the  good  news  from  the  Far-Off  Land.  First ; 
any  other  than  a  saint  is  really  "  broken  down  :  " — 

28  A  broken  down  city  without  a  wall  |    f  "=  'h^'  hath  x^o 

-'  II-    [rule  over  his  own  spirit 

IS  a  man  who  has  no  enclosure  around  his  is  nke  a  city  that  is 

••(.  [broken     down,     and 

Spiru.  Iwithout  Willis. 

Of  course,  the  right  impulse  is  to  search  the  emblem.  What 
is  "  a  wall  ?  "  Not  a  restraint  for  a  city  (E.  V.),  but  its  defence. 
We  have  no  cause  to  wander  from  the  type.  The  first  great 
want  of  the  sinner  is  his  own  defence.  The  "  Town  of  Man- 
Soul  "  has  two  enemies  ;  one,  Omnipotent;  the  other  most  like 
Him  (in  that)  of  all  creation.  Both  are  victors.  To  dream  of 
resisting  either,  while  we  are  at  war  with  both,  is  idiotic  and 
forlorn.  If  there  ever  be  a  city  so  crushed  as  to  be  without  a 
bar,  that  is  the  soul  of  the  poor  impenitent.  "  Enclosure ;  " 
from  a  verb  to  shut  up.  It  does  not  mean,  "  no  rule  over " 
(E.  V.)  :  that  has  been  already  preached  about  (see  16  :  32) ; 
but  it  means  an  "  enclosure  "  to  shut  it  u/>.  God,  bearing  down 
upon  our  guilt,  and  Satan,  upon  our  helplessness,  find  us  "  a  city 
without  a  wall;  "  and  can  enter  and  destroy  us  at  their  mutual 
pleasure. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Nor  can  we  point  out  to  God  a  way  to  spare  us,  except  we 
repent  :— 

I  As  snow  in  summer  and  rain  in  harvest ;       ana^'rZ  i"  hanxsT- 


so  honor  does  not  suit  a  fool. 


so  honour  is  not  seem- 
ly for  a  fool. 


Chap.  XXVI.]  COMMENTARY.  429 

*'  It  is  the  glory  of  Gods  to  cover  over  a  thing  ;  but  the  glory 
of  Kings  to  search  a  thing  out  "  (see  25  :  2).  God  has  a 
universe  to  govern.  He  looks  (like  these  Proverbs)  down  to 
the  very  depths.  Man  may  cavil  at  being  allowed  to  sin  :  but 
let  us  forget  all  that.  Suppose  that  he  does  sin.  Certainly,  if 
he  does  sin,  and  refuses  to  repent,  why,  then,  to  "  honor  "  him 
would  destroy  creation.  It  is  put  more  plainly  in  the  verse  that 
follows  : — 


2  Like  a  bird,  as  to  roaming,  like  a  swallow, 
as  to  flight, 
so  a  curse  to  no  purpose  does  not  come. 


I  2  As  the  bird  b  y 
wandering,  as  the  swal- 
low by  flying  ;  so  the 
curse  causeless  shall 
not  come. 


The  type  is  graceful.  The  "  bird "  is  so  little,  and  his 
"flight"  and  "  roaming "  about  so  merry,  that  we  never 
think  of  him  as  having  an  aim.  And  yet,  the  wildest 
sport  upon  the  wing  is  continually  directed,  and  obeys 
the  mind  of  the  humblest  voyager  in  the  heavens.  Curses ; 
of  all  other  things,  not  aimless.  "  He  doth  not  afflict  will- 
ingly" (Lam.  3  :  t^'^.  And  so,  whether  large  or  trivial ;  the  One 
Great  Curse,  or  its  numerous  army  of  descendants ;  none  are 
without  a  ''^purpose."  In  each  gentle  pulse  upon  the  wind  the 
twittering  "  swallow"  has  no  more  clear  a  meaning  than  these 
flying  griefs,  as  they  float  fitfully  toward  them  who  are  to  bear 
them.  "To  no  purpose."  This  Hebrew  has  two  meanings; 
sometimes,  y<?r  no  cause  (Job  2:3);  and  as  above,  "  to  no  pur- 
pose "  (3  :  30  ;  24  :  28).  We  can  select  only  by  the  sense.  We 
selected  "  to  no  purpose"  here,  because  the  preposition  is  3i  and 
not  ^.  Had  we  selected  "/<?r  no  cause,"  there  would  have 
emerged  a  beautiful  sense.  "  As  the  bird  by  7uanderiiig,  as 
the  swallow  by  flying,  so  the  curse  catiseless  shall  not  come " 
(E.  v.).  The  meaning  then, — as  birds  do  not  make  their 
appearance  in  the  Spring  as  apparitions,  starting  up  ghost-like  in 
the  fields  as  they  seem  to,  but  have  come  long  journeys,  many 
of  them  in  the  night,  and  have  reached  us  by  honest  flying,  so 
the  curse  "does  not  come"  without  a  ^^ cause."  The  meanings, 
as  will  be  seen,  are  very  different.  One  is,  that  the  curse  has  a 
''^ cause  "  on  our  part;  the  other,  that  it  has  a  reason  on  the  part 
of  our  Creator.     Now,  both  are  true.     Both  are  very  expressive. 


43°  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

Both  have  a  fitness  in  the  passage.  We  would  be  at  a  loss  to 
select,  were  it  not  for  certain  circumstances.  "  To  no  purpose" 
yields  the  wider  truth,  and,  moreover,  is  the  bolder  mystery. 
The  curse  had  a  subsistence  earlier  than  we,  and  a  "  cause  " 
later  than  it  had  a  reason.  It  was  predetermined  from  the  very 
beginning.  And,  therefore,  ours  is  the  bolder  grasping  of  the 
cavil,  and  replies  to  the  sinner  more  deeply.  It  agrees  better 
with  the  rest.  And  in  view  of  the  prepositions  (5)  before  the 
verbs,  we  make  no  pause  upon  the  choice,  but  give  boldly  the 
above  translation.  Let  us  understand,  therefore  : — As  a  bird  has 
a  ^^  purpose"  "  as  to  [his]  flight ;"  so  the  "  curse"  has  a  ^''purpose" 
if  it  ever  light  upon  the  sinner. 

As  in  25  :  5,  he  gives  a  half  view,  next,  of  the  ''^purpose" 
itself:— 


3  A  whip  for  the  horse,  a  bit  for  the  ass, 
and  a  rod  for  the  fools'  back. 


3  A  whip  for  the 
horse,  a  bridle  for  the 
ass,  and  a  rod  for  the 
fool's  bacli. 

The  meaning  is,  that  the  "  curse  "  is  to  z.fool  what  "  a  whip  " 
is  to  a  "horse."  Now  " <z  whip  "  is  to  a  "  horse," — not  a  thing 
he  likes;  not  necessarily  a  provision  for  his  good.  We  must  be 
careful  to  bring  out  the  articulate  type,  as  in  the  instance  of  the 
city  wall  (25  :  28).  "  A  whip  "  is  to  make  a  ^^  horse  "  useful.  A 
"  curse "  is  to  make  a  man  useful :  to  force  him  to  be  so, 
whether  he  will  or  not.  This,  then,  is  one  of  the  hard  conditions 
of  the  sinner.  We  ought  to  search  out  our  own  glory  (25  :  27), 
and  be  sure  we  have  a  genuine  gift  (25  :  14),  and  submit  to  the 
remedial  plan  of  the  Redeemer  (Matt.  25  :  27),  that  we  may  be 
able  to  escape  a  doom  so  stern  as  that  of  the  finally  impenitent. 
*''' A  whip  for  the  horse."  Otherwise  he  will  be  of  no  account. 
"  A  bit  for  the  ass."  Otherwise  he  will  tear  everything  to  pieces. 
"  And  a  rod  for  the  fools'  back."  Otherwise  they  are  a  blot  upon 
the  Almighty.  That  His  throne  may  be  set  firm  in  righteousness, 
there  must  be  a  digesting  of  the  wicked  before  the  King  (25  :  5). 
"Fools  ;  "  plural.     Alas  !  They  are  a  mighty  multitude. 

Now  if  they  cavil,  what  are  we  to  do  .?  If  our  own  hearts 
cavil,  is  there  to  be  a  reply  "i  The  King  is  confessed  to  be 
unsearchable  (25  :  3),  and  there  are  many  mysteries  about  this 
very  "  curse  "  (v.  2).     Are  we  to  defer  to  the  helplessness  of  the 


Chap.  XXVI.]  COMMENTARY.  431 

sinner,  and  pity  him  on  his  half  grounds  for  doubt .?  Or  are  we 
to  take  a  middle  course.-'  explain  all  we  can,  and  leave  the 
rest  under  a  confession  of  our  foolishness  1  This  latter,  beyond 
a  doubt.  Submit  to  all  the  darkness,  Solomon  would  say 
(25  :  8),  but  open  all  the  half  lights  (14:7;  24  :  9),  And  so  for 
others.  "Answer  a  fool,"  and  yet  "answer  not  a  fool." 
''''  A?iswer  a  fool;  "  not  with  any  dream  that  you  thoroughly 
answer  him,  "  lest  [you]  be  like  him,"  and  a  fool  yourself.  And 
yet  by  all  means  "  answer-"  him.  "  Answer"  wherever  you  can, 
lest  he  think  you  can't :  exploding  all  baseless  heresies  and 
mistakes  :  lest,  hardening  himself  where  he  might  be  convinced, 
and  defrauding  himself  where  there  is  everything  to  be  said,  he 
erect  himself  against  facts  where  he  has  not  been  taught,  and 
"  become  wise  in  his  own  eyes."  All  this  two  Proverbs  in  their 
quainc  paradox  are  at  once  to  set  forth : — 


Answer  not  a  fool  according  to  his  folly ; 
lest  thou  be  like  him,  even  thou  thyself. 
Answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly  ; 
lest  he  become  wise  in  his  own  eyes. 


4  Answer  not  a  fool 
according  to  his  folly, 
lest  thou  also  be  like 
unto  him. 

5  Answer  a  fool  ac- 
cording to  his  folly, 
lest  he  be  wise  in  his 
own  conceit. 


The  explanation  has  probably  been  enough.  ^^  Answer  not  a 
fool;  "  because  much  mystery  does  not  admit  of  answer,  and 
you  will  be  a  fool  yourself.  But  more.  The  natural  man  does 
not  discern  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  If  you  answer  a 
natural  man,  with  the  idea  that  mere  answers  can  turn  him, 
you  must  "  ie  like  him"  as  having  no  sense  yourself  of  what  is 
purely  spiritual.  "  Thou  [shalt]  be  like  him,  even  thou  thyself  " 
(emphatic  pronoun).  Notice  here  a  grand  rebuke  of  reason  in 
all  attempts  to  convince  the  sinner.  Nevertheless  "  Answer  a 
fool"  and  bow  to  just  as  great  a  rebuke  to  reason.  We  use 
reason  far  too  gingerly.  Reason  is  a  divine  creation.  It  is  an 
instrument.  There  is  a  thought  as  though  it  were  wicked  to 
go  too  deep.  On  the  contrary,  we  are  to  out-think  the  fool. 
If  we  leave  science  to  work  her  way,  she  will  grow  wise  in  her 
own  conceit.  "  Answer  "  her.  Rationalistic  infidelity  is  by  no 
means  an  infidelity  in  reason.  And  the  church  should  make 
that  to  be  seen.     Scripture  has  been  belied  in  the  direction  of 


432  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

Paul  to  the  Corinthians  (i  Cor.  2).  Nothing  is  more  irrational 
than  Rationalism.  And  one  of  the  first  answers  to  the  fool  which. 
he  shall  receive  in  the  Judgment  will  be,  that  he  had  all  the 
reason  for  believing  Christ  which  he  had  for  anything  beside, 
and  a  host  of  greater  ones  peculiar  to  the  gospel. 

There  follow  a  series  of  Proverbs  to  explain  the  "  curse " 
(v.  2) ;  and  to  show,  as  far  as  may  be  possible,  the  necessity  of 
vengeance.  For  example, — The  universe  is  a  whole  :  the  parts 
of  it  are  under  tribute  :  all  creatures  have  a  use.  The  favorite 
language  of  the  Proverbs  is, — All  men  are  "  messengers"  (22  :  29). 
Insane  persons,  if  sent  on  errands,  would  destroy  Universal 
Government : — 

6  One  who  cuts  off  the  feet,  one  who  drinks!    ^je^"{^^'  the'^hand 

wrong,  of  a  fool,cuttethoffthe 

is  he  who  sends  messages  by  the  hand  of  aj^l^l;/'''^  '^""''"^ 
fool. 

"One  wlao  cuts  offtlie  feet:"  that  is,  who  cuts  off  the  means 
of  ever  moving  forward.  "  One  who  drraks  wrong ;"  that  is,  one 
who,  by  voluntary  act,  like  drinking,  accepts  iniquity.  God,  so 
speak  these  metaphors,  would  cripple  everything  if  he  indulged 
the  wicked.  True,  they  are  not  exhaustive.  They  are  but 
single  lights.  But  they  bestud  the  firmament  with  stars;  which, 
though  they  do  not  smother  out  the  night,  yet  pick  the  path, 
and  save  the  saint,  if  he  ever  chooses  to  be  guided. 

Not  only  is  ^^  the  fool"  no  messenger  (v.  6),  but  he  can't  be 
taught : — 

7  The  legs  drag  after  the  lame ; 
so  does  a  proverb  in-  the  mouth  of  fools. 


7  The  legs  of  the 
lame  are  not  equal  ;  so 
is  a  parable  in  the 
mouth  of  fools. 


"Proverb."  The  English  Version  has  it  ^^ parable."  These 
sudden  changings  are  unhappy.  It  is  the  common  word  for 
" Proverb"  and  is  the  very  title  of  the  Book.  Solomon  made 
it  the  preaching  of  his  age;  and,  so,  we  understand  it  as  the 
gospel.  A  stiffened  leg  is  a  curse  to  a  man  :  so  may  be  the 
gospel.  The  idea  is, — a  leg  is  necessary  to  a  man,  and  a  thing 
on  which  he  trusts ;  yet,  lamed,  it  becomes  an  incumbrance. 
"The  legs  drag  after  the  lame;"  so  that  sometimes  men  cut 


Chap.  XXVL]  COMMENTARY.  433 

them  off.  So  "d!  Proverb.'"  Instead  of  guiding  the  lost,  it  may 
actually  curse  them.  Especially  if  it  be  in  their  "  mouth  !  "  If 
the  wicked  understand  the  gospel,  and  actually  teach  it  to  their 
children,  and  after  that  continue  "fools,"  it  is  the  dragging 
limb.  Woe  be  to  the  man  that,  with  such  a  "  hand"  or  "  foot" 
(Matt.  18:8),  shall  be  "  cast  into  hell  fire."  "  Drag  y"  literally, 
"  hatig,"  like  a  bucket.  "  After  ;  "  literally,  ^^/rom."  "  So  is  ;  " 
actually,  nothing  more  than  ^^  and." 

To  elevate  a  man,  if  he  be  spiritually  "  a  fool,"  not  only  will 
be  a  curse  to  himself,  but  will  make  him  a  dangerous  neighbor 
to  all  about  him  : — 


As  he  that  binds  a  stone  in  a  sling, 
so  is  he  that  gives  honor  to  a  fool. 


8  As  he  that  bindeth 
a  stone  in  a  sling  ;  so 
is  he  that  giveth  hon- 
our to  a  fool. 


"  Binds ;"  i.  e.,  "''  fixes"  or,  simply,  "piisy  It  is  not  the 
idea  of  tying  the  stone  (Bertheau,  Ewald),  so  that  it  cannot  be 
sho?  out.  "  As  he  that  binds  a  stone  in  a  sling ; "  i.  e.,  as  he  that 
fixes  a  stone  where  it  will  not  only  (i)  be  hurled  clean  away, 
but  also  (2)  do  damage  to  those  it  reaches,  "  so  is  he  that  gives 
honor  "  of  any  conceivable  shape  to  a  poor  impenitent.  If  we 
give  him  a  good  meal,  he  must  account  for  it.  If  we  teach  him, 
we  make  him  nearer  to  the  devil.  This  is  the  weak  point  in 
State  Schools.  The  old  Church  Schools  of  Scotland,  barring 
their  support  by  the  State,  are  the  models  for  our  day.  To 
raise  a  man  in  intellect ;  to  make  him  honored  ;  to  give  him 
money ;  to  lift  him  into  conspicuous  place ;  to  endow  him  with 
anything  under  the  stars,  except  religion ;  is  to  bind  a  stone  in  a 
sling.  It  will  all  be  shot  away ;  and  be  sure  mortally  to  injure 
other  impenitents.  "  As  a  bag  of  jewek  on  a  heap  of  stones"  is  the 
modern  favorite  rendering  (Zockler).  It  would  typify  waste,  and 
would  be  no  advance  on  the  previous  Proverb.  The  "  sling"  is 
the  fitting  emblem.  "  A  bag  of  Jewels  "is  no  meaning  for  the 
noun.  It  occurs  but  once,  but  it  comes  from  a  verb  meaning 
to  stone,  or  to  throw  stones.  This,  with  a  )2  before  it,  is  no  He- 
brew for  "  a  bag  of  jewels."  The  Septuagint,  therefore,  must  be 
right  in  thinking  of  "  a  sling  j"  and  that,  more  certainly,  for  the 
reason,  that  the  other  substantive  means  simply  "^  stone"  and 
19 


434  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

must  be  strained  exceedingly  to  mean  "  a  heap  "  of  them.  So, 
then,  we  argue  for  the  older  rendering.  The  "  Covenant"  may- 
be death.  AW  " /wnor"  is  dangerous  to  "  a /oo/."  The  gospel 
with  its  honeyed  hopes,  or  even  Christ  in  self-flattered  conceits, 
is  a  stone  boimd  in  a  sling.  It  is  not  pitiful  in  God  to  give  too 
much  of  anything  that  is  to  be  slung  away.  His  gifts,  even  of 
the  truth,  may  be  niggardly,  out  of  compassion.  "  For  it  had 
been  better  not  to  have  known  the  way  of  righteousness,  than, 
after  [we]  have  known  it,  to  turn  from  the  holy  commandment 
delivered  unto  [us]  "  (2  Pet.  2:21). 

And  yet,  how  unconscious  is  the  reprobate  of  being  injured 
by  religion  ! — 


9  A  thorn  has  gone  up  into  the  hand  of  the 
drunkard, 
and  a  proverb  into  the  mouth  of  fools. 


g  y4j  a  thorn  goeth 
up  into  the  hand  of  a 
drunkard  ;  so  is  a  para- 
ble in  the  mouth  of 
fools. 


This  unconsciousness  through  drink  has  been  sketched,  be- 
fore (23:35).  A  man  busying  himself  about  the  church; 
paying  its  ministers ;  hearing  its  truths ;  even  praying  for  his 
children,  and  for  himself,  in  a  hard  poor  way,  as  the  impeni- 
tent pray  continually  :  yea,  a  man  fascinated  by  hope,  and  ac- 
tually professing  the  faith  like  the  people  of  the  Redeemer ; 
how  little  does  he  think  of  the  Shirt  of  Nessus  as  that  very  re- 
ligion that  has  wrapped  his  limbs !  The  thorn  hi  the  hand  of 
a  drunkard!  How  plain  the  type  !  How  mad  to  be  a  drunk- 
ard !  How  stupid,  on  the  heights  of  Sion,  to  "  see  not  our 
signs  "  !  The  man,  who,  at  the  very  side  of  Christ,  never  does 
anything  to  please  Him,  and  never  gives  anything  but  to  please 
himself,  has  less  to  complain  of  than  some  far-off  wretch,  who 
has  no  conception  that  he  has  any  piety.  He  is  only  more 
drunk.  And  as  the  poor  inebriate  can  receive  even  his  mortal 
blow,  and  never  know  it,  so  the  sinner  may  be  sticking  poison  in 
his  "  mouth,"  and  never  think  of  it,  but  as  his  soul's  deliverance. 

Now  for  God  to  reward  such  a  man  ! — 

10  An  arrow  wounding  everybody  Lt,'?f''^^^.i^n*\'/ ^'"'' 

,         y         c      t  1  '"•''  formed  all  things, 

IS  he,  also,  that  rewards  the  fool,  and  re-  both  rewardeth   the 
wards  transgressors.  | '^rts^^TsLs.'^""'''' 


Chap.  XXVI.]  COMMENTARY.  435 

The  stricter  fate  damned  one  soul.  This  would  ruin  "  every- 
body." "An  arrow;"  usually,  many  ;  called  "  an  arro7v^''  per- 
haps, because  they  are  many  (Job  i6  :  13).  The  English  Ver- 
sion, given  above,  is  built  upon  the  fact  that  it  means  also 
'''■great."  "  The  great  [One]  that  formed  all."  The  verb,  too, 
would  certainly  answer :  but  what  would  the  sense  be  1  Where 
would  be  the  fresh  effect .?  In  a  contest  for  the  thought,  as- 
suredly, where  the  grammar  is  the  same,  the  mind  of  the  Spirit 
must  be  that  which  is  the  most  significant.  "  An  arrow  wounding 
everybody."  It  is  the  Pohal.  The  verb  means  to  bore  through, 
to  perforate.  The  meaning,  '■'■  forjjied"  (E.  V.),  is  from  another 
root.  '■'■Everybody  "  literally,  '■'■all."  Rewarding  \one'\  fool 
would  destroy  the  universe.  It  would  upset  its  government. 
Nay,  it  is  a  conceit.  Secularly,  the  text  might  be  every  day 
practical;  spiritually,  never.  The  case  it  treats  of  is  utterly 
impossible. 

But  not  only  is  the  gospel  thus  wasted  on  the  fool  (9  :  8) ;  but, 
_  stranger  yet,  his  own  uppermost  convictions  : — 

II  As  the  dog  turns  back  to  his  vomit  again,     ^^^^f,?  tlitT.™; 
the  fool  turns  back  in  his  folly.  fool  retumeth  to  his 

folly. 

What  "  the  dog  "  throws  from  him  with  disgust,  his  appetite 
craves  after,  and  brings  him  to,  again..  This  will  be  horrible  in 
the  Pit.  Delicate  spirits,  that  were  aghast  at  crimes,  will  reach 
them  as  they  journey  deeper.  Nay,  in  this  life  "the  fool  turns 
back"  in  two  ways.  He  does  better  sometimes  than  he  does  at 
others ;  and  he  is  better  now  than  he  will  be  afterward.  These 
are  distinct  experiences.  There  is  the  lesser  turning,  of  the 
re-entering  sort,  in  which  a  man  promises  to  amend,  and  forgets 
it ;  and  thus  vomits  up  a  sin,  and  swallows  it  again.  And  there 
is  the  sad  cometary  walk,  where  the  curve  is  different,  and  is 
never  to  return  !  It  bears  off  toward  the  Pit.  Its  point  to-day 
was  its  horror  yesterday.  It  bends  from  its  early  tastes.  It 
comes  (upon  its  flight)  into  regions  which  seem  strangely 
distant;  and,  going  out  forlornly  into  the  cold,  it  shivers  at  its 
fate,  as  it  sins  away,  almost  consciously,  the  possibilities  of  salva- 
tion. "  In  his  folly;"  not  "/^  his  folly  "  (E.  v.).  The"vomit" 
is  sensual  delights.     It  is  "  in  folly  "  that  he  moves  and  turns. 


436  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

In  the  last  chapter  and  in  the  one  before  it  we  saw  instances  in 
which  the  same  God  was  divided  into  two  persons,  Jehovah,  and 
the  King  (24:  21  ;  25  :  2) ;  or  rather  into  an  imagined  personage, 
the  King  inside  of  the  general  Jehovah.  It  is  not  an  unusual 
tendency  of  revelation  (Zech.  3  :  1-7).  In  the  next  two  verses 
of  the  present  chapter,  the  same  is  to  be  observed.  There  is 
the  general  "fool"  or  impenitent  man  (v.  12),  embracing  all  the 
qualities  of  the  lost;  and  then,  as  though  inside  of  him,  the 
"man  wise  in  his  own  eyes."  Again,  in  the  verse  afterward 
(v.  13),  there  is  the  same  ^''fool,"  and  inside  of  him  "  the  sluggard^' 
or  the  man  who  says  "  there  is  a  lion  in  the  way."  Now  this  first 
character  in  a  man,  the  doctrinally-hardened  part  of  him, 
Solomon  says  is  specially  hopeless : — 

12  Seest  thou  a  man  wise  in  his  own  eves.'*       I   ."  Seest  thou  a  man 

_-,  c  r      \  t  •1/-1-  Wise   in   his   own   con- 

Hope  tor  a  tool  must  be  outside  of  him.  ceit?    there    is   more 

hope  of  a  fool  than  of 
I  him. 

The  distinction  which  the  two  verses  make  (associated)  is 
very  perfect.  There  are  two  parts  of  an  apple,  one  decayed, 
and  one  not  so.  Both  are  altogether  doomed,  and  only  a 
miracle  will  give  health  to  either;  but  one  part  is  dead,  the 
other  is  sluggishly  in  motion.  A  mortified  frame  has  one  limb 
dead,  and  the  other,  like  ^  "  door  upo7i  its  hinges  "  (v.  14),  slug- 
gishly circulating  life.  A  dead  sinner  has  his  dead  part,  and 
the  part  that  seems  to  be  alive.  Now  the  Wise  Man  character- 
izes as  the  former,  the  part  where  the  sinner  has  abandoned 
doctrine,  or  where  the  decay  is  upon  the  soul's  intelligence. 
We  do  not  think  of  such  things.  We  do  not  imagine  any  other 
corruption  than  of  the  heart.  But  the  Bible  speaks  of  the  head. 
There  is  an  earlier  and  a  later  ruin.  Like  a  poor  child,  that 
has  been  sick  for  weeks,  and  some  day  begins  with  delirious 
speeches,  so  impenitence  mounts  to  the  forehead.  "  They  have 
set  out  in  the  way  of  Cain,"  says  Jude  (v.  11),  "  and  poured 
themselves  out  in  the  error  of  Balaam  for  a  reward,  and 
perished  in  the  gainsaying  of  Core."  There  are  other  passages. 
Denying  truth  is  a  closing  symptom.  Principles,  that  were 
riveted  in  youth,  come  suddenly  to  be  abandoned ;  as  when  the 
nurse  shakes  her  head  at  the  first  flighty  question.     Men  part 


Chap.  XXVI. j  COMMENTARY.  437. 

with  a  belief,  and  cease  to  be  troubled  by  it.  Other  beliefs 
remain.  Like  the  mortified  body !  It  parts  with  one  limb,  and 
ceases  to  be  troubled  by  it.  Other  limbs  remain.  In  the  dead 
limb  is  no  restlessness  of  life ;  in  the  other  limbs,  a  sluggish 
circulation.  So  of  churches,  less  blameworthily  perhaps,  but 
where  the  intellect  is  settled  :  the  Jew,  who  is  easy  about  his 
faith  :  the  Papist,  when  he  is  doctrinally  satisfied  :  the  caviller, 
defunct  as  to  his  creed  :  we  may  put  all  these  dead  limbs 
together.  How  are  you  going  to  revive  them  .?  "  Hope  for  a  fool" 
lies  "  outside  "  somewhere,  where  the  intellect  can  be  awaked.  It 
a  man  says,  he  is  done  with  Hell,  and  no  longer  believes  in  an 
atonement,  it  is  the  boundary  set  back  (22  :  28).  Give  that 
man  up  that  far.  It  is  mortification  that  has  set  in.  So  of  the 
hypocrite.  He  who  says  that  he  has  no  need  to  repent ;  or, 
though  he  is  conscious  of  sin,  that  he  has  already  repented;  he 
who  flatteringly  assumes  that  he  is  established  in  the  grace  of  a 
believer,  Solomon  quietly  sums  up  with  the  rest,  as  "  wise  in  his 
own  eyes''  And  then,  taking  the  attribute  as  though  it  were  a 
man  within  a  man,  he  summarily  declares,  that  "  hope  for  a 
fool "  must  be  found  "  outside  of  him."  "  Wise  in  his  oivn  eyes  ;  " 
not  equal  quite  to  doctrinally  astray  /  for  a  poor  heathen  may 
be  that,  who  has  never  been  instructed  in  the  gospel.  It  means 
rather  exactly  what  it  says,  self  wise  ;  and  is  that  state  which  is 
reached  by  the  sinner  in  abandoning  lights  which  he  once 
possessed.  "Outside  of ;"  the  preposition  "/ri?;//."  Compara- 
tives are  always  formed  by  this  preposition.  All  commentators, 
therefore,  on  this  account  imagine  one,  very  reasonably,  to  be 
intended  here.  There  is  no  verb,  however.  And  there  is  no 
adjective.  And  there  are  no  signs  of  the  comparative  degree. 
By  great  straining  one  might  be  supposed  (see  Deut.  14:2;  Is. 
10:10).  But  the  natural  Hebrew  flows  differently.  The 
natural  force  would  be,  Hope  for  a  fool  is  from  him.  That  is  so 
glaringly  false,  that  it  has  turned  scholars  into  this  thought  of  a 
cojuparative .  But  from  means  ''''outside  of"  and  that  in  a  way 
that  clears  up  many  Scriptures.  For  example,  the  English 
Version  reads  (Gen.. 27  :  39),  "  Thy  dwelling  shall  be  (<?/,  Marg. 
lit.  froni)  the  fatness  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  dew  of  heaven," 
when  notoriously  it  was  a  rocky  land.     But  read  "  outside  of" 


438  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

and  Esau  will  most  graphically  be  described.  "  Thy  dwelling 
shall  be  outside  of  the  fatness  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  dew  of 
heaven;  and  by  thy  sword  shalt  thou  live,  &c."  Again,  Micah 
3  :  6,  literally,  "  Night  shall  be  unto  yon  from  a  vision  (meaning, 
evidently,  without  a  vision),  and  it  shall  be  dark  to  you  from 
divining  (plainly  without  divining,  or,  so  as  to  be  without 
a  divination)."  Jer.  48 :  45  ;  "  They  that  fled  stood  under  the 
shadow  of  Heshbon  because  of  th.Q  force  "  (E.  V.),  literally,  ^''from 
the  force."  The  meaning  plainly  is,  '*  They  that  fled  stood  under 
the  shadow  of  Heshbon  without  strength"  (i.  e.,  in  a  weak  condi- 
tion). We  understand  the  Proverb  to  mean,  that  hope  for  a  man  of 
a  visit  from  God's  Holy  Spirit  lies  in  the  sensitive  part  of  him ; 
that  his  reasonings  are  doing  him  no  good ;  that  his  intellections 
are  stages  of  death;  and  that  '''' hope  for  the  fool''  must  be 
"  outside  of  "  this  spirit  that  has  done  the  mischief. 

But  even  our  sensitive  part  comes  up  to  be  denounced, — 
under  the  name  of  "sluggard."  Alas  for  us!  how  it  has 
wronged  us  !  It  was  strong  once.  It  was  all  alive  with  con- 
viction from  our  mother's  teaching.  It  meant  to  repent.  The 
Wise  Man  sweeps  all  by  speaking  of  its  miserable  sloth.  It  is 
not  without  reasoning  either.  It  trumps  up  false  reasons. 
While  the  callous  part  lies  dead,  the  sensitive  part  tosses  and 
invents  obstructions : — 


13  The  sluggard  has  been  saying, — There  is  a 

lion  in  the  way, 
a  lion  amid  the  open  squares. 

14  The  door  turns  round  upon  its  hinge, 
and  a  sluggard  upon  his  bed. 


13  The  slothful  man 
saith,  There  is  .1  lion 
in  the  way  ;  a  lion  is  in 
the  streets. 

\^  As  the  door  turn- 
eth  upon  his  hinges  ; 
so  doth  the  slothful 
upon  his  bed. 


The  apple,  if  we  could  take  a  microscope,  has  a  circulation 
of  its  juice  all  through  the  sounder  part  of  it.  But  what  does  it 
avail  }  It  is  "the  door  upon  its  hinge."  Death  moves  inward 
toward  the  unmortified  limb  all  the  time.  It  feels  right,  but  the 
battle  is  going  on.  Part  of  the  man  has  struck  its  flag.  Part 
fights,  and  has  no  idea  of  defeat.  The  soul  means  fully  to 
awake ;  but  is  first  tossing  with  excuses.  ^  It  dreams  of  being 
all  right;  and  makes  restless  efforts  to  move;  but  it  h^^  the  door 
upon  its  hiiigfi."    The  ceaseless  circulation  of  the  limb  is  a  part 


Chap.  XXVI.]  COMMENTARY.  439 

of  its  decline,  and  spreads  the  gangrene  which  it  is  thinking  to 
oppose.  "Has  been  saying."  This  is  the  emphatic  perfect. 
It  "  has  been  "  so  from  the  beginning.  "  Turns  ;  "  i.  e.,  motion 
with  no  advance.     "  T/ie  door  "  moves  constantly,  but  makes 

no  progress. 

"The  sluggard"  makes  no  progress,  even  mider  the  most 

alluring  offers : — 


15  The  sluggard  has  hid  his  hand  in  the  dish. 
He  is  too  tired  to  bring  it  to  his  mouth 

again. 

16  The  sluggard  is  wiser  in  his  own  eyes 
than  seven  men  who  report  back  the  taste. 


15  The  slothful  hid- 
eth  his  hand  in  Ais 
bosom;  it  grieveth  him 
to  bring  it  again  to  his 
mouth. 

16  The  sluggard  7S 
wiser  in  his  own  con- 
ceit than  seven  men 
that  can  render  a 
reason. 


Millions  are  around  him  who  have  been  converted,  and  who 
tell  him  of  their  joys.  "  The  dish  "  has  absolutely  been  pre- 
pared. He  has  helped  to  prepare  it.  He  has  gone  through  the 
studies  of  the  cross.  He  did  it  in  his  infancy.  He  has  gone  to 
expense  for  Christ;  and  endured  trouble  for  his  conscience. 
He  has  thrust  his  very  "  hand  in  t/ie  dish  y"  and  absolutely  dis- 
engaged it  from  many  earlier  toys.  And  yet,  out  of  mere 
sluggishness  (that  is  the  thought  of  the  inspired  man),  "  he  is 
too  tired  to  bring  it  to  his  mouth  again."  From  a  different  self- 
wisdom  to  that  in  verse  12th.,  he  will  not  believe  reports. 
The  dozens  around  him,  who  have  tasted  "  the  dish"  cannot 
convince  him  of  its  pleasantness.  And  that  wonder  is  enacted  ; 
of  men  assured  of  a  pleasure ;  assured  they  ought  to  "  taste  "  it : 
convinced  they  will  "  taste  "  it  after  a  while ;  assured  they  will 
never  cease  to  wonder  that  they  never  tasted  it  before;  and 
assured  by  them  who  have  themselves  tasted  it ;  and  yet,  with 
their  very  hand  upon  the  dish,  too  tired  to  draw  it  back  : 

Instead  of  that,  meddling  with  other  people's  difficulties.  If 
I  am  saved,  mysteries  will  be  left  floating  only  over  other  men. 
With  "  my  hand  in  the  dish;'  if  I  shrewdly  snatch  k  out,  the 
hardship  of  being  lost  is  a  puzzle  only  in  other  people's  histories. 
Most  of  the  puzzles  before  the  King  (25:3)  concern  that 
sovereignty  only  in  its  relations  with  other  immortal  spirits. 
And  yet  the  sluggard,  " like  a  door  upon  its  hinge"  busies  him- 


440  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVI 

self  eternally  about  these  other  existences.  The  faults  of  pro- 
fessors fever  and  toss  him,  and  make  him  turn  upon  his  bed. 
And  yet  why  .?  If  they  are  lost,  is  that  his  loss .?  And  if  they 
are  saved,  is  it  his  responsibility.'  The  Wise  Man  presses  the 
folly  of  such  impertinency  : — 


17  He  takes  a  dog  by  the  ears, 

who,  going  up,  gets  himself  roused  about  a 
quarrel  not  his  own. 


17  He  that  passeth 
by,  and  meddleth  with 
strife  belonging  not  to 
him,  is  like  one  that 
taketh  a  dog  by  the 
ears. 


But  now,  still  further.  We  who  are  ministers  are  accustomed 
to  such  unmeaningnesses  as  this  : — '  /  do  not  consider  it  any 
excuse  for  7ne  j  but,  really,  such  a  professor  of  the  truth  is 
strangely  wanting  in  consistent  conduct.*  And  yet  this,  which  is 
no  excuse  for  hiniy  is  answer  to  a  question  in  which  you  have 
urged  him  to  repent.  '  I  do  not  think,'  the  impenitent  man  will 
say,  '  that  it  really  is  a  reason ;  but  such  and  such  is  but  a 
poor  encouragement  for  a  sinner  such  as  I.'  Now,  if  he  really 
does  not  think  that  which  he  seems  to  think,  and  which  he  must 
needs  think  if  he  be  at  all  replying  to  your  question,  what  does 
he  think ;  and  where  will  he  place  as  pertinent  the  reply  he 
gives  you  }  The  Wise  Man  places  it ;  and  he  places  it  among 
the  characteristics  of  the  sinner.  He  brands  it  as  a  holy 
trifling;  and  paints  it  as  belonging  to  the  soul;  and  as  doing 
much  mischief  even  to  others  in  this  period  of  decay  : — 


18  As  a  crazy  man  shooting 
hot  darts,  arrows,  and  death, 

19  so  is  a  man,  who  has  deceived  his  neigh- 

bor, 
and  said, — Am  I  not  in  sport } 


18  As   a   mad   tnan, 

who  casteth  firebrands, 
arrows,  and  death, 

19  So  is  the  man 
that  deceiveth  his 
neighbour,  and  saith, 
Am  not  I  in  sport? 


The  implication  is,  that  he  is  not  "in  sport;  "  that  the  thing 
is  half  serious.  "  Deceived."  The  trifling  comes  just  here  ;  that 
the  man  is  trifling  with  himself.  What  he  means  when  he  says, 
*  It  is  no  real  reason,'  is,  that,  in  heart,  he  don't  believe  it  is  ;  he 
knows  better  than  he  speaks.  And,  therefore,  it  is  a  prurient 
lust  just  to  blurt  cavils.  The  doctrine  of  the  Proverbs  is,  that 
it  is  a  fatal  habit.     They  give  reasons  in  texts  that  follow  (vs. 


CaAP.  XXVI.]  COMMENTARY.  44i 

20-28).  But  this  present  text  teaches  that  such  speeches  may- 
prove  fatal  on  any  spot;  that  they  are  filling  the  air  with 
"arrows  ;  "  that  they  may  hit  where  we  never  dream  ;  that  they 
may  actually  deceive  our  "  neighbor ;  "  and  that,  above  all,  as 
lying  to  our  Great  ''Neighbor"  they  are  singularly  mad,  and 
that  particularly  in  reply  to  the  gospel. 

They  are  mad  specifically,  the  next   Proverb  explains  ;  be- 
cause they  keep  alive  rebelliousness  : — 


20  Where  no  wood  is,  fire  goes  out ; 

and   by  there  being   no  tale-bearer  strife 
settles  down. 


20  Where  no  wood  is, 
there  the  fire  goeth 
out ;  so  where  there  is 
no  talebearer,  the  strife 
ceaseth. 


This  Great  Mind  makes  his  pictures  of  mosaic.  He  lays  hold 
of  sturdy  Proverbs,  that  have  their  own  wide  truth,  and  sets  them 
to  suit  his  thought.  "  Strife  "  of  all  kinds  is  kept  up  by  false 
gossip.  My  neighbor  hears  things  of  me  that  I  never  dreamed, 
and  justly  quarrels  with  me.  That  is  his  idea.  Cut  off  from 
both  of  us  the  tampering  of  tattlers,  and  we  would  be  bosom 
friends.  Most  cruel  conceits,  that  will  be  carried  to  our  graves, 
are  keeping  men  estranged,  that  neither  dreams  of,  though 
carried  to  the  other.  The  Proverb,  therefore,  where  Solomon 
seizes  it,  had  world-wide  compass.  He  fits  it  to  religion.  He 
means,  that  the  utterance  of  cavils  spreads  them;  that  the 
man  who  gossips  against  the  cross,  deals  death.  He  may  be 
half  in  fun.  He  is  a  madman.  "  Where  no  wood  is,  fire  goes 
out ;  and  by  there  being  no  talebearer;"  i.  e.,  no  curious  doubt ; 
no  venturing  complaint  against  the  Majesty  of  Heaven;  no 
gadding  around  with  arguments  partially  in  jest;  the  listener  is 
spared,  and  the  man  himself  kept  closer  to  his  Maker. 

Because,  say  what  we  will,  cavils  are  not  in  jest.  They  are 
the  outgrowth  of  impenitence.  They  are  the  spores  that  carry 
the  infection  from  the  "  contentious  man."  Both  the  Proverbs 
that  follow  mean  that  the  heart  is  open  to  them,  like  the  skin 
for  the  infectious  spores.  The  first  speaks  of  it  as  on  "fire." 
The  second  speaks  of  it  as  on  edge  with  a»  greedy  appetite. 
The  world  likes  cavilling.  The  objections  that  we  moot 
are  welcomed  by  the  sinner,  and  will  smite  upon  congenial 
ears : — 

16* 


442  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XX^. 

21  Coal  to  live  coals,  and  wood  to  fire,  .  ^'  4^  coals  fl;v  to 

'  '  burning   coals,   and 

wood  to  fire ;  so  is  a 
contentious  man  to 
kindle  strife. 

22  The  words  of  a 
talebearer  are  as 
wounds,  and  they  go 
down  into  the  inner- 
most parts  of  the  belly. 


and  a  contentious  man  to  kindle  strife. 
22  The   words   of  a   tale-bearer   are    dainty 

morsels; 
and   they  go  down  the  chambers  of  the 

belly. 


"Coal  to  live  coals."  It  is  rare,  perhaps,  that  the  order  is 
considered.  It  is  not, — ''''live  coals  to  coal."  It  answers,  there- 
fore, many  apologies.  The  caviller  may  say,  that  he  is  only 
trifling — that  he  is  not  angrily  hostile.  Neither  does  this  sen- 
tence say  it.  It  does  not  impeach  him  as  being  a  ^'  live  coal." 
The  cold  cavil  of  the  skeptic  might  fall  dead  like  the  black 
■'  coal"  out  of  the  mine.  But  this  Proverb  and  the  next  speak 
of  his  listeners  as  on  "fire."  The  ear  of  the  corrupt  is  waiting 
for  temptation.  And,  like  the  black  mass  out  of  the  mountain, 
he  may  be  ever  so  cool;  there  is  a  hungering  "fire"  ready  to 
be  kindled.  ''As  coal  to  live  coals."  The  Proverb  speaks  of 
the  dead  material.  He  who  floats  cavils  in  the  air  might  do  it 
harmlessly  in  heaven;  but,  on  the  earth,  in  the  midst  of  the 
fires  of  sin,  it  is  hungered  for  ''to  kindle  strife."  V.  22.  Nay, 
hungered  for  as  a  "  dainty !"  This  we  should  remember. 
There  is  philosophy  in  the"  thought ; — that  what  moves  us  so 
much  is  not  an  influence  that  can  be  indifferent.  It  is  a  warn- 
ing against  common  gossip,  that  men  like  it  so,  and,  therefore,  it 
must  inwardly  corrupt.  And  so  of  skeptic  gossip.  We  call  it 
trifling ;  but  why  do  men  like  it  so  }  Why  do  I  do  so  much  of 
it .?  Why  do  men  listen  to  me  so  .?  If  it  be  a  matter  of  indif- 
ference, why  does  it  spread  round  the  lost  like  death  round 
the  plague-patient.?  Why  does  it  begin  to  issue,  like  spores, 
when  I  break  out  with  the  pestilence  1  This  is  the  meaning 
of  the  Proverb.  "  The  words  of  a  talebearer  are  dainty  mor- 
sels." Men  like  them.  Therefore,  do  not  utter  them.  You 
like  them.  Therefore  you  utter  them.  Anything  must  do 
serious  harm  that  is  so  loved  when  it  is  uttered.  And,  there- 
fore, whatever  your  professions  may  be ;  though  you  pretend  to 
love  the  truth,  do  not  cavil ;  for,  though  men  may  not  think  so, 
they  like  it.     It  goes  "  down  the  chambers  of  the  beUy." 

For  what  is  love  to  truth  in  a  poor  impenitent.? — 


Chap.  XXVI.]  COMMENTAR  V.  ;443 

23  Silver  dross  spread  on  some  earthenware  ^  ^3. Bu™\g^^^P^' -^ 

fragment  ///v  a  potsherd  covered 

,  .  ,•  J  M  T- i.  with  silver  dross. 

are  burnmg  lips  and  an  evil  heart. 

Alleged  love  to  truth,  without  the  reality,  is  the  subject  of 
the  next  six  verses.  This  first  Proverb  of  the  six  has  the  mildest 
affirmation.  "  Burning  lips  ;"  i.  e.,  warm  affectionate  utterance. 
The  other  five  denounce  it  as  a  deceit ;  but  this  one  merely 
pictures  it.  "  Silver  dross  ;"  not  even  a  thin  leaf  of  the  metal. 
"  On  some  earthenware  fragment;"  not  even  on  a  whole  dish. 
The  other  five  imply  mischief.  This  one  exclaims  at  some- 
thing merely  worthless.  The  good  impenitent ;  who  is  kind 
even  to  the  church ;  behold  his  picture  !  Are  not  my  gifts 
precious  ?  Is  not  my  gold  as  bright  as  the  Christian's  ?  Are 
not  my  bricks  part  of  the  church  building  ?  There  is  a  terrible 
compass  in  the  passage  just  as  it  is  uttered.  No  lost  man  can 
do  good.  He  can  be  made  to  do  it  by  an  overruling  power. 
So  could  a  poor  potsherd  be  forced  to  save  life.  But  no  lost 
man  can  do  good  as  of  the  first  intent,  and  for  this  reason  : — he 
undoes  airthat  he  does.  If  he  give  gifts,  his  example  is  a 
greater  seduction  because  of  his  virtue.  He  prays  !  Well,  why 
not  then  repent  ?  He  builds  a  thousand  churches !  Then 
mark  what  an  insidious  snare.  The  nearer  we  climb  to  the 
light,  and  stay  in  darkness;  the  worse,  in  some  attitudes,. our 
life ;  and  the  harder  to  resist  our  influence  for  impenitence. 

But  not  only  so.  There  is  "  a  deceit  "  always.  We  do  not 
love  the  truth.     We  are  only  pretending  : — 

24  A  hater  dissembles  with  his  lips,  \d-:Lr^^l.l!'%-nu'th 
and  lays  away  deceit  within  him.  lijjs,  and  laveth  upde- 

•^  1  1  1-  •  i'jj_i.  ceit  within  him  : 

25  Because  he  makes  his  voice  kind,  do  not     25  whenhespeaketh 

frncf  Viii-»-i  •  f^ir,  believe   him   not; 

irUSL  imil  ,  _  •      I.-      ,  \{oT  i/tere  are  seven  ah- 

for  seven  abominations  are  in  his  heart.        ominations  in  his  heart. 

26  Hatred  covers  with  a  deceit  _  LovtrerbTdece'^ls 
the  evil  of  which  shall  be  laid  bare  in  the  wickedness  shall  be 

,  ,  shewed    before    the 

great  assembly.  Iw/jo/^  congregation. 

"  Hatred  "  is  known  to  deceive.  If  "  hatred "  is  known  to 
deceive,  then,  the  deeper  the  "  hatred"  the  more  insidious,  one 
might  pronounce  it  likely,  would  be  the  "  deceit"  Why  should 
a  man  say  he  really  loves  the  Church,  when  he  is  not  a  Chris- 


444  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVI. 

tian  ?  Why  should  he  pretend  to  ?  When  he  is  guilty  of  the 
main  hating  act,  viz.,  rejecting  the  Redeemer,  why  dream  of 
being  supposed  to  love  Him  1  He  is  flecked  with  the  family 
likeness  of  insidious  ''''deceit  f  and  by  that  very  mark  should  be 
the  more  convicted.  All  sinners  make  pretence ;  even  the 
most  infamous.  All  have  their  glozing  speeches.  All  talk 
warmly  of  God.  The  Bandit  gives  to  Him  like  the  high  moral- 
list.  "  Within  him,"  means  deep  in  the  heart.  It  is  deceit 
that  grows  fast  within  us.  "  Because  he  makes  his  voice  kind." 
Notice,  that  even  the  police  come  to  understand  this.  If  a 
prisoner  talk  good,  policemen  suspect  him.  "  Because  y"  not 
''^ when"  (E.  V).  The  worst  man  will  often  be  the  best 
spoken ;  and  that  for  the  very  reason  that  there  "  are  seven  ab- 
ominations in  his  heart."  Good  deeds,  accordingly,  may  be  a 
cloak,  and  may  continue  so  to  the  Grand  Assembly.  Notice,  then, 
a  sort  of  paradox.  "The  evil  of  [///,?;;;]!"  implying  that  they  ■ 
must  be  an  "m/."  This  had  been  already  taught  (v.  i).  But 
how  can  they  be  an'Vt'//,"  if  they  remain  as  covered  till  the 
Day  of  Judgment .''  A  good  man,  for  example,  as -all  men  thought 
him,  has  been  a  communicant  till  death.  He  Avas  the  very  high- 
est in  the  church.  He  prayed  like  an  angel.  He  gave  like  a 
prince.  He  was  meek  like  a  beggar.  What  harm  could  the  man 
do .?  He  may  at  heart  have  been  a  hater,  for  so  it  seems  to  be 
declared  (vs.  24,  25);  and  in  life  deceitful  (v.  23).  All  that 
seems  to  be  very  evident.  He  was  most  awfully  his  own  de- 
ceiver. But,  life  having  been  finally  got  through  without  a 
suspicion  of  his  falseness,  where  can  the  harm  lie.''  Alas! 
hidden !  that  is  the  very  statement.  It  will  lie  a  concealed 
thing  until  the  Day  of  Judgment.  It  is  deep  and  dark,  so  that 
sooner  he  will  never  know  it ;  of  so  insinuating  a  breath  that, 
like  the  pest-house,  it  may  be  as  sunny  as  the  open  air.  It  is 
like  the  seeds  of  the  contagion,  naught :  who  even  dare  con- 
ceive them  ?  But  all  the  more  are  they  worthy  to  be  revealed  ; 
richer  in  their  light,  and  all  the  more,  when  the  time  comes,  will 
the  King  digest  them  (25  :  5).  All  the  more  will  He  show  their 
subtlety.  For  "  Hatred  covers  ivith  a  deceit,  the  evil  of  which 
shall  be  laid  bare  in  the  great  assanhly." 

The  writer  then  closes  the  chapter  with  two  general  propo- 


Chap.  XXYL]  COMMENTARY.  445 

sitions.  First,  no  man  is  a  deceiver  without  deceiving  himself. 
And,  second,  no  man  deceives  without  mischief  to  himself  and 
others.     First : — 

27  The  digger  of  a  pit  falls  into  it ;    _  |pirsh'Iu°Sii'S'n  • 

and  upon  him  who  rolls  a  stone  it  returns  and  he  that  roUeth  a 

■L       1^  Stone,    it    will    retuin 

^o.^'^-  I  upon  him. 

Whoever  is  uttering  cavils,  even  though  they  be  in  sport,  is 
shooting  hot  darts.  So  the  nineteenth  verse  informs  us.  He 
is  rolling  a  stone,  which  is  in  danger  of  crushing  his  neighbor. 
The  present  Proverb  says, — it  will  recoil  back.  "  The  digger 
of  a  pit  falls  into  it."  That  is  not  true  secularly.  Nero  may 
dig  a  hundred,  and  die  in  his  bed.  But  in  religion  it  is  as  true 
as  the  light.  The  miracle  of  ransom  is  an  exception  to  every 
law.  Trouble  may  come  upon  our  Substitute;  but,  barring 
that,  mischief  comes  back  with  certainty,  and  probably  in  kind. 
With  whatsoever  measure  we  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  us 
again  (Matt.  7  :  2).  "  The  digger  of  a  pit  falls  into  it,  and  upon 
him  who  rolls  a  stone,  it  returns  back." 

Moreover,  it  is  impossible  to  deceive  hurtlessly.  We  may  do 
it  secularly,  and  do  good  by  deceiving  an  enemy  (Josh.  8:2); 
but  it  is  impossible  spiritually.  Deceit  cannot,  like  phosphor- 
escent light,  play  harmlessly  over  the  spirit  of  our  neighbor  : — 


A  lying  tongue  hates  its  victims  ; 
and  a  flattering  mouth  works  ruin. 


28  A  lying  tongue 
hateth  those  that  are 
afflicted  by  it  ;  and  a 
flattering  mouth  work- 
eth  ruin. 


"Hates."  This  has  a  peculiar  meaning.  It  is  frequent  that 
we  hate  a  man,  in  this  sense  of  hating,  whom  we  passionately 
love.  Because  one's  greatest  victim  is  himself,  and  surely  he 
loves  himself.  The  meaning  of  this  hating  is  brought  out  well 
in  the  twenty-ninth  chapter  (v.  24).  "  Whoso  is  partner  with 
a  thief  hateth  his  own  soul."  It  is  a  strong  expression.  "He 
that  spareth  his  rod  hateth  his  son  "  (13  :  24).  It  balances  the 
second  clause.  It  is  a  consequential  hate  j  that  is,  the  harm 
in  which  real  hate  would  inure.  The  second  clause  is  more 
express.  That  kindly  falsehood  which  encourages  instead  of 
cavils ;  which  speaks  too  flatteringly  of  a  sinner's  hopes ;   is 


446  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

under  the  genus  of  deceit ;  and,  as  "  a  lying  tongue,  hates  its 
victims." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Next,  the  Wise  Man  grapples  with  the  Great  Deceit — our 
procrastinating  promises.  It  is  of  the  species  of  the  last  clause 
(26  :  28),  viz.,  of  "  a  flattertNg  tongue  ;"  and  is  put  with  wonder- 
ful expertness.  "Praise not  thyself."  Nothing  could  be  more 
graphic.  The  sinner  is  utterly  corrupt.  He  has  not  turned  a 
wheel  for  his  Redeemer.  He  cannot  be  brought  to  do  it.  He 
does  not  praise  himself  in  respect  to  to-day ;  but  ht  praises  him- 
self "in  the  morrow,"  He  is  thoroughly  convinced  that  he 
will  do  right  just  the  day  after  this.  This  is  our  translation. 
We  might  translate  "  Boast  not  thyself"  (E.  V.)  ;  but  that  has 
grown  too  idiomatic.  It  hides  the  meaning  of  .fd'/Z'-^r^/V*?.  The 
next  verse,  too,  would  be  too  isolated.  The  verb  translated, 
"  Boast  not  thyself"  (E.  V.),  is  the  Hithpahel  of  the  verb  trans- 
lated ^^ praise  "  (E.  V.)  in  the  verse  that  follows.  It  is  import- 
ant to  keep  the  two  together.     Therefore  we  translate : — 


Praise  not  thyself  in  the  morrow ; 
for  thou  knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring 
forth. 


Boast  not  thyself  of 
to-morrow ;  for  thou 
knowest  not  what  a 
day  may  bring  forth. 


"  In."  In  to-day  the  soul  knows  that  it  is  impenitent ;  but 
"  in  the  morrow  "  it  means  to  be  a  Christian.  It  praises  itself 
as  though  it  already  were  so,  and  it  flatters  itself  (26  :  28)  be- 
yond a  doubt;  because  its  worthlessness  to-day  is  the  very 
thing  that  will  nullify  the  promise.  The  second  clause  is  very 
philosophical.  The  writer's  pen  could  hardly  have  touched 
more  wittingly.  This  is  just  the  fact, — Christ  may  convert  us. 
He  might  convert  us  on  "  the  morrow."  It  is  true,  the  Wise 
Man  says  (29  :  20),  that  one's  promise  rather  hurts  the  hope  of 
such  a  result.  "  Seest  thou  a  man  hasty  in  his  words  ?  Hope  for 
a  fool  is  outside  of  him"  (like  26  :  12).  Still  light  w/^/// break  in 
to-morrow.  The  text  strikes,  however,  the  very  centre  of  the 
fact.      Who  knows  about  it }     We  may  be  dead.     Blank  uncer- 


Chap.  XXVII.]  COMMENTARY.  447 

tainty  is  a  fact :  and  this  is  what  the  passage  first  appeals  to. 
"  Praise  not  thyself  in  the  morroiu  j  for  thou  knowest  not  wtat  a 
day  may  bring  forth."     But  now  more  : 

Not  only  are  events  uncertain,  but  we,  who  essay  to  fix  them, 
are  the  last  persons  competent  to  be  the  judge  : — 

2  Let  another  praise  thee,  and  not  thine  own  (    ^^Let,-°'^,=;,  -- 

mouth  ■  thine    own    mouth  ;   a 

',.,,•  1  •  stranger,  and  not  thine 

a  Stranger,  and  not  thme  own  lips.  lownfips. 

"Praise  thee,  &c."  Of  course  secularly  beautiful;  an  excel- 
lent catholic  Proverb.  But,  in  situ,  Solomon  is  still  theologizing. 
'■'■Praise r  the  same  word  as  "■  boast""  (E.  V.,  v.  i).  So  we 
have  already  stated.  Solomon  knows  that  "  another"  would  not 
'■'■praise"  us.  We  are  conscious  in  respect  to  oui'selves;  and 
yet  a  "  stranger  "  (and  both  nouns  mean  "  stranger  "),  who  had 
never  seen  us  before  :  a  Pagan,  if  we  would  just  tell  him  of  our 
case ;  and  he  could  catechise  us,  and  ask, — Sir,  how  often  have 
you  had  this  purpose  ? — would  not  take  an  hour  to  decide,  and 
to  decide  against  us.  If  we  were  to  tell  him,  We  have  had  this 
purpose  for  forty  years ;  we  have  been  praising  ourselves  as  of 
the  morroiu,  each  morrow,  that  is  every  day  :  we  verily  believed 
our  promise  each  time ;  we  candidly  hatched  up  the  flattery ; 
and  each  day,  when  we  boasted  of  the  next,  dwarfed  nothing  of 
our  confidence ;  a  brute  Hottentot  would  tell  us, — Then,  Sir, 
you  never  will  repent.  And,  as  the  actual  fact,  in  tiatura,  we 
never  will.  Put  out  of  thought  the  incalculable  miracle,  the 
supervention  of  grace,  and  we  are  past  life.  Our  promises  are 
false ;  and  they  are  worse  than  false,  for  they  waste  our  heart, 
and  carry  us  the  more  probably  to  a  final  ruin. 

Because  we  tend  downward.  That  is  the  next  idea.  Great 
"trouble;"  which  seems  to  be  a  means  of  grace,  and  which 
sinful  sufferers  bear  better' under  the  thought  that  it  is  itself 
salvation,  the  next  Proverb  speaks  of  as  having  weight,  like 
"  a  stone,"  or  like  "  sand."  "  The  wicked  is  thrust  lower  by  his 
evil"  (14  :  32).  Men  hold  in  reserve  their  death-bed  ;  and,  as 
the  crown  of  all  ''trouble"  think  that  that  will  save  them. 
Solomon  declares  the  opposite.  "  Though  thou  bray  a  fool  in 
a  mortar,  etc."  (v.  22) : — 


448  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

A  stone  is  heavy,  and  the  sand  is  weighty  ;  I    3  a^  ^'°"^  "  heavj', 

■''  -,.,  .°,-''   and  the  sand  weighty  ; 

and  the  trouble  of  a  fool  is  heavier  than  but  a  fool's  wrath  is 
they  both.  \^^^"  ''^^"  '^""^ 

**  Heavy  ;"•  literally,  heaviness.  "  Weighty  ;  "  literally,  weight. 
The  "  stone"  never  rests.  It  weighs  ;  i.  e.,  it  presses.  It  exerts 
force  downward  eternally.  "  The  sand"  through  the  finest  gauze, 
would  seek  to  steal  downward,  though  it  were  for  six  thousand 
years.  So  the  sinner.  He  thinks  that  ^^ trouble"  is  lifting 
him.  To-morrow  will  bring  him  to  Christ.  He  sees  where  he 
mdiy  praise  himself  hy  to-morrow.  When,  not  only  the  life  that 
is  to  recuperate  itself  is  fled,  but  the  "  trouble  "  that  is  to  call  it 
back  lies  "  heavy  "  on  it  like  "  a  stone  "  upon  the  plain. 

How  sad !  And  many  a  soul,  thus  doomed,  will  say, — '  How 
cruel !'  This  is  just  what  the  writer  says  : — 

4  Wrath  is  cruelty,  and  anger  is  a  flood:         f    ^  Wrath/x cruel, and 

^  .  •'  '  1   1      r  -1  -.       angT    IS    outrageous ; 

and  who  is  able  to  stand  beiore  jealousy.''     but  who  ?>  able  to  stand 

before  envy  ? 

It  is  not  we  that  make  the  gravitation.  It  is  God  that  makes 
it.  We  sin  to-day,  and  He  sees  that  we  sink  lower  to-morrow. 
It  is  a  law  of  His  nature.  It  is  one  of  the  great  pains  of  sin. 
"  Anger,"  which  "is  cruelty;"  i.  e.,  which  works  direr  dooms 
than  anything  actually  eruel ;  needs  but  the  occasion  of  our 
sins,  to  do  what  the  Apostle  describes  when  he  speaks  of  God 
giving  us  up  (Rom.  i :  28).  It  is  like  the  King,  unsearchable 
(25:3).  It  is  like  ** a  flood,"  "■outrageous"  (E.  V.);  literally, 
"dt«  outpouring."  Even  the  "jealousy  "  of  the  King,  or  antag- 
onisms of  the  mildest  shape,  are  things  before  which,  when  born  a 
sinner,  no  mortal  can  even  begin  "to  stand."  How  idle,  there- 
fore, io praise  ourselves  one  day  more  than  another  (v.  i) ! 

And  therefore : — 


5  Better  is  rebuke  made  openly 
than  love  concealed. 

6  Faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a  friend  ; 
and  the  kisses  of  an  enemy  are  many. 


5  Open  rebuke  is 
better  than  secret  love. 

6  Faithful  are  the 
wounds  of  a  friend: 
but  the  kisses  of  an 
enemy  are  deceitful. 


If  God  has  these  cruelties  ahead  (explained  in  the  reverent 
sense),  it  would  be  wicked  to  unveil  them,  if  it  were  but  "  to 


Chap.  XXVII.]  COMMENTARY.  449 

torment  us  before  the  time  "  (Matt.  8  :  29).  If  being  "  made 
openly  "  gains  nothing,  sheer  pitifulness  should  let  them  sleep. 
But  Solomon  is  touching  all  the  points.  He  has  told  us  of 
deceit  (26  :  28)  ;  he  has  told  us  of  self  flattery  (in  the  second 
clause,  26 :  28).  He  replaces  it  with  what  is  better,  "  Praise 
not  thyself  in  the  morrow"  (v.  i).  "Thou  canst  not  tell" 
(second  clause).  Nay  thou  canst  tell,  that  even  ''''  trouble"  will 
weigh  thee  down  like  the  ^^ sand"  upon  the  field  (v.  3).  Cruel 
seems  this  deadliness  that  belongs  to  our  state  by  nature  (v.  4). 
But,  then,  there  is  a  chance.  And  it  is  a  chance,  not  by  being 
self-flattered,  but  by  being  roused.  Thus,  then,  the  present 
Proverb — "  Rebuke  made  openly  is  better  than  love  cone  aled." 
As  doom  will  travel,  public  menace  is  better  than  secret  pity; 
Sinai,  than  Ebal;  boldly  to  let  loose  thunders,  than,  merely,  not 
to  afflict  willingly.  Because,  rough  treatment  alarms  the  stupid 
(see  next  Proverbs)  ;  because,  "  faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a 
friend,  and  the  kisses  of  an  enemy  are  many  ;"  because,  there  is 
a  method  of  escape,  and  rough  speaking  may  be  as  with  the 
words  of  Joseph  (Gen.  42  :  7).  The  meaning  of  both  Proverbs 
is,  that  we  have  ''''  honey'  enough  (25  :  16) ;  that  we  havepitiful- 
nesses  enough  (29  :  21) ;  that  "  the  kisses  of  an  ene^ny  are  matiy" 
and  that  the  great  means  of  bringing  the  lost  to  God  is,  not  to 
encourage  them  about  to-morrow,  but  to  shake  them  about  to- 
day ;  that  being  the  epoch  both  of  hope  and  peril. 
Therefore  he  says  : — 

7  A  full  soul  loathes  a  honey-comb;  '    ?  The  full  soul  loath- 

•  IT-  *'"     ^^     noney-comb: 

but,   as   to   the  hungry   soul,   every  bitter  but  to  the  hungry  soul 
thing  is  sweet.  ZV^,_ '''""'  '^'"^  '' 

Who  ever  trapped  the  bear  when  "  full "  of  honey  }  This 
" honeycomb "  is  hope  (25:27).  Who  ever  roused  a  "soul" 
already  cloyed  with  it  ?  If  we  could  break  the  hive  !  Let 
Sinai  thunder,  and  the  "  soul "  will  listen.  Could  we  destroy 
these  ideas  about  to-morrow  (v.  i)  !  and  lay  bare  reproof  \y.  5)  ! 
and  show  the  man  the  cruelty  of  wrath  (v.  4) !  and  get  him 
roused  as  to  his  lost  condition !  then  "  every  bitter  thing  [would 
at  once  be]  sweet."  The  hard  morsel  of  penitence,  and  the 
"  bitter  herbs"  of  an  immediate  flight,  his  "  soul"  will  turn  to,  if 


4SO  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

we  get  him  broken  of  his  flatteries,  and  convinced  that  it  is  not 
absolutely  certain  that  he  will  ever  be  delivered. 
This  is  hard  though  : — 

8  As  a  bird  is  shaken  from  its  nest;  I  .  ^  As  a  bird  that  wan- 

,      ,  ,  .  '  dereth  from    her  nest ; 

so  a  man  is  shaken  irom  his  place.  so  is  a  man  that  wan- 

I  dereth  from  his  place. 

He  has  been  impenitent  a  score  of  years.  It  is  his  "nest." 
He  never  lived  in  any  other.  What  a  miracle  that  he  should 
leave  his  "  nest" !  The  *'  bird"  must  be  "  shaken"  from  it.  See 
the  parent  linnet,  how  he  pecks  his  little  onq  over  the  edge. 
What  do  we  know  about  the  wing .?  We  have  lain  in  the  sticks 
and  the  dung  of  unbelief,  till  it  is  death  to  us  to  try  anything 
else.  This  is  the  terror :  and  God  knows  it.  "  As  the  eagle 
stirreth  up  her  nest"  (Deut.  32  :  ii),  and  counts  it  all  tenderness 
to  toss  out  her  child,  God  tears  at  our  quiet  hopes,  and,  though 
it  is  death  at  the  beginning,  we  soon  find  ourselves  accustomed 
to  the  air.  "Is  shaken."  Gesenius  gives,  to  nod ;  i.  e.,  to  moi'e 
up  and  do7vn,  to  and  fro  j  to  be  "  shaken  :"  I  mean,  this  is  his 
primary  meaning.  Can  anything  be  more  felicitous  ?  How 
sad  long  burials  of  these  exquisite  inspirations  !  This  one  is 
grandly  experimental.  The  sinner  postpones  continually, 
because  it  is  a  habit.  He  is  settled  in  the  "nest;"  and,  having 
been  born  there,  he  hates  to  move.  It  seems  hard  just  yet  to 
rest  his  faith  upon  the  air. 

The  real  secret,  however,  is,  that  it  is  by  a  new  taste  that  the 
old  one  must  be  overcome  : — 


9  Oil  and  incense  delight  the  heart, 

and  sweetness  its  friend,  from  the  dictate 
of  appetite. 


9  Ointment  and  per- 
fume rejoice  the  heart ; 
so  doiA  the  sweetness 
of  a  man's  friend  by 
hearty  counsel. 


The  old  "h'rd"  may  topple  the  young  one  (v.  8),  and  that 
represents  "open  rebuke"  (v.  5);  which  may  shake  the  impeni- 
tent out  of  his  carelessness.  But  more  is  required,  or  ever  the 
soul  actually  begins  its  flight.  There  must  be  the  expulsive 
power  of  a  new  affection.  "  Oil  and  incense  delight  the  heart." 
Why  .?  "  From  the  .dictate  of  appetite."  And  so,  "  sweetness  •" 
i.  e.,  in  the  instance  of  the  gospel,  spiritual  "  sweetness"   or 


Chap.  XXVIL]  COMMENTARY.  451 

holiness ;  must  delight  "  its  friend;"  or,  as  we  might  translate  it, 
^^  its  feHoici"  by  the  same  ^^  dictate  of  appetite."  It  must  be  a 
square  clear  taste,  like  that  for  "^//"  or  ''^incense."  The 
structure  of  the  sentence  makes  "  delights "  to  be  under- 
stood in  the  second  clause ;  and,  ''''from  the  dictate  of 
appetite"  to  belong  also  to  the  first.  "  Dictate  "  I's  literally 
"^ counsel."  *^  Appetite"  is  literally  "soul"  (23:2).  It  does 
not  mean  "appetite"  in  a  bad  sense,  but  in  all  senses. 
The  soul  is  not  going  to  jump  out  of  the  nest  (of  impenitence) 
till  a  "  dictate  of  appetite  "  "  delights  "  it  with  the  "  siveetness  "  of 
the  gospel.  "  S(veetness  its  friend  "  i.  e.,  "  sweetness  delights  its 
friend ;"  that  \s,  holiness  delights  its  fellow  (viz.,  some  being  that 
is  also  holy)  "from  the  dictate  of  appetite."  .  Proverbs  (vs.)  17, 
19,  and  21,  take  up  and  expand  this  idea.  "Iron  is  ufiited 
(welded)  by  iron  ;  so,  in  the  instance  of  a  man,  the  tie  is  the  coun- 
tenance of  his  friend"  (v.  17).  "As  water,  surface  to  surface; 
so  heart,  the  man  to  the  man  "  {i).  19).  "  A  fining  pot  for  silver, 
and  a  furnace  for  gold,  and  a  man  as  to  his  acts  of  praise."  We 
will  come  to  those  in  turn ;  but,  as  iron  welds  with  iron,  and 
water  runs  its  surfaces  together,  so  heart,  under  like  tastes,  welds 
with  heart.  These  tastes  are  the  universal  solder.  They  not 
only  bind  together,  but  by  exercise  they  purify  and  grow. 
What  "  a  fining  pot  "  is  to  "  silver"  and  what  "  a  furnace  "  is  to 
"gold,"  such  his  common  praisings  are  (which  are  but  the 
expressions  of  his  tastes')  to  refine,  or,  if  filthy,  to  destroy  a  man. 
"Its;"  referring  to  "sweetness."  This  solves  a  grammatic 
difficulty.  Commentators  have  supposed  it  impersonal,  and 
translated  "  one's  friend"  {Botcher),  or  (E.  V.)  "  a  mans  friend," 
to  clear  the  obstacle.  The  impersonal  sense  would  not  need  a 
pronoun.  The  version  above  requires  it.  We  have  therefore 
the  grammatic  rights.  And,  as  "  szueetness  "  is  masculine,  the 
gender  in  the  suffix  entirely  agrees.  The  whole  is  an  important 
doctrine.  Men  are  loath  to  start  (v.  8),  and  hard  to  be  attracted 
from  self-confident  intentions  (v.  7).  They  are,  therefore, 
shaken  by  reproof  (v.  5) ;  but  the  law,  though  a  schoolmaster 
to  assist  them  to  Christ,  yet  can  never  save  them.  Their 
want  is  a  new  taste  (vs.  7,  9).  Braying  a  fool  in  a  mortar 
(v.  22)  cannot  bring  that.     "  Oil  and  incense  delight  the  heart  j" 


452  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

so,  sweetness  must   find   its   mate,  and  that  by  "a  dictate  of 
appetite." 

The  Mate  that  must  mate  the  Christian,  and  blend  with 
him  in  this  common  sweetness,  is  a  Mate  made  so  by  this 
sweetness  itself.  Water,  runs  surface  to  surface,  quite  un- 
like rock  or  earth  when  they  come  together ;  so  "  heart " 
blends,  man  with  man  (v.  19).  "He  that  doeth  the  will 
of  God  the  same  is  my  mother  and  sister  and  brother." 
The  Proverb  that  follows  doubtless  has  a  secular  sense.  It 
means  that  "a  neighbour  near  is  better  than  a  brother  far  off." 
That  sense  is  capital.  No  experience  more  common  in  life  ! 
But  here  the  meaning  is  a  religious  one.  Do  not  resort  to 
man  ;  resort  to  Christ.  The  other  fledglings  in  the  nest  can- 
not help  you.  Your  call  must  be  from  the  outside.  The  whole 
ministry  of  brothers.,  where  Hell  is  to  be  escaped,  is  here  made 
naught  by  the  side  of  the  Nearer  "  Neighbor  " : — 

10  Thine  own  friend  and  thy  father's  friend'    '?.Pl"\°'''" !^'!^"^' 

-'  ;  and  thy  lather  s  inend, 

forsake  not  ;  !  forsake  not,  neither  go 

neither  go  into  thy  brother's  house  in  the  L"„^°e  in  th^e  day°of  thy 

day  of  thy  ruin  ;  l  calamity  :  yor  better  is 

r       t      . .         '  -IT  1      .    •  .1  'a    neighbour    that    is 

lor  better  is  a  neighbor  that  is  near,  than  a  near,  than  a  brother 
brother  far  off.  'f"°ff- 

"Forsake;"  as  can  be  done  even  by  the  impenitent.  Our 
baptismal  place  is  one  to  which  we  have  been  reared  by  genera- 
tions. "Thy  father's  friend ;"  with  all  He  did  for  thee  years  ago. 
Do  not  throw  all  away.  And  do  not  do  it  under  the  impulse 
of  going  "  into  thy  brother's  house."  You  cannot  shelter  there  ; 
even  if  he  were  a  believer.  You  have  a  Great  ''''Neighbor." 
He  has  been  kind  to  the  family.  He  is  offended  by  the  count- 
less ways  in  which  you  trust  to  kindred  more  than  to  Him. 
And  in  these  great  matters  of  taste,  in  which  heart  welds  heart, 
He  is  nearer  to  you  than  any  kin.  His  jealousy  is  extreme. 
"  If  any  man  come  to  me,  and  hate  not  his  father  and  mother 
and  wife  and  children  and  brethren  and  sisteis,  yea,  and  his  own 
life  also,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple  "  (Lu.  14 :  26). 

His  honor,  too,  is  involved  in  your  doing  well.  The  next 
Proverb  asserts  a  whole  class  of  statements.     Like  all  Proverbs 


Chap.  XXVIL]  COMMENTAR  Y.  453 

it  is  polysophical,  and  means  all  that  it  can  say.  It  means  that 
all  intelligences  are  bound  in  one ;  that  all  superiors  are  dis- 
graced by  those  beneath  them ;  that  the  father  may  be  dis- 
honored by  the  "  son ;  "  that  Christ  is  disgraced  by  His  brothers  ; 
and  God  by  His  creatures;  and  the  Church  by  lost  men  ;  that 
these  four  are  all  honored  when  men  are  saved :  not  that  God 
will  not  come  out  glorious  at  the  last ;  but  that  His  honor 
suffers;  thut  the  world  is  full  of  cavils;  and  that  His  ^^  son" 
makes  His  heart  glad,  and  gives  Him  somewhat  to  answer  when 
he  comes,  a  poor  broken-hearted  child,  and  accepts  the  gospel. 
Now  any  or  all  of  these  may  be  fitted  to  the  supervening  text  :-- 

11  My  son,  be  wise,  and  make  my  heart  glad.i    ",  ^lyfo".  ^e  wise, 

r^/         _,  •'  Oand    make    mv    heart 

Ihen  I  have  somewhat  to  answer  him  that  glad,  that  i  may  an- 
reproacnes  me.  'proachethme. 

"I  have  somewhat  to  answer  him,  &c. ;"  literally,  /  7fiay 
answer  my  reproacher  a  word  (gee  Ps.  119  :  42).  The  sentiment 
contained  is  rife  in  the  following  passages  (Ps.  25  :  11  ;  130  :  4 ; 
Is.  48  :  9 ;  Rom.  9  :  23  ;  i  Tim.  i  :  16). 

Balancing  the  different  reasons,  Solomon,  as  he  usually  does, 
puts  in  the  motives  for  self  along  with  those  of  affection.  There 
seems  to  be  great  care  taken  in  this  filling-out  policy  (i  :  10,  etc. ; 
4 :  20,  etc. ;  9  :  I  etc  ,  13,  etc.)  ;  because  the  passage  read  in  the 
synagogue  may  then  be  a  full  view  on  each  sabbatical  occasion  : — 

12  The  subtle  has  seen  the  evil;  he  is  hid. 
The  simple  have  pushed  on ;  they  are  pun- 
ished. 

13  Take  a  man's  garment  because  he  has  be- 
•  come  surety  for  a  stranger ; 

and,  on  account  of  a  strange  woman,  make 
him  give  a  pledge. 

These  texts  have  been  searched  through  before  (see  6:1; 
IS  :  i).  "The  subtle;"  one  of  the  names  for  a  saint  (1:4). 
*'  Has  seen  ;"  the  emphatic  perfect.  "  Is  hid;"  also  perfect.  A 
saint  is  a  saint,  in  that  this  entire  covering  or  hiding  of  him  has 
been  done.  "The  simple;"  literally,  the  laid  open.  "Have 
pushed  on ;"  that  r&ck\tss plimging forward ihzt  has  been  so  often 
imputed  to  the  perishing  (18  :  i).  Nevertheless,  with  coolness 
too  (v.  13) ;  for  there  is  a  care  to  have  balanced  lights.     The 


12  A  prudent  maK 
foreseeth  the  evil,  and 
hideth  himself :  biitlhc 
simple  pass  on,  and  are 
punished. 

13  Take  his  garment 
that  is  surety  for  a 
stranger,  and  take  a 
pledge  of  him  for  a 
strange  woman. 


454  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

sinner  directly  refuses.  He  directly  rejects  pardon.  This 
madness  has  been  painted  (ii  :  15)  under  the  type  of  "  surety." 
We  have  been  involved  by  our  parent  (6:1);  we  have  been 
involved  with  a  Friend ;  He  has  offered  to  release ;  we  ought  to 
urge  Him  to  attend  to  it  (6  :  3).  Instead  of  that,  we  deliberately 
renew.  The  Wise  Man  says,  "  Take  "  the  "  garment  "  of  such 
a  man.  Give  him  nothing  without  "a  pledge."  His  circum- 
stances are  bad.  He  has  not  a  filament  of  hope  ;  nay,  deliber- 
ately accepts  his  ruin.  Stand  from  under  him.  He  is  the  bold 
embodiment  of  a  bankrupt  and  ruined  man. 

These  side-features  being  put  in  to  fill  out  the  face,  the  Wise 
Man  returns  to  the  more  immediate  matter  of  the  passage,  viz., 
our  "Neighbor,"  and  our  being  united  to  Him  by  a  kindred 
taste  (v.  9).  We  cannot  reach  this  taste  by  talking.  The 
object  of  the  passage  is  to  show  how  inward  it  is,  and  how 
impossible  to  pump  it  into  being  by  any  outward  demonstra- 
tions : — 

14  He  that  blesses  his  neighbor  with  a  loud  . .'+.  He  that  biesseth 

~  -  -    .  o  his  iriend  with  a  loud 


voice,  rising  up  early  in  the  morning, 
it  shall  be  accounted  a  curse  in  him. 


voice,  rising  early  in 
the  morning,  it  shall  be 
counted  a  curse  to  him. 


A  passage  afterward  pictures  the  sinner  as  moulded  by  the 
praises  he  offers  (v.  21).  Here  there  is  the  guard  that  it  must 
be  other  than  mere  boisterous  speech.  We  cannot  pump 
religion  into  us  at  a  prayer  meeting.  "Blesses."  The  word 
(Pihel)  vcit2iXi%  praises  ox  adores,  in  the  higher  and  more  worship- 
ing sense.  No  better  way  to  show  our  taste  (v.  9) ;  but  then 
it  must  not  be,  "  Lord,  Lord  "  (Luke  6  :  46),  in  mere  noiseful-, 
ness.  "A  curse;"  as  though  he  had  cursed.  "In;"  literally 
"/^."  We  did  not  say,  "  to,"  because  it  would  mean  on  him,  or 
falliftg  on  him,  whereas  ^  means  ift  respect  to,  or  in  his  instance. 
We  get  the  sense,  therefore,  by  saying,  "  in  him."  This  would 
be  a  text  to  look  to  in  preaching  against  mere  sabbath-day 
professors. 

If  such  would  be  "  a  curse,"  how  full  is  the  impenitent  sinner 
of  every  bitterness.  Solomon  brings  in  his  Angry-"  "Woman  "- 
Proverb.  He  does  it  on  all  occasions,  where  intolerable 
odiousness  is  the  thing  to  be  depicted  : — 


Chap.  XXVIL]  COMMENTARY.  455 


15  A  continual  dropping  in  a  very  rainy  day, 
and  a  contentious  woman,  are  alike. 

16  He  that  hides  her  has  hid  the  wind  ; 

and  must  call  upon  the  very  oil  of  his  right 
hand. 


15  A  continual  drop- 
ping in  a  very  rainy 
day  and  a  contentious 
woman  are  alike. 

16  Whosoever  hideth 
her  hideth  the  wind, 
and  the  ointment  of  his 
right  hand,  ivhich  be- 
wrayeth  itself. 


"Continual."  It  comes  from  a  verb  to  thrust,  and  refers  to 
that  thrusting  sound  with  which  a  drop  comes  which  is  close 
upon  another  one.  So  are  the  scoldings  of  a  shrew-" woman" 
•This  feature  is  well  assigned  to  sin :  it  is  all  so  disagreeable. 
Worldly  disagreeables  rest ;  sometimes  good,  sometimes  trouble- 
some. Sin  is  all  odious,  like  the  woman's  eternal  tongue.  The 
fifteenth  was  intended  to  imply  this;  for  if  a  man's  y^xy prais- 
ings are  cursings,  what  good  tongue  can  he  have  about  him  .?  The 
Wise  Man  is  about  to  show  the  gentle  influences  in  conversion ; 
and,  in  order  to  paint  their  power,  he  not  only  tells  us  how  all 
other  things  fail  (vs.  14,  22),  but  how  great  the  achievement. 
It  is  the  repression  of  an  intolerable  tongue.  Who  ever  accom- 
plished it.?'  It  is  the  grappling  of  "the  wind."  These  are 
wonderful  images  of  sin.  "  He  that  hides  her,  has  hid  the  wind  :" 
so  difficult  is  it  to  get  hold  of  sin ;  and  so  viewless  and  illusory. 
It  yields  everywhere,  and  yet  nowhere.  It  escapes  on  one  side, 
while  we  grasp  it  on  the  other.  It  is  a  mockery  to  talk  of 
strength,  and  say  that  we  must  "  call  upon  the  very  oU  of  [our] 
right  hand;"  for  this  symbol  of  high  force  but  taunts  the  suf- 
ferer ;  while  the  bad  tongue,  like  the  heart's  desperate  iniquity, 
is  beyond  the  reach  of  any  form  of  power  that  its  victim  can 
originate  against  it. 

These  efforts  aside,  the  bland  gospel  now  enters  the  theatre. 
Conversion  is  a  new  taste  (Ez.  18:31).  It  is  a  taste  for  the 
^^  sweetness"  (v.  9),  here  talked  of  as  in  the  "  cou?itenance"  of  the 
"Friend."  This  is  the  great  moulding  power  that  changes  our 
nature  (i  Jo.  2:  15);  and,  moreover,  it  is  the  great  moulding 
fact  that  unites  us  in  our  lives : — 

T  •  ■ijjT.* .  I     17    Iron     sharpeneth 

17    Iron  IS  welded  by  iron;  iron-  so  a  man  sharp- 

so,  for  a  man,  the  tie  is  the  face  of  his  Uneth  the  countenance 

'   ,.  .        ,  )  of  his  mend. 

friend. 
Such  is  a  most  specific  type.     "Iron  is  welded  by  iron." 


456  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

That  is,  we  must  bring  a  "  face  "  of  ""^  iron  "  (not  of  tin  ;  not  of 
brass;  not  of  wood ;  but,  by  the  very  necessities  of  its  nature, 
of  "  iron  ") ;  and  strictly,  a  "/ace  "  of  it ;  so  that  face  may  meet 
face  (as  of  the  water  in  the  19th  verse) ;  or  they  cannot  run  or 
mould  themselves  together.  "  Iron  is  welded  by  iron  ;  so,  for  a 
man,  tlie  tie  is  the  face  of  his  friend."  Fit  a  face  of  iron,  red 
hot,  to  a  face  of  iron,  also  hot,  and  force  them  hard  upon  each 
other,  and  thus  you  weld  them.  Bring  a  man  face  to  face  with 
his  neighbor,  and  let  them  be  warmed  by  a  common  taste,  and^ 
though  one  of  them  be  God  Himself,  this  will  weld  them.  A 
man  is  converted  by  his  eyes.  "  I  have  heard  of  thee  by  the 
hearing  of  the  ear,  but  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee  "  (Job  42  :  6). 
A  new  man  has  spiritual  eyes.  The  '"''face  "  is  the  outlook  of 
character.  We  see  our  "y;7>;z//"  in  his  "/ace."  And  it  is  in 
this  common  seeing  :  he  seeing  us  in  our  character ;  we  seeing 
him  in  his ;  that  "  f/ie  tie  "  binds.  "  T/ie  fie,"  figuratively  speak- 
ing, "/.$• ///<?/rtr^^  ^/ [our] /rzV«rt^."  "  IFe/ded."  All  commenta- 
tors make  this  another  verb.  To  do  so  they  have  to  change  it, 
and  make  exceptional  forms.  Ours  derives  itself  grammatically. 
It  was  shunned  for  lack  of  point.  But  the  "faces  "  of  the  19th 
verse  and  of  this  17th,  when  once  thought  of  together,  flash  in 
the  light.  Moreover,  countenances  are  not  "sharpened"  (E.  V.) 
in  any  intelligible  or  rightly-figurative  way.  The  nexus  of  the 
chapter  suits  our  meaning;  and  altogether  it  will  hardly  break 
down,  or  be  too  summarily  dismissed.  "  Tie  /'  the  noun  from 
the  verb  in  the  first  clause.  The  face  of  the  "  iron  "  is  actually 
the  "  tie  ;"  and  so  the  "face  "  of  the  "friend,"  i.  e.,  his  charac- 
ter, is  the  uniting  bond  between  him  and  his  neighbor.  Not 
of  a  man,  but  "for,"  i.  e.,  "as  to."  The  genitive  is  not  the 
construction;  and  "as  to"  is  often  the  sense  with  no  presence 
ofa  "5  (Class  XIII). 

If  seeing  the  face  of  our  "  Friend"  be  our  great  pleasure,  and 
the  great  " //V  "  that  unites  us;  then  watching  that  "Friend," 
and  keeping  Him  within  our  reach,  is  the  great  art  of  life  : — 


18  He  that  guards  the  fig  tree  eats  its  fruit; 
and  he  that   stands  watch  over  his  lord  is 
honored. 


18  Whoso  keepeth 
the  fi.<;-trce  shall  eat 
the  fruit  thereof;  so  he 
that  waitcth  on  his 
master  shall  be  hon- 
oured. 


Chap.  XXVII.]  COMMENTARY.  457 

The  guarding  of  anything  depends  upon  its  nature.  The 
guarding  of  a  "fig  tree  "  is  simply  to  protect  "  its  fruit."  We 
cannot  guard  its  growing,  or  guard  its  fruit  bearing,  in  any 
sense  of  asserting  for  it  its  natural  laws.  The  best  thing  we 
can  do  is  to  let  that  all  alone.  We  cannot  guard  the  Almighty. 
According  to  the  figure  of  a  ''''fig  tree  "  we  have  a  ''''fruit  "  in 
Him.  We  can  guard  that.  If  the  "  sweetness  "  of  our  "  Neigh- 
bor "  be  "  <?//  and  incense  "  (v.  9),  we  can  stand  watch  that  we 
keep  our  share  of  Him.  "  The  Lord  is  my  portion,  saith  my 
soul."  And,  if  all  I  have  is  that,  I  should  watch  it  as  the  Duke 
does  his  diamonds.  Rolling  his  couch  to  the  vault,  the  mad 
Richmond  makes  a  covert  of  his  body.  The  bauble  gems  drrnk 
his  life.  If  heaven  is  the  ^^/ace"  of  the  Most  High,  the  sin- 
ner's art  is  to  get  where  he  can  see  it,  and  to  keep  where  he 
can  see  it,  and  to  mount  guard  over  it.  For  though  the  Al- 
mighty needs  no  defence,  we  do,  in  that  position  for  His  love, 
which  is  to  be  our  joy  forever. 

That  love  is  our  "  tie"  (v.  17) ;  and  it  is  a  very  perfect  one  : — 


19  As  water,  face  to  face  ; 
so  heart,  man  to  man. 


19  As  in  water  face 
answereth  to  face ;  so 
the  heart  of  man  to 
man. 


If  I  bring  rock  together,  it  abuts,  but  there  is  no  mixture. 
If  I  pour  sand  together,  it  meets,  but  I  may  trace  the  parcels 
if  they  differ ;  but  **  water  "  is  a  fine  picture  of  the  "  heart."  It 
has  been  seized  upon  by  the  poet.  Two  sparkling  drops,  as 
they  touch,  instantly  are  blended.  All  piety  is  of  that  type. 
"  Water,  face  to  face,"  is  the  "  heart,  man  to  man,"  "  Iroji"  was 
a  grand  emblem  (v.  17).  Electrically,  and  chemically,  and 
atomically,  it  knows  its  fellow ;  and,  warmed  by  the  genial  heat, 
they  become  absolutely  the  one  "  iron."  But  "  water"  so  inter- 
blends  !  Pressure  and  heat  and  smoothness  are  not  demanded. 
It  welds  at  a  touch.  And,  sinking  into  one,  the  very  corners 
of  the  drop  are  open  indiscriminately  to  every  particle. 
''''  Face  "  a  Hebrew  of  wide  sense;  surface  ;  ox  front ;  ox  part, 
of  any  kind,  by  which  one  thing  may  abut  another.  "  Water, 
face  to  face"  xntdiX^s  water  simply  touching.  ^^ Heart"  means, 
wise  heart  (17  :  16),  and  accords  with  piety.  A  man,  not  re- 
20 


458  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

deemed,  is  pronounced  "  without  heart"  (15  :  21).  God  is  said 
to  give  heart  (Deut.  29  :  3),  and  to  increase  heart  (Ps.  119  :  32), 
and,  still  more  specifically,  to  weigh  out  hearts  (21:2;  24  :  12). 
The  sentence,  therefore,  is  very  exact.  "  As  water,  face  to  face," 
so  "  man,"  not  nakedly,  but  "  7nan  "  in  a  certain  condition. 
^^  Man"  naturally  is  the  Ter?naga?it  Woman  {x.  15);  a  thing  ut- 
terly odious;  a  thing  impossible  to  live  with;  a  nuisance  that 
is  to  fester  in  the  Pit ;  but  "  ma?t,"  with  the  gift  of  a  "  heart,"  is 
like  the  waters  that  bespread  our  planet,  at  home  through  all 
of  it,  mingling  wherever  they  meet,  and  going  back  to  their 
fountain  in  the  heaven,  and  mingling  with  that,  with  the  most 
perfect  and  understood  communion. 

Communion,  however,  lies  in  taste  (v.  9).  Solomon  is  ever 
dragging  that  back.  Our  welding  is  by  the  "face,"  like  "  iron" 
(v.  17).  Our  attraction  is  by  the  "  eyes."  The  "face  "  being 
the  emblem  for  character,  and  the  eye  for  the  vision  that  dis- 
cerns it,  our  portion  in  the  skies  is  God's  character.  Eternal 
ages  are  to  witness  two  things, — great  enjoyment  of  God's  char- 
acter, and  great  growth  by  looking  at  it.  He  that  "guards  the 
fig  tree"  is,  the  one  that  guards  God's  character;  learns  to  look 
at  it;  strives  to  brighten  it;  for,  such  is  "  the  fountain  of  life, 
and  in  [His]  light  shall  we  see  light "  (Ps.  2)^  :  9).  The  writer, 
therefore,  goes  on  to  say,  that  this  increase  will  be  eternal.  The 
eye  will  never  be  satisfied.  It  will  nevet  be  satisfied  in  Hell, 
and  will  never  be  satisfied  in  Heaven.  The  eye  is  tjie  avenue 
of  growth.  That  growth  will  be  eternal.  The  eye,  in  the  vile- 
nesscs  of  Hell,  and  also  in  the  sweetnesses  of  Heaven,  will  take 
in  more  and  more;  and  will  raise  or  sink  us.  through  eternal 
ages.  To  express  all  this,  the  Wise  Man  chooses  the  symbol 
of  the  grave  : — 

20  Sheol  and  Abaddon  are  never  full ;  1^;^°  I^e'"n?JfrtuU -"sJ 

and  the  eyes  of  man  are  never  full.  !the  eyes  of  man  'are 

never  satisfied. 

"Abaddon;"  destruction ;  waste  and  death  in  every  form. 
These  terms  are  elsewhere  used  for  anything  insatiate  (30  :  16). 
Solomon  describes  a  great  psychological  law;  that  the  mind  by 
its  very  nature  sees,  and  by  all  its  seeings  will  grow,  either  in 
one  way  or  the  other. 


Chap.  XXVII.]  COMMENTARY.  459 

He  repeats  the  thought.  He  calls  in  another  image.  He  in- 
volves the  feeling  more,  along  with  mere  seeing.  He  makes 
the  feeling  to  be  expressed  by  what  a  man  shall  "  praise."  If 
a  man  shall  admire  or  ^''praise  "  bad  things,  he  will  grow  in 
badness.  If  a  man  shall  admire  and  ''praise  "  good  things,  he 
will  grow  in  holy  living.  This  influence  is  very  deep,  like  the 
"furnace  "  to  an  ore  of  "gold."  He  has  said,  in  the  fourteenth 
verse,  that  loud  praising  shall  be  counted  like  cursing.  There 
must  be  no  counterfeit.  But  genuine  ''praise  /'  like  seeing  the 
"  stueetness  of  a  friend"  and  loving  it  (vs.  9,  10) ;  or  like  seeing 
the  sweetness  of  sin,  and  admiring  that;  are  the  great  secret 
of  our  increase  in  either  way.  Psychologically,  nothing  could 
be  more  exact.  We  will  not  stay  upon  the  discussion.  But 
consciousness  is  a  continual  stream,  and  the  admirings  that  it 
contains,  are  all  the  influences  for  growth  either  upon  the  saint 
or  upon  the  sinner.     So  the  Proverb  : — 


21  A  fining  pot  for  silver,  and  a  furnace  for 
gold  ; 
so  a  man  under  his  acts  of  praise. 


21  As  the  fining-pot 
for  silver,  and  the  fur- 
nace for  gold  ;  so  is  a 
man  to  his  praise. 


This,  of  course,  makes  the  influence  very  thorough.  As  the 
"fining-pot"  digests  "silver,"  and  the  "furnace''  works  upon 
the  "  gold  •"  so  praising  anything  moulds  and  affects  the  spirit. 
"Praise''  (E.  V.).  *A11  seem  to  imagine  that  a  man's  being 
praised,  i.  e.,  the  praises  that  he  receives^  are  the  things  that  try 
him.  This  reduces  the  whole  to  the  dangerousness  of  being 
praised.  This,  at  most,  teaches,  that  like  "gold"  a  good 
character  will  be  found  out  by  how  much  it  will  endure  of 
^'praise."  Now  the  difficulties  of  this  are  many;  first,  the 
sense  is  narrow,  where  the  other  aphorisms  are  broad ;  second, 
the  sense  is  isolated,  where  the  other  aphorisms  are  linked 
together;  but  third,  and  still  more  decisive  of  our  claim,  the 
noun  is  from  a  Pihel  formation;  it  has  hence  a  more  active 
shape ;  and  far  more  rightfully  means  "praise  "  as  given  by  a 
man,  than  that  which  he  receives.  The  word  occurs  but  once 
in  the  Bible ;  and,  therefore,  no  other  instance  can  decide  the 
signification.  "Under,"  or  "according  to\"  literally  "to  the 
mouth  of."     "  According  to"  however,  often  translates  it  (Ex.  16  : 


46o  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVII. 

i6;  Prov,  12  :  8).  The  meaning  is,  a  man's  taste;  or,  as  that 
is  an  inactive  term,  a  mzxi  •& praisings ;  i.  e.,  his  tastes  put  into 
action  ;  work  back  upon  him  as  thoroughly  as  "  a  fijiing-pot " 
upon  an  ore  of  "  silver." 

Now,  nothing  else  will  work  upon  him.  A  Proverb  has 
already  said,  that  loud  worship  will  not  (v.  14).  That  Proverb 
exhausts  all  ideas  of  ritual  or  public  service,  or  of  going  to  the 
stake,  or  of  loud  profession  of  every  sort.  It  is  a  text  for 
sermons  on  the  futility  of  outward  services  to  carry  a  man  to 
heaven.     Its  twin  Proverb  comes  next : — 


22  Though  thou  bray  a  (ool  in  a  mortar  in 
the  midst  of  grits  with  a  pestle, 
his  folly  shall  not  depart  from  him. 


22  Though  thou 
shouldest  bray  a  fool  in 
a  mortar  among  wheat 
with  a  pestle,  y^t  will 
not  his  foolisliness  de- 
part from  him. 

Religion  is  an  affair  of  /asfe  (vs.  7-9).  A  man's  lasfe  saves 
him.  How  can  you  breed  a  faste  by  what  is  outward  ?  A  man 
supposes  that  to  be  confronted  by  death  would  make  him 
believe ;  or,  to  be  overborne  by  sorrow.  How  can  a  death-bed 
breed  a.  taste  1  Solomon  wishes  to  declare  that  it  is  the  South 
wind  that  carries  away  the  traveler's  cloak,  the  wind  of  gentle 
grace  ;  that  the  bold  tempest  cannot  wrench  it ;  and,  therefore, 
he  seizes  on  a  text  intentionally  extreme.  "  Though  thou  bray 
a  fool  in  a  mortar ;"  though  thou  rack  him  on  the  wheel ;  though 
thou  burn  him  at  the  stake;  how  can  that  breed  a  taste?  The 
eye  of  his  understanding  must  be  enlightened ;  and  dying, 
which  men  look  to  for  living,  is  like  the  loud  worship  (v.  14); 
it  has  no  fitness  for  the  result.  It  may  melt  a  man  with  fear, 
so  that  he  counterfeit  belief;  but  how  can  it  "shine  into  our 
hearts  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in 
the  FACE  (v.  17)  of  Jesus  "  (  2  Cor.  4:6).? 

This  '''' face"  (v.  17),  therefore,  is  our  ''''Fig  Tree"  (v.  18); 
and  the  Wise  Man,  warmed  by  this  homely  fancy,  expands  it. 
"  The  grass  "  on  the  hills  (v.  25)  is  perishable.  It  appears  at  a 
certain  season,  and  must  be  fed  then,  and  not  afterward. 
"  Riches  are  not  for  ever  "  (v.  24),  but  throb  with  the  pulse  of  a 
temporary  provision.  If  our  fruitage  is  in  these  tastes,  we  must 
pluck  them  as  we  go.  The  eye  (v.  20)  cannot  be  crowded 
with  its  food,  but  must  be  fed  all  along  (Lev.  22:30).     The 


Chap.  XXVII.]  COMMENTARY.  461 

grave  is  not  more  insatiate  than  our  tastes,  (v.  20) ;  and  yet  the 
manna  falls  each  day.  The  poet,  in  a  farming  scene,  throws 
all  this  together ;  and  urges  a  daily  thrift,  rather  than  a  stroke 
for  life  when  we  come  to  die  : — 


23  Do  thou  carefully  know  the  faces  of  thy 
flock; 
and  set  thy  heart  upon  thy  herds  ; 


23  Be  thou  diligent 
to  know  the  state  of 
thy  flocks,  and  look 
well  to  thy  herds  : 


We  cannot  take  it  too  literally.  The  meaning  is,  that  the 
"flock"  is  no  more  the  life  of  the  husbandman,  than  the  face  of  God 
the  portion  of  His  saints.  Our  farming  is  to  cultivate  that 
territory.  In  [His]  light  shall  we  see  light.  We  are  to  see 
Him,  and  learn  to  know  Him,  and  begin  to  rejoice  in  Him ; 
and  do  it  while  the  morn  lasts  : — 


24  for  riches  are  not  forever  : 

and  does  the  crown  endure  throughout  all 
generations  "i 


24  For  riches  areviot 
forever:  and  doth  the 
crown  endure  to  every 
generation  ? 


It  is  true  secularly.  The  farmer,  out  upon  his  fields,  is  a  lord 
of  kingdoms.  He  strikes  the  subject  earth,  and  all  .nature 
is  obedient  to  his  bidding.  But  it  is  transient.  With  bowed 
head,  she  is  obedient  only  in  her  season  : — 

25  The  hay  appeared,  and  the  grass  was  seen,  ^^  '^^  'j^y  ^\lnT~ 
and  mountain  herbage  gathered.  grass  sheweth    itself, 

and  herbs  of  the  mount- 
\  ains  are  gathered  : 

— the  meaning  of  all  being,  that  if  we  would  guard  ''''  the  fig 
tree"  we  must  come  in  upon  it  in  its  season.  The  pastures  for 
the  eye  spring  forth  in  this  earthly  period.  "  Riches  are  not  for 
ever."  The  impenitent  wears  a  "  crown  "  (v.  24),  a  badge  that 
he  may  claim  heaven  if  he  will :  and  lo,  his  chance  !  But 
!''' the  crown"  is  not  ''''forever."  Like  the  progression  of  the 
seasons,  the  ''face  "  of  Christ  reveals  itself  as  the  object  of 
faith;  and  lo !  like  "the  grass"  upon  the  hills,  it  "was"  and 
is  not. 

Still  Solomon  gives  the  picture.  There  "  was  "  nourishment, 
though  we  famished  : — 

26  There  were  lambs  for  thy  clothing,  f  thyM'Jhi'nTt T't  h°I 
and  he  goats  as  a  rent  for  the  field  ;  goats  are  the  price  of 

°  '  1  the  field. 


462  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

27  and  abundance  of  goat's  milk  for  thy  food,!,  ^7  And  thou  shait 

'  /-iririi  '\have    goats       milk 

for  the  food  of  thy  house,  enough    for   thy   food, 

and  for  the  life  of  thy  maidens.  Lsetid!and>;t'h^ 

maintenance    for    thy 
maidens. 

The  nurture  of  the  saints  is  enough  for  them,  and  for  their 
households  :  but  it  comes,  like  the  stores  of  "  the  field,"  perish- 
ably,  and  must  be  secured  in  its  season.  "Lambs."  Notice 
how  princely  the  clothing  is  to  be.  "Rent;"  literally  ^'' price." 
'There  is  affluence  in  the  picture.  The  "  lie  goats,"  a  small 
part  of  the  product,  will  pay  the  "  retit /'  and  over  that,  "abun- 
dance :  "  "  abunda7ice  "  for  ourselves  ;  "  abundance  "  for  our 
households ;  no  straitness  in  Christ ;  the  straitness  all  in  our- 
selves (Mic.  2:7;  2  Cor.  6:12);  the  folly  being  when  the 
pastures  are  left  to  wither,  and  when,  in  some  mad  thought  to 
snatch  wealth  at  the  last,  we  have  never  known  the  faces  of  the 
flock  (v.  23). 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

The  pastures  of  the  "  eyes  "  (27  :  20)  being  so  rich,  and  being 
the  '^face"  (2  Cor.  6:12)  of  the  Redeemer,  it  is  fit  that  the 
Wise  Man  should  speak  of  that  other  pasture,  which  we  have  in 
the  ^^  faces  "  of  "  the  wicked."  He  declares  that  the  wise  man 
will  shun  "  the  wicked''  even  for  this  unconscious  example, 
without  and  before  any  hostile  demonstration  : — 


I  As  to  the  wicked  man,  even  when  he  is  not 
pursuing,  the  righteous  have  taken  flight, 
but  as  to  the  righteous  a  man  may  be  as 
confident  as  a  lion. 


The  wicked  flee 
when  no  man  pursu- 
eth  :  but  the  righteous 
are  bold  as  a  lion. 


Difficulties  crowd  in  this  passage.  We  have  not  made  it 
sirnple.  We  have  chosen  the  least  out  of  many  awkwardnesses. 
By  the  received  translation,  Avhich  is  that  of  the  English 
Version,  we  have  anomalies  which  we  think  inspiration  does 
not  admit.  The  verb  in  the  first  clause  is  a  plural,  and  would 
have  a  singular  noun.  The  verb  in  the  second  clause  is  a 
singular,  and  would  have  a  plural  noun.     Anomalies  like  this 


Chap.  XXVIII.]  COMMENTARY.  463 

must  have  a  reason,  particularly  in  a  clean-cut  Proverb  ;  and 
here,  most  conveniently  for  the  discussion,  the  reasons  would 
stultify  each  other.  "  The  righteous"  (E.  V.),  and  *'  the  ivickaV 
(E.  v.),  are  both  in  like  degree  collective.  If  a  singular  attracts 
a  plural  in  the  first  clause,  most  certainly  a  plural  should  keep 
a  plural  where  it  is,  in  the  second.  We  cannot  believe  these 
forms  are  unintended ;  and  the  best  unravelment  we  can  reach, 
is  to  find  a  sense  which  will  make  all  the  members  agree.  This 
we  have  attempted.  By  the  other  way  we  get  a  thought 
unsuited  to  the  context;  by  this  all  fits  exactly.  Our  parsing  is, 
that  the  verb  in  the  first  clause  has  understood  for  it  the  noun 
of  the  second.  Proverbs  dislike  repetitions.  They  have  cases, 
therefore,  of  this  double  office  in  a  noun  (12  :  14;  21  :  2  ;  27  :  9). 
They  delight  in  being  curt ;  and,  moreover,  in  being  well 
balanced.  "  The  wicked  man"  therefore,  as  with  many  of  these 
nouns  (Class  XIII.),  stands  absolutely,  and  is  to  be  read,  "as 
to  the  wicked  man.'"  So  is  the  term  "  the  righteous"  in  the 
second  clause;  while,  for  nominatives,  the  plural  of  the  first 
clause  draws  to  it  ''''the  righteous"  of  the  second,  and  the 
singular  of  the  second,  an  impersonal  subject  that  may  include 
the  wicked.  The  meaning  is  very  seasonable.  God's  character 
is  the  pasture-ground  of  the  saints  (chap.  27  th),  and  they  grow 
by  feeding  upon  it.  Man's  character,  as  far  as  it  is  corrupt, 
would  be  their  deadly  poison.  They  fly  even  when  the  wicked 
are  not  giving  chase.  With  good  men  we  may  have  the  confiding 
safety  that  "  a  hon  "  feels ;  with  a  bad  man  we  are  injured  when 
he  may  not  intend  it.  Two  motives,  therefore,  guide  our 
version  ;  one,  that  it  falls  in  with  the  thought ;  the  other,  that  it 
takes  up  the  plurals.  We  cannot  imagine  that  these  set  shapings 
of  the  verb  in  a  constructed  saying  can  be  without  their  pur- 
pose. "Confident;"  a  good  expression  about  "« //t;«,"  in  that 
lazy  trust  in  which  he  is  easy  about  an  enemy. 

Mutual  influence  being  the  subject  fairly  inaugurated,  begin- 
ning with  the  '"''  face  "  of  our  "  Friend"  (27  :  17),  the  inspired 
Solomon  goes  on  to  represent  its  extent  in  the  instance  of  the 
righteous.  He  is  not  only  safe  (v.  i),  but  potent.  He  not 
only  acts  by  unconscious  example,  like  the  wicked ;  but  he  has 
strange  power  when  he  does  his  duty  : — 


464  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

2  In  the  sin  of  a  land  many  are  its  leaders  :   \  .'^'^°^  the  transgres- 

•i.-,^,  ,.  ■'     .         .  ,.'     |sion  of  aland  many  «r« 

but  by  the  plainest  man  who  imparts  dis-  the  princes   thereof: 
cernment,  getting  knowledge,  it  m:,V^%\^i;2.TT„f  vtZ 

itself  endure.  i  ledge  the  state  thereof 

shall  be  prolonged. 

The  text  discriminates.  "Many."  "  One  sinner  destroyeth 
much  good"  (Ec,  9:18);  but  alas!  among  a  bad  people, 
"  many  "  have  been  at  work  as  "  leaders."  "  But  by  the  plainest 
™^^ ;"  D15^>  the  peasant  title  for  our  race.  The  bearing  is  in- 
tensive.  Even  "  fy  the  plainest  man,  who  imparts  discernment;" 
as  all  do  who  are  pious  ;  "  a  land,  getting  knowledge ;"  literally, 
"  knowing"  The  participle  is  masculine  ;  and  so  "  land"  is,  some- 
times (Gen.  13  :  6).  It  is  treated  as  feminine  close  by  (see 
suffix,  first  clause) ;  but  it  grows  masculine,  naturally,  as  the 
people  heave  in  view  (Is.  66  :  8  ;  see  Gesen.)  "  Makes  itself 
endure";  literally,  ^^ prolongs  "  (Hiphil.)  There  is  great  dense- 
ness  in  the  passage.  "  In  the  [wickedness]  of  a  land  tnany  a7'e 
its  leaders."  Large  numbers  have  been  at  work  corrupting  it; 
and  that  for  long  periods.  But  mark  how  it  is  recovered  !  first, 
as  it  was  corrupted ;  viz.,  by  men ;  second,  not  as  it  was  cor- 
rupted, but  by  but  a  single  ^^  tnan,"  when  ^^  many"  misled  it; 
third,  by  ^''  the  plainest  man  "  fourth,  by  one  who  must  be  dis- 
cerning ;  because,  fifth,  by  one  who  must  impart  discernment  j 
viz.,  sixth,  to  men  who  must  get  it,  or  take  it  up.  All  these 
things  must  accord  together.  No  ^^ land"  can  be  blessed  with- 
out itself  taking  up  "  knoiuledge  "  and  few  lands  have  done  this 
without  the  work  of  noted  individual  believers.  *'  The  plainest 
man."  Such  was  our  Lord.  The  text  is  grandly  Messianic. 
The  labors  of  all  other  men  were  instrumental.  His  was  as 
King  of  Heaven.  The  reading  that  makes  the  "  many  princes  " 
(E.  V.)  an  infliction,  and  that  quotes  for  itself  an  Arab  curse, 
"  May  Allah  multiply  your  sheiks"  (see  Aiken,  in  Lange,  in 
loc),  fails  in  this, — that  the  term  should  then  be  higher.  It 
should  be  kings,  or  rulers.  "  Princes  "  were  "  many  "  by  their 
very  order.  That  ^^ getting  knowledge"  which  is  a  participle, 
should  agree  with  ^^  man"  and  be  apposed  to  imparting  disccrn- 
ment,  which  is  another  participle,  would  do  very  well  in  gram- 
mar, but  strips  away  one  of  the  best  features  of  the  sentence, 


Chap.  XXVIII.J        COMMENTARY.  465 

viz..  that  a  land  must  get  knowledge  before  it  can  be  blessed. 
Moreover  it  abolishes  the  force  of  "  thus  ;"  and,  no  conjunction 
being  employed,  it  gives  no  account  of  that  fact ;  that  is,  no 
reason  why,  in  so  natural  a  place,  the  usual  conjunction  should 
be  omitted.  "  Thus ;"  an  important  word.  A  land,  ^^  getting 
hiowledge"  from  a  pious  leader,  "  thus  makes  itself  endure." 

But  now  the  twin  picture  : — (i)  A  single  man;  (2)  not  com- 
mon, but  great;  (3)  not  pious,  but  "poor"  (in  the  spiritual 
sense) ;  (4)  not  imparting  discernment^  but,  in  every  sense,  just 
the  opposite  ;  is  brought  in  under  the  figure  of  a  storm  : — 


3  A  strong  man,  who  is  poor,  and  oppresses 
the  weak, 
is  a  shower  that  comes  sweeping,  so  that 
there  is  no  food. 


3  A  poor  man  that 
oppresseth  the  poor  ii 
like  a  sweeping  rain 
which  leavethno  food. 


This  is  notorious  secularly.  Heavy  task-setters  are  the  '^poor* 
over  the  ^^ poor."  Slaves  make  the  tightest  masters.  A  rich 
tyrant  is  a  big-meshed  seine  :  small  fish  may  pass  unnoticed. 
But  "  ^ /^^r  strong  man;"  ^^  strong"  to  gripe,  and  '■'■poor"  to 
have  demands,  is  like  a  "  sweeping  shower."  It  brings  "  no 
food;"  and  it  sweeps  ;  literally,  it  scrapes ;  all  that  wax  growing ; 
by  its  drastic  torrents,  out  of  the  soil.  Such  was  the  earthly 
picture.  But  Solomon  brings  it  into  the  midst  of  his  spiritual 
word-painting.  "  A  strong  matt  ivho  is  poor  "  (v.  2) ;  like  Paul ; 
that  is,  as  Paul  was,  before  he  came  to  his  inheritance.  "  Strong  " 
'^'yy-i  the  mighty  man;  not  the  common  man  ;  a  great  man  who 
is  poor,  afid  who  lights  dozen  among  a  poor  people  ;  that  means, 
an  able  man  who  is  without  Christ,  and  who  can  influence 
men  who  are  also  utterly  impenitent ;  "  is  a  shower  that  comes 
sweeping  ;"  significantly,  '''■  a  shoiver  ;"  a  thing  which  in  its  rich- 
ness and  its  needfulness  might  seem  to  promise  good  ;  but 
which,  like  the  rule  of  some  great  sinner,  by  its  very  elements 
of  strength  sweeps  every  abiding  blessing.  The  texts  are  match- 
ed, therefore  (vs.  2,  3).  A  common  man,  pious,  may  make  a 
whole  land  pious,  and  may  make  it  long  endure.  A  man,  not  a 
common  man,  but  able  and  great,  but  a  man  not  pious,  and 
moving  upon  a  people  not  pious,  may  prosper  them  to  the  very 
20* 


466  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

height ;  and  yet,  in  that  very  prosperity,  like  some  of  the  show- 
ers of  heaven,  he  may  sweep  them  with  utter  desolation. 

Now,  how  does  he  do  it .?     Solomon  points  out  one  of  the 
most  unconscious  influences  : — 


4  Forsaking  direction,  men  praise  the  wicked ;  thtiJwp?ai^e'\Ve°wick! 
but,  observing  direction,   they  make   war 
upon  them. 


ed :  but  such  as  keep 
the  law  contend  with 
them. 


"  Forsaking  direction. "  This  is  a  fine  lesson.  It  is  all  in- 
tense. "  Forsaking  direction  y"  certainly  one  of  the  lightest 
terms  for  sinning.  A  man  may  intend  to  repent.  He  may 
*'  praise  "  it ;  that  is,  he  may  applaud  the  system  of  the  gospel ; 
and  may  be  one  that  is  pronounced  a  most  useful  church-man. 
Solomon  W9uld  say, — Yes  ;  but  does  he  obey  "  direction'  ?  We 
are  so  circumstanced  that,  if  we  do  not,  all  else  misleads.  You 
notice  the  careful  language.  "  Forsaking  direction  y"  simply 
evading  or  avoiding  it,  no  matter  on  what  pretence.  Solomon 
strikes  for  the  result.  He  scoffs  at  all  apology.  Do  you,  or  do 
you  not,  obey '^  direction" ?  If  you  do  not;  the  fact  that  you 
do  not  is  all  that  is  needed  to  mislead  the  looker-on.  For,  seiz- 
ing upon  that  most  villainous  of  all  things,  praising  the  wicked ; 
a  thing  that  scarce  ruffians  do  ;  a  thing  which  even  obscene 
seducers  scarcely  venture  ;  he  says, — All  disobedience  does  it. 
^^  Forsaking  direction,  moi  praise  the  wicked;  but,  observing  di- 
rection, they  make  war  upon  them."  The  lonely  widow,  going 
quietly  to  heaven,  who  has  asked  carefully  the  road,  and  has 
moved  on  as  she  was  directed,  the  text  suddenly  arms  with 
sword  and  spear !  She  is  a  warrior  !  In  her  quiet  walk  she  is 
smiting  down  the  rivals  of  her  King.  And  Solomon  literally 
means  it.  The  most  effective  army  of  the  saints  is  the  quiet 
group  that  dream  of  nothing  but  obedience.  And  Solomon 
means  practically ;  that  they  fight  and  conquer ;  that  they  con- 
quer, and  win  territory  for  Christ ;  that  this  is  the  explanation 
of  the  earlier  verses  (1-3);  that  the  good  man  makes  others 
good  by  being  good  himself;  and  that,  ^^ forsaking  direction," 
unbelief  praises  the  wicked,  and  praises  them  in  that  most  in- 
sidious of  ways,  which  beguiles  the  more  for  being  anything  but 
an  open  eulogy.    "  Direction  /'  a  word  usually  translated  "  law" 


Chap.  XXVIII.]  COMMENTARY.  467 

(E.  v.);  see  31:26.  ^^  Praise  ;"  the  word  significantly  em- 
ployed, chap.  27:21.  "  Make  war  upon  ;"  a  peculiar  Hithpa- 
hel,  with  a  preposition;  literally,  ^^ irritate  themselves  against." 
The  dying  Christian,  too  weak  except  to  breathe  fortlj  joy,  is 
a  warrior  in  the  very  thick  against  the  cohorts  of  "  the  wicked." 
Not  understanding  any  such  crime,  however,  the  unbeliever, 
of  course,  cannot  understand  his  guiltiness.  The  next  Pro- 
verb, therefore,. lays  hold  of  that  appropriate  idea: — 

5  Evil  men  put  no  raeaning  upon  iudgmen; :     s  Evil  men  under- 

'',,.,  ri      ^  1       T    1  1  JO  ■    stand    .not    judgment: 

but  they  that  seek  Jehovah  put  a  mean-  but  they  that  seek  the 
ing  upon  everything.  i  J^^^^.""'^^'"'^"'^  ^" 

In  Heaven  there  will  really  be  more  puzzles  than  we  have 
on  earth.  Hell  will  be  really  darker ;  for  it  will  show  more 
mysteries.  And  yet,  that  part  of  our  nature  that  has  been  dark 
here  being  flooded  with  light,  it  will  be  better  prepared  for 
those  heavier  difficulties.  "  Evil  men  put  no  meaning  upon 
judgment."  Why.?  Because  they  do  not  see  enough  of  what 
is  bright,  to  ^^ put  a  meaning  upoji "  what  is  palpably  obscure. 
"They  that  seek  Jehovah  put  a  meaning  upon  everything." 
Why  ?  Because  they  have  light  enough  of  other  sorts  to  con- 
vince them  even  as  to  that  which  abides  in  darkness.  It  is  like 
the  flushed  child  going  out  in  rugged  health  into  the  storm. 
He  enjoys  it.  This  is  the  secret  of  Heaven's  bliss.  There  will 
be  no  narcotic,  deadening  the  sense ;  no  idiocy ;  no  Lethe 
sponging  away  the  past ;  but  when,  with  clear  eye,  we  look 
straight  into  Hell,  there  will  be  such  light  from  Heaven,  like 
the  warmth  of  the  child  which  he  carries  out  into  the  cold,  that 
Ave  will  have  flushed  health  to  help  us  to  trust  the  Almighty. 
Heaven  may  have  other  mysteries ;  the  Throne,  as  well  as  the 
Pit;  and  it  may  be  no  lighter  over  one  than  over  the  other; 
but  there  will  be  this  difference : — a  body  of  other  light  will 
satisfy  the  saint,  and  a  horror  of  other  darkness  will  incapaci- 
tate the  sinner.  "  jPut  a  meaning  upon."  We  retain  thus  much 
causative  for  the  Hiphil  (see  i  :  2). 

Piety,  on  these  accounts,  being  such  a  power  over  the  lost  (v.  2), 
and  such  a  comfort  to  the  saved  man  himself  (27  :  25-27),  must 
be,  as  Christ  pronounced  it,  the  "  one  thing  needful :" — 


468  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 


6  Better  off  is  a  poor  man,  walking  in  his  in- 
tegrity, 
than  he  that  is  led  into  double  ways,  and, 
as  such,  is  rich. 


6  Better  is  the  poor 
that  walketh  in  his  up- 
rightness, than  he  that 
is  perverse  in  his  ways, 
though  he  be  rich. 


Not  "  better  "  (E.  V.),  but  "  better  oflF."  The  word  is  simply 
"gooi/y"  but  it  has  a  wide  significance.  *^  Good,"  in  the 
sense  of  goodness,  would  make  a  truism  ;  because,  what  would 
that  be  but  "  walking  in  integrity  ?"  The  meaning  is,  that  piety, 
with  such  glorious  power  (v.  2),  and  also  with  such  inward  light 
(v.  5),  is  a  mine  ;  and  "  better  off"  is  the  saint  in  poverty  than 
the  clouded  sinner,  even  under  a  shower  of  wealth.  "  Led, 
etc. ;  "  literally  "  crooki?jg,"  or  "  making  crooked  two  ways  ;  " 
virtually,  attempting  ttuo  etids  of  living  ;  a  very  common  attitude 
of  the  impenitent  mind.  "Integrity;"  wholeness;  the  very 
opposite  of  this  double  walkifig.  "  As  such;"  the  emphatic  pro- 
noun ;  not  really  "  rich,"  but  "  rich  "  as  a  crooked  walker  counts 
it,  in  a  wretched  and  unsatisfying  sense.  "Double  ways;" 
dual.  See  the  other  case  of  it  in  verse  i8th.  Why  have  not 
these  duals  been  noticed  1  "  Integrity,"  or  wholeness,  is  what 
affords  the  contrast  in  both  the  sentences. 

Piety  has  so  strong  an  influence,  that  it  will  enable  the 
inferior  to  influence  the  superior ;  the  man  of  lower  state,  to 
impress  favorably  the  higher  and  more  refined.  This  could  not 
happen  often  in  politics,  or  literary  life;  but  it  does  in  piety  : — 


7  He  that  observes  direction  is  a  son  that 
gives  instruction ; 
but  he  tha^  keeps  company  Avith  the  base 
does  even  his  father  harm. 


7  Whoso  keepeth  the 
law  is  a  wise  son  :  but 
he  that  is  a  companion 
of  riotous  men  shameth 
his  father. 


"Direction;"  the  word  usually  '^  law"  (E.  V.).  See  3:1. 
"Observes;"  literally  '''' mou  fits  guard  over."  "Gives  instruc- 
tion;" Hiphil  participle  of  the  verb  to  discern  :  literally,  "  caus- 
ing to  discern."  The  idea  is,  teaching.  Uniformly,  in  spite  of 
the  Hiphil,  the  disposition  has  been  to  translate,  being  wise 
(E.  v.).  We  never  could  understand  this.  Other  parts  of  the 
verb  imply  the  more  passive  wisdom.  Why  were  they  not 
employed.'*  Moreover,  we  have  looked  over  the  cases,  and 
they  nearly  all  need  the  causative :  some  of  them  most  peremp- 


Chap.  XXVIII.]  COMMENTARY.  4^9 

torily  (Ps.  119:27);  and  none  more  peremptorily,  perhaps, 
than  the  Proverb  now  before  us.  "  He  that  observes  direction  is 
a  son  that  gives  instruction."  This  Proverb  means,  that  a  child, 
walking  in  the  faith,  becomes  a  spiritual  teacher;  that  he 
instructs  even  the  grey-headed  ;  that  he  does  it  unconsciously  ;^ 
while  the  companion  of  "  the  base,"  in  the  same  unconscious' 
way,  can  influence  even  his  superiors ;  that  is,  "  does  even  his 
father  harm."  Harms,  or  "  docs  harm  ;"  often,  properly,  brings 
to  shame  (E.  V.).  The  original,  however,  means  to  wound ; 
often  to  hurt,  to  harm  (see  i  Sam.  25  :  7  ;  Ruth  2  :  15).  This 
chapter  is  full  of  the  idea  of  influence.  We  hesitate  riot  to  put 
on  this  text  the  sense  of  an  imparted  lesson. 

But  now,  mark  the  triumph!  Where  this  law  might  be 
thought  to  be  universal,  the  Wise  Man  suddenly  arrests  it. 
There  can  be  no  mischief  to  the  righteous  (12:21).  A  man  may 
be  a  perfect  devil.  He  may  snatch  the  poor  man's  wealth,  and 
stain  the  good  man's  character.  He  may  be  thought  to  ruin 
him.  But,  in  the  end,  he  cannot  rob  him  in  the  least ;  and  the 
spoils  that  he  has  seized  shall  be  laid  up  for  the  good  man's 
benefit : — 


He  that  increases  his  competence  by  exac- 
tion and  usury 

is  gathering  it  for  some  one  who  will  favor 
the  weak. 


8  He  that  by  usury 
and  unjust  gain  in- 
creaseth  his  substance, 
he  shall  gather  it  for 
liim  that  will  pity  the 
poor. 


"Competence;"  from  a  verb  meaning  to  be  light,  ease  of 
circumstances.  Not  that  a  rapacious  villain  shall  disgorge  his 
treasure,  and  pass  it  to  the  righteous  :  this  may  never  happen  : 
but  something  much  more  profound  than  this.  A  man,  not 
rapacious  in  the  opinion  of  mankind,  "  is  a  thief  and  a  robber  " 
in  the  eye  of  our  text.  All  the  impenitent,  be  they  false  or 
honest,  are  grasping  after  that  which  is  "  another  man's."  The 
Proverb  includes  the  whole  of  them.  All  impenitent  toils 
which  are  building  up  prosperity  on  the  earth  shall  inure  to  the 
righteous.  Built  ever  so  high,  the  castles  of  the  impenitent 
man  are  for  Christ.  The  sinner  "  does  harm  ;"  the  righteous 
do  good;  this  was  the  general  doctrine  (v.  7  ;  Ec.  9  :  18).  But 
Solomon  now  alters  its  shape.      There   is  no  final    ''harm." 


470  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

There  is  no  **  Jiar7n  "  at  all  to  God's  chosen  people.  There  are 
terrible  perversities  of  lot ;  but  the  towers  of  His  foes  are  in 
trust  for  the  Redeemer.  Be  their  throne  ever  so  high,  it  is  for 
His  saints ;  and  it  is  an  investment  of  wealth  the  very  safest  for 
•  His  believing  people. 

One  may  be  in  himself  an  "  abomination;"  and  he  may  "lead 
the  righteous  astray  in  an  evil  path  "  (v.  lo)  ;  thus  answering  to 
as  dark  a  picture  as  could  easily  be  traced.  He  may  be  loath- 
some to  God,  and  may  make  "  //le  righteo^is  "  loathsome  for 
following  his  example ;  for,  beyond  a  doubt,  the  wicked  may 
mislead  the  righteous ;  and  the  Wise  Man  would  exhaust  all 
the  principles  of  influence  :  but  there  can  be  no  misleading  in 
the  end.  A  sinner  cannot  hurt  a  saint.  Alas  !  a  saint  has 
often  hurt  a  sinner.  But  there  can  be  no  injury  to  the  righteous 
(12:21).  Nay ;  a  stronger  doctrine  ! — Tempting  him  will  only 
bless  him.  The  very  Devil  is  a  means  of  grace.  Such  is  the 
teaching  of  the  tenth  verse.  One  that  is  an  utter  "  aboininatioji  " 
(v.  9)  may  be  an  actual  profit  (v.  10)  ;  or  how  could  Paul 
dream  that  "  a//  things ''  could  work  together  for  good  (Rom. 
8 :  28)  ?  The  most  infamous  wretch  that  ever  misled  the  saints, 
may  dig  for  them  "  a  pit,"  and  may  utterly  seduce  them  into 
wickedn'ess ;  but  their  "  own  wickedness  shall  correct"  them 
(Jer.  2  :  19).  He  "  shall  himself  fall  into  his  own  pit  "wrhile  the 
upright  get  good."     So,  then  for  the  two  Proverbs  together  : — 


*9  He  that  averts  his  ear  from  hearing  direc- 
tion, 
even  his  prayer  shall  be  abomination. 
10  AVhoso   leads  the   righteous  astray  in  an 
evil  path 
shall  himself  fall  into  his  own  pit, 
while  the  upright  get  gdod. 


9  He  that  turncth 
away  his  ear  from  hear- 
ing the  law,  even  his 
prayer  shall  be  abom- 
ination. 

10  Whoso  causeth 
the  righteous  to  go 
astray  in  an  evil  way, 
he  shall  fall  himself 
into  his  own  pit:  but 
the  upright  shall  have 
good  things  in  posses- 
sion. 


But,  more  individually.  "  He  that  averts  his  ear  from  hearing 
direction; "  the  old  story  of  rebelliousness  (i  :  32),  or  disobedience 
(Heb.  2:2).  The  impenitent  may  \.oXk  oi  pi/rposv  ;  but  there 
are  plain  directions  which  he  is  not  obeying.  The  Book 
delights  in  these  simpler  phases  of  our  guiltiness.  You  may  be 
a  very  moral  man ;  but  how  about  God's  directions  ?    There  are 


Chap.  XXVIIL]         COMMENTARY.  471 

simple  directions.,  which  you  are  told  to  take  ;  and  they  have 
been  made  clear  since  you  were  a  child.  You  know  them,  and 
never  obey  them  !  You  say,  you  pray.  How  reasonable  to 
ask, — "  Why  call  ye  me  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things 
which  I  say.?"  (Lu.  6  :  46.)  The  Scripture  glows  with  this 
astonishment.  It  looms  out  everywhere.  Instead  of  a  wonder 
that  we  are  not  heard,  the  wonder  seems  that  we  ask  to  be :  for 
think  of  the  perpetual  ingratitude :  asking  and  never  obeying : 
and  this  expounds  our  text: — '''' He  that  averts  his  ear  from 
hearing  direction,  even  his  prayer  shall  be  abomination."  Now 
this  "  abomination  "  is  to  have  a  use.  This  is  the  second  won- 
der. After  seducing  the  righteous  ;  after  misleading  everybody  ; 
these  unconscious  influences,  after  being  deadly,  like  the  spores 
of  the  plague,  teleologically  are  to  serve  a  purpose,  as  really  as 
the  fact  of  the  atonement.  They  may  mislead,  but  cannot 
hurt ;  they  may  mislead  a  moment,  but  not  finally.  They  may 
mislead  the  saint,  but,  ad terminum,  the  sinner;  and  then  (whole 
stories  higher  in  the  thought),  they  are  not  only  not  terminal  in 
harm  to  the  saved,  but  they  actually  bless  him.  The  sinner 
falls  "  into  his  own  pit,  while  the  upright  get  good."  "  Get  good :" 
not  as  a  general  fact,  but  as  a  specific  consequence ;  not  that 
the  "  upright "  are  to  turn  out  well  in  the  end,  but  to  turn  out 
better  for  being  seduced ;  that  they  are  to  gain  by  their  snares, 
and  to  '^  get  good"  by  being  mis/ed  i>y  the  wicked. 

The  world  not  taking  that  view,  Solomon  explains  how  the 
church  does  take  it ;  and  how  the  world  misconceives,  and  how 
the  church  understands,  their  mutual  situation  : — 

II  He  that  is  wise  in  his  own  eyes,  is  a  rich    ."  The  rich  man  is 

■'       '  wise  in   his   own   con- 


man  ; 

but   a   poor  man,  who   can   discriminate, 
searches  him  out. 


ceit :  but  the  poor  that 
hath  understanding 
searcheth  him  out. 


*'  Who  can  discriminate  ;  "  literally,  "  causing  to  discern  j"  or 
putting  a  meaning  on  the  thing  (i  :  2,  6).  It  is  the  Hiphil.  We 
love  to  preserve  a  soup{07i  of  the  causative.  The  meaning  is, 
a  lost  man  "  is  rich  "  only  in  fancy.  If  he  feels  he  is  not  lost, 
he  ''''is  rich"  but  only  for  the  time.  The  man  who  is  saved, 
has  a  vast  advantage  over  him.     He  may  be  a  perfect  pauper ; 


472  .PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

yet,  if  he  be  a  saint,  he  and  he  only  is  "  7'ich"  and  he  and  he 
only  understands  the  poverty  of  the  other  man.  "  "Wise  in  his 
own  eyes."  Wisdom  means  piety.  "  Wise  i7i  \ones\  oiuti  eyes  " 
means  pious. in  one's  own  belief.  When  it  is  the  attribute  of 
the  impenitent,  there  results  a  hypocrite.  The  hypocrite  is 
"  7-ic/i."  He  has  crowns  and  heaven,  and  enjoys  all  the  ease  of 
a  Christian.  But  he  is  "  rich  "  just  as  he  is  pious,  viz.,  "  in  his 
own  eyes."  And  a  man  ever  so  poor,  who  is  really  pious,  pities 
him,  and  would  dread  his  riches. 

'Y.Q  xazks.  mutual  influence  the  very  best  (for  that  subject  is 
still  uppermost),  it  might  seem  well  precisely  to  reverse  the  last 
picture  ;  to  make  the  poor  man  (when  the  poverty  is  in  the 
"spirit,"  Matt.  5  :  3)  feel  rich;  and  the  rich  man,  when  it  is  all 
fancied  wealth,  feel  his  poverty.  The  next  Proverb  admits  that 
there  is  "beauty,"  at  least,  in  such  well-founded  conditions  of 
the  mind  :— - 


12  In  the  exulting  of  the  righteous  there  is 
great  beauty : 
but,  when  the  wicked  rise,  a  man  must  dig 
deep  to  understand  it. 


12  When  righteous 
men  do  rejoice,  there 
is  great  glory:  but 
when  the  wicked  rise,  a 
man  is  hidden. 


"  In  the  exulting ;"  the  preposition  with  the  infinitive.  "  When 
the  wicked  rise ;"  exactly  the  same  formation.  "  Rise  y"  i.  e., 
prosper.  "  Great  beauty;"  it  seems  so  fit  in  every  way.  "  Must 
dig  to  understand  it."  This  is  but  one  word;  a  Puhal  forma- 
tion. The  root  means,  to  "  dig.'"  The  Pihel  means,  to  "  dig^'' 
or  search  out.  The  Pulial  would  then  mean,  to  be  i7iade  to  "  dig" 
or  search  out.  The  Proverb  means ; — for  a  Christian  to  exult  is 
fit,  and,  therefore,  beautiful :  for  a  sinner  to  prosper,  or  stand 
high,  is  a  mystery  :  it  puzzles  the  spirit ;  and  sets  us  to  digging, 
or  searching  out.  The  idea  is  repeated  in  the  28th  verse. 
There,  the  first  words  are  the  same,  but  the  verb  is  different. 
It  is  the  common  verb  for  veiled,  or  covered  over.  Its  force  is 
obvious.  In  the  present  verse,  the  elevation  of  the  wicked  is 
said  to  put  us  to  the  search,  or  to  force  us  to  puzzle  the  mystery 
out.  In  the  28th,  it  is  said  to  cover  us  over  j  i.  e.,  to  bury  us  in 
cloud  and  mystery. 

So  much  for  whatsis  beautiful !    But  the  Wise  Man  remem- 


Chap.  XXVIIL]  COMMENTARY.  473 

bers  that  Christians  have  more  to  do  than  to  exult,  or  to  be  happy. 
They  have  a  great  crowd  of  "  sins  "  to  bring  to  light.  "  Re- 
joice evermore,"  says  the  Apostle.  And  yet,— "  Blessed  are 
they  that  mourn,  for  they  shall  be  comforted."  The  two  are 
notininycal.  It  is  "a  great  beauty"  (v.  12)  to  rejoice.  It 
honors  God;  yea,  it  is  a  high  form  of  faith.  It  gives  vast 
strength  (Neh.  8:10),  this  exercise  of  spiritual  joy.  But,  alas 
for  us  !  burdened  with  our  sins,  there  comes  something  that 
must  modify  all  that.  It  is  a  weakness  ;  it  springs  from  wick- 
edness; it  is  itself  a  wickedness,  as  compared  with  joy;  but  it 
is  a  step  of  the  lost  soul  on  the  way  to  happiness.  Historically 
he  "  sins."  Intermediately  he  must  repent.  The  passage  out 
of  those  "  sins  "  is  one  of  pain  and  suffering.  And  though 
health  is  better  than  disease,  the  throes  of  sickness  may  be  the 
very  fight  that  health  makes.  The  pang  of  pain  may  be  the 
travail  by  which  there  is  to  be  birth  for  comfort.  However 
that  may  be,  Solomon  says  that  "  exulting  is  [a]  great  beauty  /' 
but  he  crowds  upon  it  at  once,  with  a  far  heavier  undertak- 
ing :— 


13  He  that  covers  his  sins  shall  not  prosper; 
but  he   that   confesses  and  forsakes  shall 


find  mercy 


13  He  that  covereth 

his  sins  shall  not  pros- 
per :  but  whoso  con- 
fesseth  and  forsaketh 
them  shall  have  mercy. 


For,  if  a  man  can  exiilt,  and  feel  all  his  sinfulness  beside, 
then  he  ought  to  exult  indeed;  for  he  is  a  high  style  of  a 
believer.  But  if  he  cannot,  let  him  remember  that  "  exulting  " 
may  be  the  far  easier  work ;  and  has  been  done,  as  this  very 
book  declares  (25  :  14),  by  hosts  of  the  finally  impenitent. 

Yet,  cannot  this  birth  in  travail  begin,  and  be  prosperously 
finished.?  Shall  we  not  have  grown-up  believers.?  May  not 
such  men  exult  1  The  very  promise  of  our  Lord  was,  "  Blessed 
are  they  that  mourn,  >r  they  shall  be  comforted."  We  are  not 
speaking  of  mourning  convicts.  Shall  we  not  ripen  into  an  im- 
munity from  pain .?     The  Proverb  seems  to  say,— No,  never :— 

14  Blessed  is  the  man  who  fears  continually;  lthatfearet'h'a"wV:'b"t 
but  he  that  hardens  his  heart,  shall  fall  as  hejhat^hardeneth.Hs 
being  an  evil.  'mischief. 


474  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

"  As  an  evU,"  This  is  the  2  before  alluded  to  (3  :  26).  Un- 
conscious influence  makes  us  deadly.  Quiet  things,  that  win 
from  us  no  thought,  are  destroying  others.  "Blessed  is  the 
man  who  fears  continually;"  that  is,  who  has  all  fear  in  his 
mind  that  "  perfect  love  "  has  not  yet  cast  out  (i  Jo..  4  :  18). 
"  Perfect  love  "  comes  only  in  Heaven.  Some/mr  must  follow 
us  while  we  continue  on  the  earth.  ^''Blessed  is  the  man  who 
fears  continually^  While  "  he  that  hardens  his  heart ;"  getting 
rid  oifear  by  hardness,  and  not  by  faith  j  not  being  able  to 
smother  this,  but  making  example  of  the  deadly  facts,  shall 
spread  mischief  by  his  case,  and  "  shall  fall,"  at  last,  ^^  as  being 
an  evil "  in  the  creation. 

But  now  another  truth  : — A  man  may  have  the  most  deadly 
power.  He  may  be  a  prince.  He  may  have  the  most  fatal 
opportunities  to  ruin.  He  may  have  great  personal  charms ; 
and  may  be  exerting  them  over  all  his  "people."  And  yet, 
when  the  edge  of  his  power  comes  to  bear  upon  the  saints, 
Solomon  announces  the  triumph  that  it  will  "  prolong  [their] 
days  :" — 


15  As  a  roaring  lion, 
and  a  ranging  bear  ;  so 
!s  a  wicked  ruler  over 
the  poor  peof)le. 

16  The  prince  that 
wanteth  understanding 


15  A  roaring  Hon  and  a  ranging  bear 
is  a  wicke4  ruler  over  a  weak  people. 

16  A    prince,    wanting   discernment,    and   of 

great  exactions, 
shall  prolong  the  days  of  them  that  hate  orf  ^°  A^e'that°'iSSt 

robbery.  covetousness  shall  pro- 

^  '  I  long  his  days. 

The  fifteenth  verse  is  a  more  commonplace  preliminary.  We 
have  seen  this  in  other  instances  (24  :  1-6,  21).  Secularly,  the 
verse  makes  a  tyrant,  when  he  has  got  himself  in  power,  a  per- 
fect desolation;  "a  roaring  lion  and  a  ranging  bear."  But, 
spiritually,  the  "weak  people  "  are  impenitents.  The  "wicked 
ruler"  is  a  man  of  no  religion,  but  great  power  to  influence.. 
The  text  is  a  fresh  setting  forth  of  the  fact  of  the  amazing 
deadliness  of  one  such  powerful  sinner.  But  it  is  preliminary 
to  the  1 6th  verse.  Let  such  a  man  do  his  worst.  Let  him 
want  piety,  and  be  a  desperate  plunderer  of  the  soul ;  yet,  let 
his  victim  be  a  saint ;  or  one,  in  the  language  of  the  type,  "  of 
them  that  hate  robbery;"  and  what  is  deadly  to  the  ^^weak" 
shall  build  up  and  e\alt  his  blessedness. 


Chap.  XXVIII.]  COMMENTARY.  475 

"  Virtue  may  be  assailed,  but  never  hurt ; 

"  Surprised  by  unjust  force,  but  not  enthralled. 

"  Yea,  even  that  which  mischief  meant  most  harm, 

"  Shall,  in  the  happy  trial,  prove  most  glory." — Milton's  Comus. 

"  Soul"-murder,   when   it   does   succeed,  is   a  desperate  in- 
iquity : — 

17  A  man  weighed  down  with  the  blood  of  a 
soul; 
let  him  flee  to  the  pit ;  let  none  stay  him. 


17  A  man  that  doeth 
violence  to  the  blood 
oi  any  person  shall  flee 
to  the  pit ;  let  no  man 
stay  him. 


If  a  man  is  certain  to  be  lost,  the  sooner  he  perishes  the  bet- 
ter. This  seems  to  be  a  plain  dictate  of  Scripture  (Job  36  :  13  ; 
Rom.  2  :  5  ;  2  Tim.  3:13;  Heb.  2:2).  A  man  is  certain  to 
be  lost,  who  sins  away  his  day  of  grace.  The  Wise  Man  means 
to  imply  that  ".y<9/// "-murder  is  akin  to  such  transgression.  We 
cannot  imagine  that  a  man  who  influences  a  soul  amiss,  so  that 
that  soul  is  lost,  will  himself  beyond  doubt  perish.  Alas  !  none 
of  us  would  be  saved.  For  this  chapter  is  principally  engaged 
in  showing  how  light  the  sins  seem  that  ruin  (vs.  16,  20-22,  24). 
But  it  takes  care  to  end  these  thoughts  on  example  by  a  great 
menace.  Soul-murder  is  horrible  iniquity.  Think  what  it 
produces !  The  bolder  forms  of  it  must  be  horribly  fatal.  He 
that  is  "  weighed  down ;"  i.  e,  who  has  the  heavier  forms  of  this 
terrible  offence,  is  as  good  as  sentenced.  Life  only  adds  to  his 
liability.  As  our  Saviour  echoes  the  Proverb, — "  It  were  bet- 
ter for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and 
that  he  were  cast  into  the  depths  of  the  sea."  "  Let;"  an  im- 
perative in  either  case.  I  need  hardly  say  how  this  does  not 
teach  suicide ;  nor,  that  it  is  right  to  clear  the  way  for  a  repro- 
bate sinner,  and  help  him  to  his  account ;  but,  like  many  an  im- 
perative, it  has  the  force  of  a  prediction.  "  What  thou  doest 
do  quickly"  (Jo,  13  :  27)  meant  not,  imperatively, — Go,  do  the 
thing ;  but,  infinitely  far  from  it.  It  meant  predictively,  that  it 
would  be  done;  and  doctrinally,  that  it  had  better  be,  for  the 
speedier  end,  and  lighter  liability,  of  the  Traitor  Judas. 

There  was  a  space  with  the  old  copyists,  before  the  last  verse. 
It  is  odd  that  it  did  not  occur  after  it.  More  than  any  division 
lately  it  would  have  seemed  to  separate -handsomely;  viz.,  the 


476  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

facts  as  to  mutual  impression,  and  that  list  of  after  Proverbs  in 
which  that  subject  scarcely  appears. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  make  a  '  Harmony  of  Solomon  and 
the  JVetv  Testajnetit  /  and  see  how  far  this  wise  King  anticipated 
the  truth  that  was  afterwards  to  be  revealed.  We  would  yoke 
the  next  verse  with  Christ,  as  He  was  to  be  reported  in  the 
Evangelist.  The  subject  has  been,  Mutual  Influence.  We 
have  seen  hoNv  character  impressed  others  (vs.  i,  2)  with  a  quite 
unconscious  impression.  Character  has  been  the  grand  thing; 
and  we  are  to  get  back  now  upon  that  most  eminent  arena.  The 
speech  of  our  Saviour  will  be  thought  of,  Matthew  6  :  22, — "  If 
thine  eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  light:"  or 
James  (i  :  8) ; — "  The  double-minded  man  is  unstable  in  all  his 
ways :"  for  now  Solomon  : — 

18  He  that  walks  as  a  whole  man  shall  be     '^  Whoso   waiketh 

J  uprightly     shall     be 

saved  ;  saved  ;    but  he  thai  is 

but  he  that  is  turned  two  ways  shall  fall  in  rhln Ifi  a^'o/c'e".  ^^^^ 
one. 

"Walks;"  the  old  speech  for  conducts  or  behaves ;  according, 
of  course,  with  "  ways  "  in  the  second  clause.  "  As  a  whole 
man;"  a  masculine  sing.ular  adjective  for  co?nplete  or  entire; 
usually  translated  perfect  (E.  V.);  in  this  case  ^^  uprightly" 
(E.  v.).  But  the  root  meaning  ^^  whole  "  the  thought  lies  there. 
And  often  it  unriddles  a  speech  to  go  back  to  the  original  idea 
(see  Class  XXIX).  "  He  that  walks  as  a  whole  man  shall  be 
saved."  This  is  a  sort  of  common-place  (see  remarks  24  :  1-6), 
beginning  a  discussion  on  personal  culture.  "Turned  two 
ways."  The  dual  substantive  we  came  near  missing.  It 
occurs  but  tv/ice  in  the  Bible;  both  instances  in  this  chapter 
(see  V.  6).  "  Turned;"  a  verb  that  means  to  crook,  to  ttcist. 
"In  one."  Gesenius  translates  ^^ at  once"  (E.  V.).  So  do 
nearly  all.  So  might  we,  if  we  had  not  noticed  that  dual.  The 
case  Gesenius  refers  to  (Num.  10:4),  even  our  Versionists 
translate  as  we  do.  The  meaning  is, — The  worshiper  of  God 
and  Mammon  (Matt.  6:  24);  in  whichever  occupation  of  the 
"/«'<?"  he  may  be  overtaken  at  the  time;  "shall  fall;"  and  it 
matters  not  in  which  of  them. 


Chap.  XXVIIL]  COMMENTARY.  477 

Solomon  gets  back  to  life  among  the  farmers  (see  last  chap., 
vs.  23-27).  "^  whole  man"  (v.  18)  must  work  as  they  do. 
Religion  is  a  steady  tilth  : — 


19  He  that  works  his  land  shall  be  filled  with 
food; 
but   he   that   follows   after   the   worthless 
shall  be  filled  with  poverty. 


19  He  that  tilleth  his 
land  shall  have  plenty 
of  bread  :  but  he  that 
followeth  after  vain 
persons  shall  have  pov- 
erty enough. 


For  farmers  this  may  be  a  useful  maxim  ;  and,  as  we  repeat 
again,  we  do  not  disturb  its  secular  significance.  One  thing, 
however :  It  is  not  true  unvaryingly.  And  more ;  quote  any 
world's-proverb !  In  all  the  round  of  maxims,  I  know  not  one 
both  secular  and  sure.  It  is  not  true  that  the  industrious 
farmer  "  shall  be  filled  with  food."  You  may  say, — The  tenden- 
cies are  that.  And  see  now  how  thinkings  are  positively 
reversed.  Men  have  a  thought  as  if  the  forthright  drift  were 
secular,  that  being  the  square  sense,  just  as  it  seems  to  stand. 
If  Solomon  would  picture  piety,  he  must  make  it  hazy,  and  con- 
tent with  the  shadow  of  the  truth.  Whereas,  the  opposite  is  the 
sober  fact.  World's  proverbs  have  the  shadow  of  the  truth  : 
I  mean,  secularly ;  I  mean,  pressed  to  an  extreme.  It  is  not 
true  that  "  honesty  is  the  best  policy."  It  is  not  true  that  "  the 
hand  of  the  diligent  maketh  rich  "  (10  :  4).  It  is  not  true  that 
jealousy  will  take  no  ransom  (6  :  35) ;  or  that  "  the  rich  hath  many 
friends  "  (14  :  20).  All  these  admit  of  an  exception.  Spiritually, 
no  Proverb  admits  of  any  exception.  And  while  the  one  before 
us  is  a  good  picture  for  a  farm  ;  the  worky  making  plenty  of 
bread,  and  the  loafer  wasting  it  with  his  vain  companions ;  yet,  to 
state  absolute  truth,  it  must  step  into  the  region  of  the  spirit.  He 
that  tills  his  soul,  gets  recompense  for  every  stroke.  "  He  that  fol- 
lows after  the  worthless,"  gets  recompense  for  nothing.  He  loses 
all  his  wage,  and  "  shall  be  [perfectly]  filled  with  poverty."  "  Fil- 
led:" totally  poor,  just  as  he  is  totally  depraved  ;  nay,  cursed  by 
his  life's  thrift.  "  No  evil  shall  happen  to  the  righteous  ;  but 
the  wicked  shall  be  filled  with  mischief"  (12  :  21). 

And  yet  Wisdom, — sage  Watcher ! — is  already  lifting  her 
hand,  and  giving  her  warning  on  the  other  side.  We  are  not  to 
work  anxiously.     We  are  not  to  get  into  a  fever.     We  are  not 


478  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

to   be   "over-righteous"    (7:16);    or   seize   too    selfishly   the 
"wealth.  "  that  is  from  on  high  : — 

20  A  trustful  man  shall  be  rich  with  blessings;  I  ,=°,4-  ^f^^'-'')  '"•t? 

..  o'snall    abouna    with 

but  he  that  is  m  a  hurry  to  make  wealth  blessings:  but  he  that 

1      ii_i_         'i-j  maketh    haste     to    be 

shall  not  go  unpunished.  |  ha  shall  not  be  inno- 

cent. 

Sparks  that  are  very  bright,  leap  out  from  all  this  fire :  but 
the  main  light  and  warmth  comes  centrally  from  its  very  bosom. 
Solomon  has  dealt  with  the  idea  before.  The  impenitent  are 
prone  to  "  push  forward  "  (20  :  3) ;  to  pour  themselves  out 
(18  :  i) ;  to  grasp  with  unthinking  greed  (15  :  27  ;  20  :  21 ;  21  : 
26)  ;  to  be  "  in  a  hurry  "  with  their  tongue  (18  :  13)  ;  and  with 
their  feet  (19  :  2).  The  true  saint  is  not  to  seize  concupiscently 
ever^  the  honey  of  the  gospel  (25  :  16).  T}m:«  is  thoroughly  con- 
sistent with  our  working  eagerly  (v.  19).  The  rugged  and  per- 
sistent task,  even  in  business  life,  tempers  our  precipitance. 
"  Trustful."  The  adjective  is  made  by  a  noun.  The  whole  ex- 
pression is  "///(?  man  of  trusts."  The  same  light  that  helps  a 
man  to  trust  in  Christ,  keeps  him  from  too  early  a  thought  of 
being  possessed  of  religion. 

Now  light  must  be  upon  "  the  face  "  of  the  Most  High.  We 
are  not  to  anticipate  it.  We  are  not  to  see  Him  sooner  than 
we  really  see  Him.  We  are  not  to  "show  partiality,"  i.  e.,  to 
make  professions  about  God,  because  we  think  we  ought  to. 
We  are  not  to  be  moved  by  fear,  nor  to  turn  hypocrite  before 
the  Prince  because  He  is  easily  "offended."  The  Proverb  has, 
as  usual,  every  wide  signification  ;  but  its  nexus,  in  its  place, 
seems  to  be  these  precipitancies  (v.  20).  When  carefully  com- 
pared, the  passage  obviously  agrees  with  a  previous  cluster  of 
teachings  (24  :  23-26) : — 


21  To  show  partiality  is  not  good  ; 

though  about  a  morsel  of  iood  a  strong 
man  may  be  offended  away. 


21  To  have  respect 
of  persons  is  not  good: 
for,  for  a  piece  of  bread 
t/iat  man  will  trans- 
gress. 


"  Offended ;"  literally,  may  irea/c  with  any  one.  There  are  many 
motives  for  partiality ;  sometimes,  that  we  may  effect  a  fraud ; 
sometimes,  that  we  may  attract  a  gift ;  sometimes,  that  we  may 


Chap.  XXVIII.]  COMMENTARY.  479 

avert  a  punishment.  It  is  this  last  in  the  present  case.  We  are 
not  to  be  partial  to  an  earthly  prince,  even  though  he  is  so  rabid, 
as  to  break  luith  us  about  a  crumb  of  bread.  And  so  about 
Heaven's  King.  Fear  of  Him  !  Alas !  How  it  has  led  men 
astray  !  Millions  in  the  church  have  a  penitence  which  is  noth- 
ing more  than  the  tutoring  of  terror.  They  are  partial  in  that 
they  bow  to  God  more  than  they  like.  They  fear  him  more 
than  they  love  Him.  They  pay  down  to  Him  more  than 
they  are  conscious  of  as  a  filial  debt.  They  are  partial. 
They  are  worshiping,  not  God,  but  an  image  of  Him; 
and  that  image  is  "  an  austere  man"  (Luke  19:21).  It  is 
begot  by  terror.  And,  as  such  a  tyrant  "  about  a  morsel  of  food 
may  be  offended  away,"  they  ^xq  partial  to  His  faults;  clutch 
eagerly  after  His  promises  (v.  20)  ;  and  damn  their  souls  by  a 
false  and  dishonoring  '^partiality  "  of  confidence. 

Fear,  therefore,  of  an  anxious  and  "  trembling  "  form  may  be 
the  very  sign  of  an  impenitent : — 

22  He   that  is   nervously  trembling   about  a  ..Xe^ti.'^ak'Tft^^i 


competency  is  a  man  of  an  evil  eye, 
and  knows  it  not,  because  want  is  coming 
upon  him. 


eye,  and  considereth 
not  Uiat  po\erty  shall 
come  upon  him. 


"  He  that  is  nervously  trembling."  This  is  the  Niphal  parti- 
ciple of  a  verb  meaning  to  tremble.  What  a  life-picture  of  most 
of  the  opulent !  The  inspired  Solomon  borrows  it.  What  a 
life-picture  of  the  mass  of  hypocrites  !  "Competency."  It  is 
a  very  tell-tale  term.  The  root  means  to  be  light,  hence 
easy.  And  these  men,  if  we  inquire  enough  to  find  out,  are 
not  bent  upon  high  states,  but  are  nervously  anxious  about  "  a 
competence"  under  the  gospel.  They  take  no  rugged  hold, 
working  their  land  that  they  may  have  plenty  of  bread  (v.  19)  ;  but 
they  are  men  shoiving  partiality  to  the  Prince  (v.  21)— courtiers 
through  fear  of  Him— approaching,  like  the  silvered  potsherds, 
with  "  burning  lips  "  (26  :  23) ;  being,  therefore,  selfish  men, 
i.  e.,  "  [men]  of  an  evil  eye  ;"  being,  nevertheless,  very  often  quite 
assured  men,  because,  as  the  second  clause  explains,  they  do 
not  know  their  impenitency,  "  [for  the  very  reason  that]  want  is 
coming  upon  [them]."   13.    This  is  a  particle  that  rarely  means 


48o  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

» 
"  that  "  (E.  V.) ;  though  see  Gesenius  for  the  opposite  evidence. 

Unless  it  means  "  that"    here,   the    secular   fades   out.     How 

senseless  to  say,  that  a  man  "  knows  not  "  that  he  has  "  an  evil 

eye"  "because"  he  is  getting  poor.    Still,  a  whisper  of  the  sense 

may  be  found  even  secularly.     A  misery  that  is,  a  miserable,  is 

poor  even  in  the  very  lap  of  wealth ;  "  and  knaios  it  not"  even 

for  the  very  poverty  of  his  miser  life,  that  is  growing  upon  him. 

But  the  grand   sense  is  religious.     The  man  selfishly  griping 

after  heaven,  has  not  "a  bountiful  eye"  (22  :  9)  ;  and  Jie  does  not 

knotv  the  fact,  for  the  very  reason  that  want  is  growing  upon  him. 

Hence  the  value  of  shaking  to  pieces  the  securities  even  of 

the  most  timid  : — 

2"?  He  that  reproves  a  man,  afterwards  will  I    23  He  that  rcbuketh 

r.      -t    r  a  man,  aiterwards  shall 

find  favor,  find  more  favour  than 

more  than  he  that  flatters  with  his  tongue.  |[\,V tongue""'""  """^ 

Men  in  the  pangs  of  conviction  (and  it  will  be  repeated  again, 
29  :  5,  21),  are  too  much  flattered  both  by  minister  and  people. 
Much  is  made  of  men's  anxiety ;  though  the  last  Proverb  con- 
nects that  with  absolute  evil.  Lists  are  made  of  those  we  call 
''''anxious  "  and  it  is  considered  scarce  Christian  not  to  en- 
courage them,  and  questionably  courteous  ever  to  speak  harshly 
of  their  case.  Why  is  it  not  natural  that  they  should  stay 
"  anxious"  as  the  approved  condition .?  For  we  satisfy  them 
too  early.  Eternity  will  breed  thought  of  this;  for  hundreds 
at  this  stage  are  stopped  in  their  conviction,  and  are  cheated 
by  a  place  outside  of  Paradise. 

Hence,  lax  views 'of  conduct.  Sins  of  a  certain  sort  none 
seem  to  consider.  Stinginess  !  If  crowds  of  Christians  are 
stopped  just  short  of  penitence,  the  thoughts  of  such  people 
must  lend  their  color  in  the  Sanctuary.  Lax  principles  must 
prevail.  And  we  see  traces  of  it.  The  whole  head  must  become 
sick  (Is.  1:5).  For  look  now  in  the  direction  of  the  Almighty.  To 
cheat  our  neighbor  seems  wicked  ;  but  to  cheat  God  :  who  often 
thinks  of  that. ''  To  make  a  promise  to  a  man,  seems  a  serious  busi- 
ness ;  but  to  God,  altogether  of  a  different  complexion.  Hence 
our  sacraments.  Who  thinks  his  sacrament  solemn,  like  the  sale 
of  a  farm  1  We  promise  everything.  And  yet,  kneeling  in  prayer, 


Chap.  XXVIII.J         COMMENTARY.  481 

when  we  confess  we  have  paid  nothing,  who  winces  as  he  would 
under  a  default  ?  Now,  we  do  not  say  that  this  may  not  be  ap- 
plied to  a  Christian ;  but  in  a  certain  form  it  may  not ;  and  in 
that  form  it  is  so  often  applicable  in  the  church,  that  it  relaxes 
every  one  of  us.  Solomon  throws  the  picture  into  a  text ;  and, 
taking  the  feeling  of  a  child  that  stealing  is  not  stealing  when 
he  steals  from  a  "  father,"  or  a  "motlier,"  he  fits  it  into  his  list, 
and  employs  it  for  our  higher  relations  : — 

24  He  that  robs  his  father  and  his  mother,  ^.H  whoso   robbeth 

„^j   „„,,„         T..   •  i  •  his  father  or  his  moth- 

and  says, — it  is  no  transgression,  er,  and  saith,  it  is 

no    transgression  ;   the 
same  is  the  companion 


IS  a  companion,  in  this  very  act,  of  the  man 


who  is  a  destroyer.  I  of  a  destroyer, 

"  Companion,  etc.  ;"  he  means  so,  literally :  that  these  sins  are 
fierce,  and  will  appear  so  at  the  day  of  judgment.  "A  des- 
troyer;"  a  man  of  positive,  odious,  and  destructive  wickedness. 
"  In  this  very  act ;"  nothing  more  than  we  have  translated  else- 
where ''as  such  "  (19  :  21) ;  literally,  himself ;  simply  the  ex- 
pressed pronoun.  The  doctrine  is,  that  sins  in  the  higher  re- 
lations, by  a  strange  perversity,  are  less  considered  than  sins  in 
the  lower. 

Among  these  unconsidered  sins  is  selfishness,  whether  in  busi- 
ness or  religion ;—"  <z«  evil  eye"  (v.  22),  the  opposite  of  ''a 
bountiful  (or  good)  eye  "  (22  :  9).  Where,  ever,  did  they  un- 
church a  man  for  stinginess  ?  A  rougher  viciousness  offends 
the  hypocrite,  because  it  gives  trouble.  Adultery  and  all  phases 
of  dishonor  the  false  Christian  will  denounce,  because  they  af- 
fept  his  selfishness.  But  the  piety  that  Solomon  pronounces 
false  is  "appetite;"  and,  with  great  correctness,  he  brings  now 
into  his  i^yX great"- appetite"  as  an  actual  offence  against  the 
Most  High : — 


25  A  large  appetite  stirs  up  quarrel ; 

but  he  that  trusts  in  Jehovah  is  made  fat. 


25  He  that  is  of  a 
proud  heart  stirreth  up 
strife:  but  he  that  put- 
teth  his  trust  in  the 
Lord  shall  be  made 
fat. 


It  will  not  do  to  trust  to  "  a  large  appetite  "  if  we  would 
gather  fatness.  The  expression  is  a  peculiar  one; — ''Large 
appetite  j"\itQxa\\y, "  a  wide  soul  j"  (E.  V.)  "He  that  is  of  a  proud 


482  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXVIII. 

heart."  "  Soul"  however,  means  "  appetite"  (23  :  2) ;  and  some- 
times ^^  throat."  *^  A  ivide  throat  stirs  up  quarrel"  It  is  a 
capital  Proverb.  Nature  revolts  from  "a;  ^vide  throat :"  for, 
"  if  the  clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  themselves  on  the 
earth"  (Ec.  11:3).  When  a  creature  craves,  he  grows  thin 
like  the  hungry  Cassius.  Two  sentences  further  off  the  like  is 
stated  more  positively  (v.  27).  The  hypocrite's  faith  being 
nothing  in  the  world  but  selfishness,  is  not  rebuked  as  faith, 
but  as  "  a  wide  appetite."  "  A  large  appetite  stirs  up  quarrel,  but 
lie  that  trusts  in  Jehovah,  is  made  fat."  "  Stirs  up  quarrel  " 
the  discord  often  noticed  (6:  19).  "  Trusts;"  under  a  very 
sense  of  selfishness  and  ill-desert.  "  Made  fat  "  genuinely 
blessed,  even  when  less  eagerly  snatching  it.  A  man  whose 
piety  consists  in  nothing  but  his  hunger,  may  know  that  he  is  a 
hypocrite  ;  for  a  true  tj-ust  fattens  a  man  at  least  this  much, — 
that  he  forgets  himself  enough  to  smile,  sometimes,  at  least, 
upon  the  interests  and  safety  of  other  sinners  ! 

Poising,  however,  next,  like  a  skilled  posture-master,  Solo- 
mon discriminates  again.  A  man's  works  must  save  him  (Jas, 
2  :  14,  24).  A  man's  heart  must  save  him  (4  :  23  ;  Phil.  2:12). 
A  man's  faith  must  save  him  ;  when  it  works  by  love  and  puri- 
fies the  soul  (Gal.  5:6).  The  heart,  therefore,  must  do  every- 
thing ;  I  mean,  as  an  instrument,  Solomon  remembers,  next, 
in  what  sense  it  can  do  nothing  : — 

26  He  that  trusts  in  his  own  heart,  as  so  doingl.^^e  Hejhat^trusteth 

is  a   fool  \  fool  :  but  whoso  walk- 

though  he  that  walks  in  wisdom,  as  so  doing  |  ^'"Ji^'f^^^'  ^^  ^'^*"  ^^ 
is  delivered. 

"As  so  doing;"  see  v.  24th.  It  is  the  expressed,  and,  there- 
fore, emphatic,  pronoun.  It  occurs  in  each  clause.  Trusting 
in  one's  own  heart  is  the  very  essence  of  being  a  fool.  Walking 
in  wisdom  is  the  very  essence  of  being  delivered.  How  do  we 
reconcile  the  two  .''  In  this, — that  walking  in  wisdom  is  the 
same  thing  as  trusting  in  the  Redeemer  (v.  25).  The  "heart" 
has  indeed  instrumentally  to  save  us.  We  must  trust  every- 
thing to  that.  But  it  is  the  "  heart"  dwelt  in  by  Christ.  ''He  that 
trusts  in  his  own  heart  is  a  fool."  But  he  that  takes  that "  heart" 


Chap.  XXVIII.]         COMMENTARY.  483 

and  confides  it  to  the  Son  of  Man,  receives  for  it  an  altered 
life,  and  will  be  able  to  trust  that  "  hearty''  thus  trusted  to  Christ, 
as  the  instrument  in  the  battle  of  deliverance. 

Religion,  thus  living  by  faith,  and  ceasing  its  "  large  appe- 
tite" (v.  25);  thus  trusting  and  growing  fat  (v.  25,  second 
clause)  ;  Solomon  represents  as  gaining  the  ends  of  "  appetite  " 
by  the  very  opposite  impulse  of  lavishing  or  spending  away  : — 

27  Giving  to  the  poor,  there  shall  be  no  want  ;L^^7Hethatjvejhun^o 
but  hiding  one's  eyes,  one  shall  have  many  but  he  that  hideth  his 

o   ^iifco  eyes  shall  have  many  a 

d,  CUrbC.  I  curse. 

The  echo  in  New  Testament  language  would  read  more  vig- 
orously : — "  Whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it ;  and  who- 
soever will  lose  his  life  for  [Christ's]  sake  shall  find  it  "  (Matt. 
16  :  25).  He  that  forgets  himself,  has  done  himself  the  first 
real  favor ;  and  no  man  receives  the  gift,  until  he  ceases  to  de- 
sire it  out  of  the  mere  coarseness  of  his  "  appetite." 

A  prosperous  sinner,  therefore,  with  "^  wide  appetite"  and 
still  ''''fat"  is  an  anomaly : — "  By  the  wicked  rising  a  man  is 
puzzled."  This  is  the  line  we  have  already  alluded  to  (v.  12). 
"  Puzzled  ;"  literally,  covered.  A  man  is  set  to  searching  was  the 
other  expression  (v.  12).  The  prosperous  sinner  has  been  the 
conundrum,  from  David  down  (Ps.  73  :  16).  But  there  emerges, 
as  the  key,  the  grand  triumphal  sequence  of  it,  viz.,  good  to  the 
creation.  All  men  are  to  do  good :  some  men,  out  of  their 
own  saved  hearts  by  the  grace  of  their  beneficence ;  and  some, 
like  a  fattened  ox.     All  men  are  to  do  good : — 


28  By  the  wicked  rising  a  man  is  puzzled; 
but,  by  their  perishing,  the  righteous  are 
made  great. 


28  When  the  wicked 
rise,  men  hide  them- 
selves: but  when  they 
perish,  the  righteous 
increase. 


The  more  shame,  in  one  aspect,  to  "  the  righteous" !  If  this 
brief  span  is  the  lost  man's  only  comfort,  why  enviously  raise 
the  question  about  his  health  and  greatness .?  Why  speak  of 
it  1  It  is  all  a  debt  and  a  curse.  It  is  all  in  wrath,  to  get  him 
ready  for  his  "  perishing."  And  it  is  all  for  use  :  yes,  the  whole 
depth  of  Hell !  to  greaten  the  saint,  and  to  lift  broad  worlds 
into  a  serener  favor. 


484  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIX. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Woe  be  to  the  man,  though,  who  professes  to  be  a  saint,  and 
is  not.  One  ''''wise  in  his  own  eyes''  has  been  a  favorite  image 
of  the  hypocrite  (3:7;  26  :  12).  Here  the  image  is  advanced, 
and  a  text  introduces  us  to  one  who  attempts  to  teach  others 
wisdom.  By  a  sort  of  instinct  a  man  like  this  might  be  expected 
to  be  very  firm  in  gracelessness  : — 


I  A  MAN  given  to  reproving,  who  hardens 
the  neck, 
shall  suddenly  be  broken,  and  that  without 
remedy. 


He  that,  being  often 
reproved,  hardeneth 
his  neck,  shall  sudden- 
ly be  destroyed,  and 
that  without  remedy. 


The  English  Version  is  almost  universal.  It  gives  nearly  an 
opposite  meaning;  certainly  as  to  subject  and  object.  It  reads, 
— "  He  that  being  often  reproved."  Gesenius  translates,  "  a  man 
of  arguments  /'  and  he  means  a  self-defensive  man;  or,  a  man 
that  resists,  if  he  be  plied  with  the  Gospel.  The  bare  terms  are, 
— "  a  j/tan  of  reproofs  y"  and  the  sole  question  is, — whether  the 
genitive  is  one  of  getting  or  giving ;  or  whether  the  man  shall  be 
one  who  gets  much  reproof  y  or  one  who  gives  it.  By  a  singular 
Providence  that  point  is  settled  immediately,  and  within  the 
chapter.  Where  is  there  ever  a  chapter  like  it }  Witness  the 
genitives  : — verse  fourth,  a  man  of  oblations,  or  of  free  bestow- 
ments  J  verse  eighth,  men  of  scorn  ;  verse  tenth,  ''^  men  of  blood ;" 
verse  thirteenth,  the  man  of  oppressions  j  verse  twenty-second,  a 
man  of  anger  ;  verse  twenty-seventh,  a  man  of  wrong.  Shrewd 
exegetes  would  ask, — Is  there  any  likeness.-*  or  common  law  of 
all  these  particulars .?  If  there  is,  that  is  our  guide-pole!  If 
there  is  not,  surely  there  must  be  some  other  case,  beside  the 
first,  of  a  subjective  signification.  Now  where  is  it  .-^  Not  in 
verse  fourth ;  for  a  man  of  oblations  must  be  a  man  who  gives 
them.  Not  in  verse  eighth ;  for  men  of  scorn  are  men  who 
are  scorners.  Not  any  where.  A  7nan  of  blood  (v.  9)  is 
one  who  sheds  it;  a  7nan  of  oppressions  (v.  13)  is  one  who 
oppresses;  a  man  of  anger  (v.  22)  is  one  who  shows  it,  not 
who  s,'^ffers  from   it;    and   so,  a  ?nan  of  wrong  (v.  27)   is  one 

\ 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTARY.  485 

who  does  wrong,  not  a  man  who  suffers  under  the  wrongs 
of  others.  A  simple-hearted  commentator  would  submit 
to  such  a  collation,  and  let  it  decide  the  text.  A  "wa« 
of  reproofs."  Why  should  we  even  incline  to  say,  a  man 
reproved,  or  a  man  "  reproved  often "  (E.  V.),  when  the 
other  sense  is  deeper,  and  a  man  giving-  reproof,  accords  so 
perfectly  with  the  other  genitives  ?  "  A  man  given  to  reproving." 
A  sinner  setting  himself  at  ease  in  doctrine,  so  as  to  become  a 
teacher,  Solomon  supposes,  is  hardly  likely  to  be  taught.  It  is 
not  probable  that  he  will  see  his  want,  or  imagine  himself  to  be 
a  subject  for  some  other  change.  He  is  likely  to  school  himself, 
in  schooling  others.  Appearing  continually  among  the  wise, 
the  lost  preacher, — how  is  he  ever  to  be  vanquished  ?  And, 
therefore,  the  closing  particulars  : — First,  that  his  fate  must  be 
sudden;  and,  second,  that,  being  sudden,  the  ignorance  that 
makes  it  so,  must  seal  it,  and  make  it  "  without  [a]  remedy." 
How  strong  a  clerical  text !  and  how  good  for  sermons  before 
Synods  and  Councils  of  the  Church  ! 

When  men  are   really  good,  their  ability  and  authority  to 
teach  make  them  great  powers  in  the  ungodly  world  : — 

2  By  the  righteous  being  made   great,   the\,^l^trlV\U"otl: 
people  are  made  glad ;  1  the  people  rejo.ce :  but 

,       .1  .1  •    1      J  -u         • .1„      „    when  the  wicked  bear- 

but  by   the    wicked  man   bearmg   rule,   a|eth  rule,  the   people 

people  are  made  to  mourn. 


I  mourn. 


"  Made  glad."  This  word,  like  the  verb  to  /late,  becomes 
pregnant  in  many  texts;  i.  e.,  it  includes  more  than  the  mere 
passing  feeling.  Hating,  indeed,  as  we  have  seen  (26  :  28), 
throws  out  the  feeling  sometimes,  and  may  imply  what  might 
be  its  consequences.  As,  for  example,  "  He  that  spareth  the  rod 
hateth  his  child."  The  fact  is,  he  may  dearly  love  him.  "  Made 
^/ad,"  therefore,  means  blessed,  as  those  may  be  who  are  really 
sorrowful  (see  Is.  35  :  i).  "Made  to  mourn ;"  so  visited  as  that 
they  would  mourn,  if  they  knew  their  ruin.  Eastern  speech  is  full 
of  such  strokes  in  rhetoric.  The  Proverb  is  a  signal  one.  To 
fill  its  terms,  men  must  be  both  "righteous"  and  "great."  II 
those  two  traits  be  united,  how  grand  the  benefits ! — from  Paul, 
for  example,  or  from  King  Josiah !    Or,  take  a  whole  church. 


486  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

When  the  Christians  become  '•'■great"  all  over  a  land,  how  does 
the  whole  commonwealth  rejoice.  The  world  would  be 
redeemed,  were  it  not  that  the  thrift  that  a  great  church 
begets,  glides  into  excess,  and  comes  back  to  undermine  the 
gospel. 

Not  far  from  this  last  thought  is  the  one  that  follows  : — 

3  A  man,   loving  wisdom,    shall    make   hisj,„3^^°i-|°-^^  wb- 

father  glad  ;  l  er :    but  he  that  keep- 

but  a  companion  of  harlots  shall  destroy, fots Tp"ndet^h "/IL  sabi 
a  competency.  I  stance. 

Christianity  builds  up  things.  It  builds  up  national  pros- 
perity. The  great  ports  and  States  are  the  regions  of  the 
Church.  Christianity  builds  itself  up.  It  builds  up  an 
immensity  of  means.  .  And  Bibles,  and  ministrations  of  the 
truth,  and  actual  piety,  are  the  growth  of  ages.  This  never 
fails  in  the  saint ;  but  in  his  child !  there  is  the  danger.  The 
father  will  have  grace  to  the  end,  but  alas !  his  children  !  If 
unconverted,  what  do  they  do  ?  They  spend  what  the  saints 
heaped  up.  This  brought  the  curse  on  Shiloh.  When,  there- 
fore, a  child  is  converted,  it  arrests  degeneracy ;  it  sheds  back 
joy  upon  those  above  him.  "  A  man,  loving  wisdom,  shall  make 
his  father  glad;  but  a  companion  of  harlots;" — there  now  comes 
the  great  lesson  of  the  Proverb !  Every  careless  child  pulls 
down  the  edifice  which  his  fathers  have  been  building  up.  A 
wise  son  sheds  back  the  light,  and  keeps  up  the  ministrations  of 
the  faith  ;  "  but  a  compatiion  of  harlots  y"  that  is,  in  its  inner 
sense,  our  impenitent  children  under  the  gospel, — pull  down  our 
gospel  gains,  and  spend  the  "  competency "  that  was  to  have 
sustained  them  in  religion.  If  all  did  so,  where  would  be  the 
Church  .^  And  when  all  did  do  so,  as  was  the  case  in  Asia,  how 
soon  did  the  Church  vanish  !  The  gains  of  centuries  were  swept 
by  children  from  the  earth. 

Solomon  is  reminded  that  this  is  a  divine  "judgment."  The 
necessity  of  such  things,  therefore,  is  in  the  idea  that  follows  : — 

4  A  king  by  judgment  gives  stability  to  aL^n7''!i^bi^sh''^tl"^h' 

land  ;  land  :  but   he  that  re- 

but  a  man,  free  in  his  bestowals,  pulls  it|«|;'f;hgif'^°^-e"hrow. 
down. 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTAR  F.  487 

"Free  in  his  bestowals ;"  literally,  "  a  man  of  offerings  or  ob- 
lations." Our  English  has  it, — ^^  but  he  that  receiveth  gifts." 
This  is  the  same  subjective  error  as  the  rendering  that  we  op- 
posed (v.  i).  ''''  Amanof  free  bestowals  "  for  example  "a  king," 
who  is  acting  indulgently  in  all  his  administrations.  Suppose 
he  turns  loose  everybody.  Men  go  to  jail,  and  he  lets  them 
out.  Men  sentenced  to  be  hung  are  certain  to  get  free.  Men 
cumbered  with  debt  are  extricated  by  the  nation.  So  bland 
a  policy,  which  might  seem  all  light,  would  speedily  manifest 
itself  as  all  darkness.  Solomon  wishes  to  declare  this, — the  ne- 
cessity of  a  strict  executive.  And  because  it  is  obvious  on 
earth,  he  expects  it  to  be  agreed  to  in  the  government  of  the 
skies.  "  A  king  by  judgment  gives  stability  to  a  land ;  but  a 
man  free  in  his  bestowals  (or  God,  out  of  kindred  consequence) 
pulls  it  down."  The  doctrine  being,  that  bland,  free  indul- 
gence, without  any  strict  enforcement  of  law,  would  tear  every- 
thing to  pieces,  and  utterly  degrade  Heaven  and  the  universe 
it  governs.  Here  would  be  a  text  against  Universalists  and 
Pelagian  believers. 

If  there  be  this  fixed  law,  a  man  that  flatters  the  infringer  of 
it,  terribly  betrays  : — 


5  A  man  of  influence,  speaking  flatteringly 
about  his  neighbor, 
spreads  a  net  for  his  feet. 


5  A  man  that  flatter- 
e  t  h  his  neighbour 
spreadeth  a  net  for  his 
feet. 


"  A  man  of  influence ;"  simply  one  noun  substantive.  But  it 
is  the  noun," meaning  ^^man"  (E.  V.),  that  implies  power:  a 
strong  man.  The  greater  the  "  jnan"  the  more  dangerous  will 
be  his  fatterj.  The  Church,  therefore,  which  is  a  whole  aggre- 
gate of  men  ;  or  her  ministers,  who  are  her  most  potent  men, 
fatally  ensnare,  when  they  either  deny  or  palliate  damnation. 
This  fault  is  seen  when  we  hurry  men  into  the  church.  Life 
comes  to  the  birth,  and  we  quench  it  by  lack  of  patience.  We 
take  conviction  instead  of  conversion.  And  finding  even 
anxiety  rare  among  the  lost,  we  take  that  for  faith,  and  fail  to 
co-operate  with  God,  who  speaks  roughly  often  like  Joseph 
(Gen.  42  :  7),  and  holds  men  back  in  their  assurance,  till  they 
have  laid  well  the  foundation  of  their  piety.     "  About ;"  the 


488  PROVERBS,  [Chap.  XXIX. 

preposition  over.  Some  would  translate  "  against  "  (Bertheau). 
But  it  is  an  art  in  Solomon  to  make  the  sentence  wide,  and  to 
open  it  abundantly  for  detail.  "  A  man,"  not  simply  "  f/iaf 
flattereth  his  neighbor "  (E.  V.),  but  literally,  "  makes  things 
smooth  concerning  him  /'  for,  the  Hebrew  abundantly  includes 
one  who  never  saw  "  Ms  neighbor,"  and  never  thought  of  him ; 
or  who  never  intended  anything  "  against  "  him ;  but  who  has 
written  a  book,  or  who  has  propounded  a  belief,  which,  in  its 
free  bestowals  (v.  4),  has  torn  all  his  principles  to  pieces. 

The  great  "snare,"  however,  is  "  sin."  That  silent  spectacle, 
mere  sinning,  snares  one's  self,  and  snares  the  "  neighbor  "  who 
only  witnesses  it.  Doctrinally,  its  acts  preach.  Practically,  it 
exhorts  and  influences.  It  denies  the  doctrine  of  eternal  death, 
and  says  constructively, — '  There  is  no  God  at  all.'  Solomon 
is  deep  in  the  philosophy  of  unconscious  influence.  And  yet, 
as  the  converse  to  this,  though  "  sin"  is  a  temptation  to  "sin," 
the  strong  point  in  the  next  Proverb  will  be,  that  "  the  righteous" 
will  be  taught  by  it.  It  is  his  discipline  (Jer.  2  :  19).  He  will 
finally  overcome  it ;  he  will  in  the  end  make  gain  by  it ;  nay,  at 
last,  rejoice  over  it ;  not,  indeed, — that  he  has  been  shamefully 
sinful ;  but  that  he  has  been  bettered  by  his  defeats,  and  that 
they  shall  h^ve  ministered  ultimately  to  his  crown  and  vic- 
tory : — 
6  In  the  sin  of  an  evil  man  is  a  snare;  -^  in  the  transgres- 

.  ,         !     .  sion    01    an     evil    man 

but  the  righteous  overcomes  and  rejoices,    i/iere  is  a  snare ;  but 

the  righteous  doth  sing 
and  rejoice. 

"Overcomes,"  The  favorite  reading  here  has  been,  "doth 
sing"  (E.  V.) ;  but  by  the  use  entirely  of  another  verb.  One 
easier  to  parse  has  been  thrown  aside; — meaning,  to  get  the 
tipper  hand.  We  seize  upon  that  as  the  inspired  one,  and  we 
vindicate  it,  first,  by  its  grammatic  rights,  and  second,  by  its 
superior  sense  as  it  stands  in  the  passage.  "  Sin  "  flatters  and 
leads  us  astray  in  every  fashion ;  and  is,  therefore,  "  a  net"  but 
the  righteous  struggles.  That  very  struggle  strengthens  him. 
Hence  the  delight  in  the  end.  "  In  the  sin  of  an  evil  man  is  a 
snare;  but  the  righteous  overcomes  and  rejoices." 

Like  every  other  rescued  man,  who  is  magnanimous,  "  the 
righteous  "  is  a  rescuer  of  others : — 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTARY.  489' 

1  •  1  1„J^«   r^(  f     7  The  righteous  con- 

7  The  righteous  man  taking  knowledge  ot    gi^reth  the  cause  of 

.1  «r  +1-.^  -.irool'  the  poor :  i^j^;*  the  wick- 

the  cause  of  the  weak,  ^^    regardeth     not     to 

the  wicked  man  makes  no  attempt  to  knowjunow  it. 


It. 


«  Cause  ;«  the  judicial  "  cause  y"  the  great  life  case.     "  Taking 
knowledge ;"  simply  "  knowingr     It  is  a  participle.     When  will 
it  be  that  we  shall  be  so  perfect  in  our  faith  as  to  mark  all 
tenses,  and  all  moods,  of  inspiration,  and  insist  upon  a  sense  for 
each  of  them  ?     Here,  the  first  clause  must  be  participially  a 
■  condition.     The  righteous,  attending  to  the  weak,  the  wicked  does 
not  attend  to  them.     One  conduct  is  the  apology  for  the  other. 
Now  treat  "  the  weak  "  as  spiritual,  and  all  is  most  apparent. 
By  "  the  righteous,"  as  one  of  the  impulses  of  piety,  "  the  weak," 
in  their  lost  estate,  come  naturally  to  be  considered.     "  .The 
wicked  "  on  that  very  account  stand  clear  of  them.     Nay,  an 
ungodly  church  hears  that  they  are  attended  to,  and  slights 
them.     It  is  a  common  impulse.     If  there  be  a  Sunday  School, 
we  hear  of  it,  and  get  rid  of  our  children.     It  helps  our  con- 
science.     Delegated  work ;    men  like  it !    and  so  stands   the 
Proverb.     The  pious  are  attending  to  it  well,  and,  therefore,  we 
"[make]  no  attempt"  that  way.     "  Makes  no  attempt  to  know." 
There  is  a  strange  mingling,  with  the  impenitent,  of  conscious- 
ness and  unconsciousness.     They  are  certainly  conscious  of 
their  negligence,  and  yet  unconscious  of  it ;  and  will  carry  this 
latter  plea  to  the  Judgment  Bar.   "  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an- 
hungered r     Solomon  charges,  however,  that  they  "  {makel  no 
attempt  to  know."     Even  "  the  wicked"  would  scarcely  neglect  a 
child,  and  let  him  go  swift  to  Hell,  if  they  did  not  think  he  was 
attended  to  ;  or  that  Christ,  at  least,  was  in  some  way  "  taking 
knowledge  of  \his\  cause." 

"  Taki?ig  knowledge  of  the  cause  of  the  weak"  (v.  7),  the 
righteous  in  the  end  will  move  in  it ;  and  Solomon,  like  Christ, 
predicts  "  co7nmotion"  (v.  9)  as  incident  to  those  forms  of  enter- 
prise. "  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace  on  earth ;  I 
came  not  to  send  peace  but  a  sword.  For  I  am  come  to  set  a 
man  at  variance,  etc.  "  (Matt.  10  :  34,  35)-  P^^^'  "^^^^  ^^^^''^- 
ly,  deals  in  a  like  description  :— "  I  see  another  law  in  my  mem- 
bers warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind  "  (Rom.  7  :  23).     The 


21^ 


490  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

duty  of  the  righteous  is  to  attend  to  "  the  cause  of  the  7veak  " 
(v.  7) ;  but,  in  doing  so,  he  will  find  eternal  conflict  (v.  9). 

Before  introducing  that  thought,  a  text  prepares  for  it  (see 
other  instances,  24  :  1-6;  28  :  18),  by  giving  it  a  setting,  so  to 
speak,  of  a  more  common-place  annunciation.  The  wise  man 
and  the  fool  man  have  each  their  way  of  raising  a  storm ;  and 
we  are  to  glance  at  the  fool  (v.  8)  before  we  inspect  the  vari- 
ances occasioned  by  "  the  wise  "  (v.  9)  : — 


Scornful  men  set  a  city  on  fire  ; 
but  the  wise  repress  passion. 


8  Scornful  men  bring 
a  city  into  a  snare  :  but 
wise  men  turn  away 
wrath. 


"Scornful  men;"  literally,  "men  0/  scorn"  (see  v.  i).  We 
are  not  to  understand,  vulgar  scoffers,  but  impenitent  citizens, 
all  6f  whom  practically  scorn  the  truth  (see  i  :  22).  "  Set  on 
fire."  A  verb  like  this  means  to  traj>  (see  E.  V.) ;  but  a  verb 
to  />/o7C',  and  hence  to  enflame,  gives  us  the  idea  of  excitement 
(Is.  9  :  18) ;  that  inflamfng  of  mind,  which,  whether  of  God  or 
man,  follows  our  impenitence.  "  The  wise  repress  passion." 
That  is,  they  have  an  influence  for  peace.  Ungodliness,  like 
the  leaven  of  the  "  woman  "  (Matt.  13  :  -^^^  or,  like  the  Termag- 
ant Spouse  (27  :  15),  sets  everything  "  on  fire."  It  is  a  festering 
Hell,  at  peace  neither  with  itself  or  its  Creator. 

But  now  the  other  Storm-King: — 

9  A  wise  man  has  been  in  conflict  with  thel^9//a  wise  man  con- 

foolish  man;  man,   whether  he  rage 

and   there  has  been   commotion    and  de-|°Jst!'"^*'"  """""  "  "° 
rision,  but  no  rest. 

I  dare  not  leave  oK\h.Q  perfects.  Piety  has  already  raised  the 
tempest.  It  is  not  a  thing  of  purpose,  but  a  thing  of  fact. 
The  church  is  not  a  Pantheon  of  all  beliefs  ;  but  from  her  birth- 
day has  been  making  trouble,  as  a  restless  and  jealous  Bride. 
"Commotion  and  derision;"  i.  e.,  deep-moved  feeling  on  the 
part  of  saints,  and  scoffing  and  carelessness  on  the  part  of 
sinners.  Wise  men  are  ever  at  it.  Their  very  prayers  breed 
tempest  (Rev.  8  :  3-5  ;  11:6).  Their  very  sermons  sow  diffi- 
culties :  because  "  the  flesh  lusteth  against  the  Spirit  "  (Gal.  5  : 
17);  and  "the  friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  with  God" 


Chap.  XXIX. J  COMMENTARY.  491 

(Jas.  4:4).     The  past  tense  makes  it  stronger ;  for  it  is  not  an 
intention  to  contend,  but  a  habit,  ever  since  we  were  saints,  to 
be  struggling  in  the  conflicts  for  our  Master. 
The  lost  men  return  the  enmity : — 

10  Men  of  blood  hate  integrity  ;  |,  '°  The  blood-thirsty 

,  ...  -     °       •'    :  ,.  hate  the  upriglit :    but 

but  the  righteous  seek  after  its  very  self.      I  the  just  seek  his  soul. 

We  are  to  notice  the  second  clause.  The  Scripture  never 
says  that  the  wicked  "  hate  integiity  "  in  "  its  very  self,"  for 
that  would  be  untrue.  Purity  of  moral  life  is  a  thing  in 
'''"itself"  reasonable;  and  we  have  shown  before  (1:22)  how 
impossible  for  a  human  soul  in  "  itself"  to  "  hate  "  it.  We  have 
quoted  the  passages  sufficiently  (i  :  22)  that  show  this.  "The 
carnal  mind  is  enmity  against  God."  Why  "i  Because  he  is 
odious  in  Himself.''  Far  from  it.  The  idea  of  God  is  perfect  to 
anybody.  And  so  it  explains  : — Because  God  interferes  with  it, 
and  restrains  it;  "  because  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God, 
neither  indeed  can  be  "  (Rom.  8  :  7).  "And  this  is  the  con- 
demnation, that  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved 
darkness  rather  than  light ;"  why.''  "  Because  their  deeds  were 
evil.  For  every  one  that  doeth  evil  hateth  the  light,  neither 
cometh  to  the  light,  lest  his  deeds  should  be  reproved"  (Jo.  3  :  19, 
20).  There  is,  therefore,  this  eternal  conflict;  but  with  this 
difference, — that  the  wicked  hate  the  light,  because  they  fail  to 
love  it,  and,  therefore,  will  not  brook  its  rancorous  reproofs : 
whereas  "  the  righteous  "  go  deeper.  They  do  love  the  light ; 
and,  as  the  second  clause  discriminates,  they  "  seek  "  its  very 
self ;  and  so,  drawn  by  those  higher  beauties,  resign  what  the 
lost  '"''seek"  and,  as  Christ  expresses  it,  "  come  to  the  light,  that 
their  deeds  may  be  made  manifest  that  they  are  wrought  in 
God"  Jo.  3:21),  The  sentence,  however,  needs  much  consid- 
eration. "  Men  of  blood."  See  i  :  16.  See  also  Rom.  3  :  15.  All 
sinners  are  '''' men  of  blood."  By  their  unconscious  influences, 
they  get  the  blood  of  souls  upon  their  skirts.  "  Hate ;"  for 
reasons  already  given.  ''^Integrity."  There  is  scarce  any 
instance  of  this  adjective  in  a  substantive  form :  and  yet  it  is 
functionally  grammatical.  It  may  be  that  the  Psalms  give  an 
instance  (Ps.  37  :37)."     Other  adjectives  certainly  give  them  in 


492  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

great  abundance  (for  instance  ^lt3  ^^rid  37~i)-  If  we  abandoned 
the  abstract  meaning  of  "  integrity^''  a  kindred  sense  would  even 
still  remain.  "  Alen  of  blood  hate  the  upright  man,  but  the 
righteous  seek  after  him  (or  are  drawn  to  him)  in  his  very  self." 
^^  Its  very  self  •"  is,  literally,  its,  or  his,  soul.  Seekitig  his  soul 
is  usually  in  a  bad  sense.  A  meaning  in  bonavi  partetn  is  found 
in  Ps.  142  : 4,  marg.  But  in  that  case  there  is  a  different  verb. 
Still,  most  commentators  approve  the  English  Version,  "  but  the 
Just  seek  J  i.  e.,  seek  the  good  of,  or  seek  the  deliverance  of,  his, 
that  is,  the  good  man's,  soul."  This  is  rather  a  jumble;  for  the 
man,  when  upright,  less  needs  deliverance.  The  telling  signifi- 
cance is  as  above. 

And  we  go  on  with  that  finely  to  the  text  which  follows. 
The  righteous  makes  his  headway  by  conflict.  He  does  so  with 
others  (v.  9).     And  he  does  so  with  himself  (v.  10) : — 


1 1  A  fool  acts  forth  all  his  spirit : 
but  a  wise  man  subdues  it  back. 


II  A  fool  uttereth  all 
his  mind :  but  a  wise 
man  keepeth  it  in  till 
afterwards. 


"  Acts  forth ;"  literally,  "  causes  to  go  out."  "  Spirit ;"  all  that 
in  a  man  which  God's  Spirit  sanctifies :  of  course,  before  that 
sanctification,  an  unsanctified  ^^ spirit."  The  English  word  is 
not  an  equivalent.  The  meaning  is,  that  our  whole  impenitent 
nature  is  acted  out.  It  grows,  therefore.  A  man  may  think 
that  he  restrains  it.  So  he  does,  to  the  measure  that  he  is  not 
yet  depraved.  But  further  than  this,  it  would  be  one  unsancti- 
fied principle  restraining  another.  To  the  measure  that  he  is 
depraved,  *'  A  fool  acts  forth  all  his  spirit."  But  now  the  beauty 
of  the  conflict!  A  righteous  man  resists  ^^  his  spirit."  He 
"  subdues  it  back."  The  verb  means  to  "  soothe,"  or  "  quiet." 
This  stands  with  the  adverb  '■''back."  The  Christian  does  not 
lose  his  wickedness,  but  checks  it ;  and,  in  checking  it,  "  sub- 
dues  it  back."  This  is  the  progress  of  sanctification.  "  The 
flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh." 
While  the  impenitent  acts  out  all  our  nature,  and  it  grows  in 
strength,  the  Christian  keeps  checking  it,  yea,  cutting  it  down, 
and  thwarting  it,  and  subduing  it  under.  Such  is  the  great 
fight  of  faith  (2  Tim.  4 :  7).     We  are  to  keep  under  our  body, 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTARY.  493 

and  bring  it  into  subjection  (i  Cor.  9  :  27).  And  so,  though  sin 
fights  on,  it  loses.  We  gain  upon  it.  We  check  it  ''''back."  O 
wretched  men  that  we  are,  we  still  carry  it.  But  still,  thanks 
be  to  God,  He  is  giving  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

But  now ;  some  of  those  deep  philosophies  formerly  labored 
upon  (24:7-9;  25:3).  What  is  to  be  gained  by  all  this.? 
What  is  the  use  of  such  a  conflict  "i  Why  did  God  suffer  the 
advance  of  sin  ?  And  why  not  summarily  interfere,  and  give 
the  power  for  easier  and  more  important  victories  1  The  idea 
of  a  great  clinic  occurs  again.  For  there  is  to  be  a  digestion  of 
the  wicked  before  the  King  i^2C, :  5 ).  If  God  would  study  wicked- 
ness, or  rather  lead  the  universe  to  consider  it.  He  has  a  use  for 
the  dead  subject ;  He  has  a  function  for  lost  sinners.  Hence 
blooms  out  the  present  system  !  For,  in  getting  the  mind  into  the 
facts,  all  His  instrumentalities  must  be  "  wicked  men  ": — 


12  A   ruler,  paying  close   attention  to   some 
false  thing, 
will    have    altogether,    as    his    ministers, 
wicked  men. 


12  If  a  ruler  hearken 
to  lies,  all  his  servants 
art"  wicked. 


In  most  of  these  Proverbs  there  are  secular  meanings.  There 
is  to  be  a  spiritual  superstructure,  and  secular  scaffoldings  are 
set  up.  A  king  who  would  ferret  out  wickedness,  must  have 
the  knaves  who  are  guilty  of  the  acts,  as,  in  some  sort,  his  im- 
plements. Let  a  king  be  roused  to  suspicion,  he  will  scarce 
find  anything  out,  if  the  rogues  quit  work ;  because  continued 
rascality  is  the  field  for  the  scent  to  lie  in.  This  is  the  secular 
sense.  The  spiritual  we  have  already  pictured.  The  fancy 
that  it  refers  to  tyrants,  and  that  it  means,  that  "  if  a  ruler 
hearketi  to  lies"  he  makes  all  his  courtiers  ^^  wicked"  (E.  V.), 
throws  the  Proverb  quite  out  of  its  place.  It  has  no  more  any 
connection,  and  no  more  any  important  sense  ;  none  whatever 
that  is  spiritual,  or  upholds  a  theory  for  the  Book ;  no  good 
grammar ;  no  artless  reading  as  a  text.  If  these  Proverbs  are 
really  deep,  and  we  are  to  go  after  an  astute  deliverance,  we 
prefer  one  which  is  a  favorite  with  Solomon  (14:7;  21:12; 
29  :  1 6),  that  wickedness  is  destined  for  a  lesson  ;  and  that,  for 


494  PRO  VERBS.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

reasons  not  open  to  men,  mere  words  are  not  sufficient  to  teach 
it,  and  gross  facts  must  be  the  schooling  for  the  universe.  And 
so  the  Proverb  : — Not  for  this  world  only,  but  for  others :  not 
for  this  age  only,  but  forever;  not  for  our  part  only,  but  for 
God's ;  A  Ruler,  bending  close  attention  upon  si?i,  will  have  alto- 
gether as  his  ministers  abandoned  and  ruined  sinners. 

Nor  is  the  Almighty  altogether  free  from  directing  sin  :  of 
course  a  very  mysterious  feature  of  His  sovereignty  : — 


13  The  poor  man  and  the  oppressor  fit  to- 
gether; 
Jehovah  enlightens  the  eyes  of  both. 


13  The  poor  and  the 
deceitful  man  meet  to- 
gether ;  the  Lord  light- 
eneth  both  their  eyes. 


We  have  had  this  idea  before  (22  :  2).  "Oppresser;"  liter- 
ally, "a  man  of  oppressions"  (see  v.  i).  "The  poor  man;" 
spiritually,  " //z(?  m/^«//d';//."  "  Fit  together  ;"  as  Pharaoh  did, 
and  Moses,  and  Potiphar,  and  all  the  Israelites,  and  "  the  chief 
butler,"  in  that  pregnant  tragedy  of  Egypt.  ^'^  Fit  together  " 
i.  e.,  into  one  mighty  plan.  "  Enlightens  the  eyes ;"  not  sav- 
ingly, but  naturally  (Job  32:8);  gives  them  natural  life  (Num. 
16:22);  gives  them  plain  worldly  wisdom  (Is.  28:. 26);  nay, 
(mysterious  enough)  does  more  than  that.  The  poor  lost  one, 
and  men  that  have  seduced  him ;  nay,  to  speak  boldly  at  once, 
all  forms  of  conceivable  iniquity,  "_/?/"  into  a  common  purpose. 
The  King,  intending  a  lesson,  makes  it  perfect :  not  throwing 
sin  into  Hell,  like  a  load  of  sand,  in  a  promiscuous  heap ;  but 
entering  it  there  upon  a  list,  that  it  may  read  like  a  great 
library ;  and  that  every  form  of  possible  iniquity  may  come  out  in 
the  history  of  impenitence.  Hell,  therefore,  will  be  as  orderly 
as  Heaven.  Hell,  therefore,  will  be  as  predestined  as  Heaven. 
Hell,  therefore,  will  be  as  versatile  as  Heaven  ;  embracing  every 
phase  of  being.  Hell,  therefore,  will  be  as  prepared  for  as 
Heaven;  the  same  God  who  ^^  enlightens"  the  saints,  enlighten- 
ing also,  in  a  far  different  way,  the  eyes  of  the  sinner  (let  me 
not  say  how)  :  but  so  ordering  his  gifts  of  a  wide  intelligence, 
that  there  shall  be  diversities  of  lusts,  and  realized  forms  for 
every  corruption. 

Yet  God  will  be  just : — 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  495 


14  The  king,  judging  the  weak  with  truth, 
his  throne  is  set  firm  forever. 


14  The  king  that 
faithfully  judgeth  the 
poor,  his  throne  shall 
be  established  for  ever. 


"With  truth."  That  says  everything.  Solomon,  having 
plunged  into  the  depths,  comes  up  always  to  strong  ground  to 
vindicate  the  Most  High.  Passing  the  facts  of  sin  through 
every  conceivable  experience,  He  yet  so  holds  "  the  truth  " 
through  the  eternal  labyrinth,  as  to  keep  His  rectitude,  and  to 
"  set  firm"  His  government  among  the  creatures.  Nor  let  us 
be  deceived.  It  is  not  "His  throne"  that  is  to  be  ^^ set  /irm." 
That  would  be  insane.  It  is  we.  He  speaks  after  the  manner 
of  men.  For  us  is  the  grand  Proscenium.  Hell  is  built  up  for 
us.  "  I  know  that  everything  that  God  doeth  is  for  the  uni- 
verse" (Ec.  3  :  14).  And  though  it  is  strangely  fingered;  yet, 
nothing  can  be  taken  from  it,  and  nothing  can  be  added  to  it. 
Its  fittings  together  (v.  13)  may  be  hardenings  of  human  hearts, 
and  blindings  of  wretched  consciences ;  yet  "  God  acts  that 
men  may  fear  before  Him  "  (Ec.  3  :  14).  Take  no  thought  for 
His  work,  whether  it  be  right,  or  whether  it  be  cruel ;  for  eter- 
nity will  show,  that  He  was  all  the  time  "  judging  the  weak  with 
truth,"  and  "  [^setfing^  fwin  His  throne"  in  the  hearts  of  the  crea- 
tion. 

Solomon  still  repeats,  that  laxity  could  never  prosper.  The 
brow  of  these  great  mysteries  is  fitting  for  that  rigid  theme. 
Free  bestowals  would  tear  everything  (v.  4).  There  is  nothing 
so  harsh  on  earth  as  the  menace  of  the  Pit,  except  that  free 
forgiveness  that  would  fail  to  execute  it : — 


15  The  rod  and  reproof  give  wisdom ; 

but  a  child,  left  to  his  own  way,  makes  his 
mother  ashamed. 


15  The  rod  and  re- 
proof give  wisdom  :  but 
a  child  left  to  hitnsel/ 
bringeth  his  mother  to 
shame. 


The  text  is  secular.  Mothers  and  fathers  have  a  right  to 
claim  it ;  and  pastors  to  preach  on  it  that  way.  But  the  cable 
line  that  joins  the  continents  is  important  as  a  whole  ;  and  the 
sole  anxiety  of  the  quiet  watchers  at  the  shore,  is  to  catch  upon 
their  glass  the  glimmer  from  the  Single  Current.  Solomon 
would  saj'^,  that  the  universe  cannot  go  on  as  one  universal  sun- 
shine ;  that  there  is  a  need  for  sad  events ;  that  "  Wisdom"  is  a 


496  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

glorious  prize  (8:  ii,  19);  that  she  is  ministered  to,  even  by 
the  wicked  (14:7);  and  that,  when  the  wicked  are  brought 
upon  the  scene,  free  iargess  is  not  a  grace ;  but  would  make 
government  "asliamed"  (Ex.  34  :  7),  and  tear  to  pieces  the 
whole  of  the  creation  (29  :  4). 

A  shadowing  of  this  is  suffered  to  appear  in  the  present 
world.  Where  "  the  rod  and  reproof  "  are  staid,  and  the  bad 
actually  "  made  great ;"  how  woful  the  outbursting  of  iniquity  : — 

16  By  the  wicked  being  made   great  sin   is  arf  .^uulpiied/tm'^rsl 


made  great ; 
but  the  righteous  see  clearer  by  their  fall. 


gression       increaseth 
but  the  righteous  shall 
see  their  fall. 


"  When"  (E.  V.)  might  do  here  if  anywhere.  We  had  it  so 
written.  But  really  the  other  is  more  truthful.  The  word  is 
"by,"  or  by  7neans  of;  as  of  the  actual  instrument.  "Sin  is 
made  great "  by  the  smner  being  made  great.  And  the  reasons 
multiply.  A  sinner,  ^^  by  being  made  great,"  is  himself  made  a 
greater  sinner ;  first,  by  the  seductions  of  his  worldliness,  and 
second,  by  his  superior  accountability.  And  other  sinners  are 
made  greater  sinners ;  first,  by  his  power  to  influence ;  and 
second,  by  the  bait  of  his  prosperous  successes.  Nothing  could 
be  plainer  than  that  clause  :  but  the  second  is  the  more  weighty. 
"  By  the  wicked  being  made  great,  sin  is  made  great ;"  but  "  the 
wicked"  are  to  be  the  only  sufferers.  "  The  righteous"  are  to 
gain  by  it.  Sin  is  one  of  those  cartoons  of  falsehood  that  are 
to  inure  to  the  teaching  of  the  saints  (v.  12  ;  Gen.  2:9).  With 
a  quiet  utterance,  which  has  failed  to  be  intelligently  observed, 
Solomon  states  the  benefit  in  a  most  philosophic  way.  They 
"see,"  But  "^  follows;  and  '2,  has  been  entirely  overlooked. 
They  '^ see  by."  Not  as  Gesenius  would  declare  (vid.  ns^"!)* 
simply  they  "  see "  (E.  V.) ;  involving  2l»  idiomatice,  in  the 
bare  meaning  of  the  verb  ;  but,  they  get  to  see  by,  or  they  learn  ; 
in  other  words,  they  get  a  lesson.  And  not  a  lesson  merely,  but 
its  result.  They  get  light.  This  is  the  force  of  the  preposi- 
tion. "  By  the  wicked  being  made  great,  sin  is  made  great,  but 
the  righteous  see  (that  is,  see  clearer)  by  their  fall."  Gesenius 
gives  many  cases,  but  a  soupfon  of  more  than  mere  seeing  is  had 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTARY.  497 

in  each.  ^  asserts  its  presence,  and  lends  the  force  of  being 
made  to  see  by,  rather  than  (as  when  the  verb  by  itself  is  used) 
nakedly  to  see  (Ec.  12:3;  see  the  other  cases  of  Gesenius). 
The  greater  sinners  become,  the  greater  sin  becomes  both  in  them- 
•  selves  and  others  :  but  the  greater  on  that  account  their  fall,  ana 
the  greater  the  lesson  derived  to  the  righteous. 

If  "  by  the  wicked  being  made  great  sin  is  made  great "  (v.  16), 
we  are  to  remember  this  fact  in  family  government.  We  are  not 
to  let  our  sons  get  too  much  exalted : — 


17  Discipline  thy  son  and  he  shall  bring  thee     '7  Correct  thy  son, 
rest; 
yea,  he  shall  give  pleasures  to  thyself. 


and  he  shall  give  thee 
rest ;  yea,  he  shall  give 
delight  unto  thy  soul. 


Fathers  are  not  only  an  emblem  of  the  Almighty,  but  the 
Almighty  is  an  emblem  of  fathers  (Eph.  3  :  15).  What  He 
does  they  can  often  imitate.  A  King  0/  free  bestoivals  tears 
everything  to  pieces  (v.  4).  It  should  be  a  hint  for  parents.  A 
stern  "discipline,"  if  not  by  a  mere  ma?t  of  reproofs  (v.  i), 
imitates  the  dealing  of  the  Most  High.  "Thyself;"  Hebraice, 
^^  thy  soul"  (E.  v.).  The  text  is  pregnant.  It  implies  that  we 
give  "  pleasures  "  to  the  "  son."  And  then,  by  force  of  the  one- 
ness, they  flow  back  also  to  one's  "  self." 

It  is  true,  what  a  child  does  not  know  he  is  not  accountable 
for.  We  post  him  to  his  undoing.  If  a  man  positively 
knows  no  law,  he  can  never  be  punished;  nevertheless,  the 
Proverb  teaches,  that  it  is  better  to  know  the  law,  and  to 
keep  it : — 


18  Through  there  being  no  vision  a  people  are 
let  free ; 
but  blessed  is  he  who  observes  a  direction. 


18  Where  M^r^/j  no 
vision,  the  people  per- 
ish :  but  he  that  keep- 
eth  the  law,  happy  is 
he. 


This  is  only  a  hypothetical  case;  for  there  are  no  such 
"  people."  Nevertheless  there  is  such  a  principle.  Just  in 
proportion  as  men  do  not  know,  they  will  not  be  punished. 
Paul  and  Solomon  are  in  full  accord.  "  They  that  sin  without 
law,  shall  also  perish  without  law;  but  they  that  sin  in  the  law 
shall  be  judged  by  the  law"  (Rom.  2  :  12).     These  Proverbs 


498  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

elsewhere  have  taught  the  same  doctrine  (8  :  36).  Men  might 
all  perish ;  but  some  less  terribly,  from  a  difference  of  light 
(13  :  13).  All  men  have  some  light  (Rom.  i  :  20) ;  and  that 
which  they  actually  have,  is  all  that  they  shall  answer  for  in 
the  day  of  final  account. 

Still,  there  is  a  form  of  light  that  we  will  be  punished  for  the 
lack  of,  though  perhaps,  even  thus,  the  statement  is  not  altogether 
true.  There  is  a  form  of  ignorance  that  will  exactly  proportion 
our  guilt.  It  is  ghostly  ignorance,  or  the  absence  of  spiritual 
knowledge.  Perhaps  I  may  still  say  that  a  man  is  punished  for 
what  he  has,  and  not  for  what  he  has  not.  A  man  who  knows 
of  this  ignorance,  and  has  light  enough  to  know  his  need  of  light, 
has  enough  to  give  account  for  in  that,  without  being  supposed 
to  suffer  for  a  profound  negation.  Be  this  as  it  may,  there  is 
such  an  ignorance.  It  exactly  grades  our  sins.  It  is  the 
measure  of  our  depravity.  The  profounder  it  sinks,  we  sink. 
No  man  need  sink  or  perish.  There  is  a  remedy.  "  The  word 
is  nigh  [us]."  The  light  we  need  is  hungering  to  break  in. 
But  mere  "  words  "  will  not  convey  it  to  us.  We  cannot  talk  a 
man  into  the  Celestial  Kingdom  :  for  "  The  legs  drag  after  the 
lame  ;  so  does  a  Proverb  in  the  mouth  of  fools  "  (26  :  7) : — 


19  By  words  a  servant  is  not  disciplined; 
for  he  may  attend,  and  there  be  no  real 


19  A  servant  will  not 

be  corrected  by  words  ; 

for   though   he   under- 

_  stand   he  will   not  an- 

response.  I  s^er. 


"Attend."  Hence  arises  the  responsibility  I  spoke  of  (v.  18). 
No  man  is  so  ignorant  that  he  has  not  had  some  teaching ;  that 
he  has  not  attended^  so  as  to  lay  up  some  truth.  But  his  spirit 
may  not  have  been  reached.  Talking  afterward  may  only 
injure  him;  for  it  makes  him  more  intelligent;  and,  on  the 
principle  stated,  it  makes  him  more  liable  for  the  truth  that 
he  possesses  (Rom.  i :  20) :  moreover,  attending,  and  not  res- 
ponding (£2.33:31),  it  hardens  him.  "The  letter  killeth  " 
(2  Cor.  3  :  6).  It  stirs  up  an  exercise  of  mind,  which,  blunted, 
wears  out  that  much  more  susceptibility.  Solomon  is  putting  his 
finger  on  all  sorts  of  New  Testament  considerations  (2  Cor.  2  : 
16;  Heb.  6;  4).  We  are  to  use  the  word  of  God  (v.  18),  but 
alas  !  prayerfully.     And,  above  all,  we  are  to  avoid  those  prema- 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  499 

ture  hopes,  which  may  be  made  to  spring  from  mere  intellectual 
impressions. 

For,  says  the  Wise  Man, — what  began  with  "words,"  may 
end  in  "70ords."  What  was  wrought  in  mere  syllables  of 
speech,  may  work  itself  off  in  that  way  : — 


20  Seest  thou  a  man  hasty  in  his  words  .'* 
hope  for  a  fool  is  outside  of  him. 


20  Seest  thou  a  man 
iAai  is  hasty  in  his 
words  ?  there  is  more 
hope  of  a  fool  than  of 
him. 


We  are  to  witness  in  the  next  chapter  a  rare  picture  of  this 
(30  :  10).  It  would  give  food  for  the  weightiest  preaching.  We 
conjure  men  not  to  make  promises  to  repent;  but  rarely  think 
of  such  promises  as  so  intolerably  fatal.  False  vows !  We 
warn  against  them.  But  here  they  are  set  upon  in  a  direct 
assault ;  and  made  to  answer  as  the  very  pests  of  the  soul. 
"Outside."  See  remarks  in  a  previous  chapter  (26  :  12).  The 
texts  are  twin  texts ;  and  the  evils,  though  well  discriminated, 
are  to  be  considered  twin  evils ;  the  one,  as  being  wise  in  our 
own  eyes  (26:  12);  and  the  other,  as  being  "hasty  in  [our] 
words"  (29:20).  The  experimental  teaching  is  singularly 
deep.  The  man  "  wise  in  his  own  eyes  "  cannot  be  got  at  by 
argument ;  for,  seeing  nothing  to  change,  he  counts  himself  all 
right  for  Paradise.  While  the  man  hasty  of  speech  sees  every- 
thing to  change,  and  means  to  change  it.  As  with  the  seed  in 
stony  places,  he  heareth  the  word,  and  anon  with  joy  receiveth 
it  (Matt.  13:20).  Repent.?  He  means  to.  The  subject  of 
religion  }  He  has  that  just  now  in  view.  Who  can  get  at  him  } 
Bid  him  inquire  after  Christ.  He  is  doing  it.  Like  Jannes  and 
Jambres,  he  does  not  decry  the  truth,  but  casts  down  his  rod, 
and  imitates  the  pretensions  of  the  believers.  So,  Scripture 
takes  these  two  conditions  of  the  spirit, — the  openly  cavilling 
one,  and  the  eagerly  promising  one,  and  casts  them  into  a 
mould.  It  says,  that  they  are  deadly,  both ;  for  that  the  hope 
of  a  fool  lies  outside  of  either.  Of  course  God  is  supreme.  He 
may  still  convert.  It  would  be  insane  to  prophesy.  But  the 
Wise  Man  makes  bold  to  declare,  that,  if  life  begins,  it  must  be 
"  outside  "  of  all  this.  These  are  dead  points  in  the  orbit  of  a 
spirit.     Like  the  limbs  that  are  decayed,  life  must  begin  some- 


500  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

where  else  in  his  intelligent  nature ;  for  these  promises  that 
swarm  so  upon  our  lips,  are  such  elements  of  death,  as  to 
preclude,  rather  than  make  probable,  the  soul's  salvation.  "  Out- 
side of."  This  is  the  force  of  "ip,  to  which  we  have  already 
adverted  (Job.  ii  :  15  ;  Micah  3:6). 

Above  all,  other  people  are  not  to  feed  hope.     God  does  not ; 
and  we  are  to  imitate  His  more  truthful  discipline  : — 


21  He  that  delicately  brings  up  his  servant 
from  a  child, 
shall  have  him  become  a  son  at  the  length. 


21  He  that  delicately 
bringeth  up  his  servant 
from  a  child,  shall  have 
him  become  his  son  at 
the  length. 


How  many  servants  in  the  church  are  counting  themselves 
sons!  "Delicately  brings  up."  This  is  an  exact  translation; 
"  trains  or  treats  delicately."  A  training  in  the  church,  as  part 
of  a  system  of  compensation,  pays  for  itself  sometimes  by  this 
horrid  risk.  We  manufacture  professors  by  tender  training, 
when  they  are  young.  And  if  anybody  asks,  what  we  distinctly 
mean  by  this,  we  say,  that  motherly  tenderness,  and  churchly 
tenderness,  eagerly  desiring  children's  conversion,  train  them 
into  it  in  superficial  ways ;  bring  before  them  all  the  doctrine  ot 
the  gospel ;  bring  before  them  all  the  terrors  of  the  law ;  tempt 
them  by  all  the  "  honey  "  of  the  church  (25  :  27)  ;  and  inveigle 
them  to  profess ;  tempt  them  to  hope ;  and,  by  a  sort  of  taking- 
for-granted  confidence,  dandle  them  upon  the  arms  of  promise, 
and  really  bait  them  into  a  false  profession.  We  have  some- 
times feared  that  false  hope  might  be  the  curse  of  women. 
There  are  so  many  more  of  them  in  the  church,  that,  unless  the 
balance  of  the  two  sexes  is  to  be  lost  in  another  world,  and  men 
utterly  outnumbered,  there  must  be  some  delusion  of  the  sort  I 
speak  of  Bold  vice  may  curse  men;  and  soft  confidence 
betray  women.  The  timid  fears  of  the  weak  may  predispose 
them  to  be  deceived ;  and  what  the  rougher  nature  shakes  off, 
may  cling  to  woman,  viz.,  luxurious  hopes.  "He  that  de- 
licately brings  up  his  servant  from  a  child,  shall  have  him  be- 
come a  son  at  the  length;"  and  no  persons  are  trained  more 
tenderly  than  timid  girls.  Pastor,  and  members,  and  parents, 
and  even  worldly  people,  and  officers  of  the  church,  take  for 
granted  that  they  will  be  saints.   They  seem  to /ro/ess,  generally. 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTARY.  501 

Women,  trained  in  the  Church,  seem  rarely  out  of  her  com- 
munion. 

The  Wise  Man  is  quick  to  imply,  that  there  is  room  for 
rougher  treatment;  that  down  at  the  bottom,  under  all  this 
gentle  nature,  there  may  be  a  "  cause  for  strife ;"  and  that  "  great 
sin "  may  lie  embedded  under  this  tender  treatment.  We 
ought  to  let  in  upon  it  the  anger  of  the  Almighty  : — 


22  An  angry  man  stirs  the  cause  of  strife  ; 
and  a  wrathful  one,  great  sin. 


22  An  angry  man 
stirreth  up  strife,  and  a 
furious  man  aboundeth 
in  transgression. 


Proverbs,  as  found  in  the  Bible,  are  allegoric  maxims.  Let  us 
hold  to  that  definition.  Th.eYQV].tSi\.Q.\xc\\\?,  allegoric  history.  The 
Psalms  (many  of  them)  are  allegoric  songs  of  praise.  Isaiah  is 
3.n  allegoric  prophecy.  Christ's  are  allegoric  miracles;  just  as 
He  had  also  allegoric  parables.  John's  were  allegoric  pictures. 
Going  back  now,  the  maxims,  and  the  history,  and  the  song, 
and  the  prophecy,  and  the  miracles,  are  all  real ;  the  maxims, 
true  of  common  life,  at  least  the  most  of  them ;  there  being  a  real 
crossing  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  a  real  David  in  Adullam,  and  a 
real  prophecy  of  Babylon,  and  a  real  healing  of  the  withered 
arm;  and  yet  all  parables.  The  very  -word proverb  is  the  same 
as  the  word  parable.  In  26:7  and  9,  and  Ps.  49  :  4,  such  is  the 
translation  (E.  V.).  The  God  who  made  history,  made  it  to 
carry  double;  to  beam  out  its  own  present  lights,  and  to  shine 
forth  also  with  its  more  distant  illuminations.  Hence  the  present 
trivial  Proverb.  Of  course  the  "  angry  "  stir  up  "  strife  j"  and 
of  course  the  "  wratkful"  occasion  "  sin."  But,  like  some  dirty 
brown,  a  nothing  in  itself,  but  a  gem  in  a  Claude's  picture,  so 
this  paint,  poor  if  secular,  is  beautiful  in  the  text's  connection. 
Solomon  is  closing  all  with  deep  pictures  of  our  inner  exercise; 
and  here  he  suggests,  that  a  soul  delicately  brought  up,  and 
baited  into  a  sort  of  sonship,  when  it  has  really  nothing  of  the 
kind,  would  find  that  out  if  it  had  God's  wrath  let  in  upon  it ; 
that  there  exists  low  down  a  "  cause  for  strife ;"  that  it 
possesses,  (buried  under,)  "great  sin"  viz.,  all  that  it  has  ever 
cherished ;  and  that  a  little  rougher  dealing  than  it  has  had, 
would  bring  all  that  out-;    that  God's   wrath    let  in    upon  it 


502  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXIX. 

would  stir  up,  not  strife  (see  15  :  18  ;  16  :  28),  but  (72  prefix) 
"  cause  for  strife  j'  and  "  sin  /'  not  creating  "  sin  "  (both  clauses 
refer  to  what  exists  already)  ;  but  stirring  it  up.  Under  the 
delicate  treatment  (v.  21)  these  things  have  lain  hid.  But 
"  strife"  in  its  "  cause"  and  "  sin  "  in  its  greatness,  have  existed 
all  the  time.  Fierce  conviction  brings  them  out ;  while  delicate 
treatment  smothered  them,  and  concealed  them  from  the 
sinner. 

"  Pride,"  then,  is  the  sum  of  all  falseness : — 


23  A  man's  pride  shall  bring  him  low ; 

but  one  low  in  spirit   shall   get  hold   of 
honor. 


23  A  man's  pride 
shall  bring  him  low: 
but  honour  shall  up- 
hold the  humble  in 
spirit. 


Before  dismissing  the  last  verse,  a  few  points  : — "  An  angry 
man ;"  literally,  a  man  of  anger  j  one  of  the  genitives  that 
expound  verse  first.  "Stirs  «/ y  "  primarily,  "scrapes."  The 
*'  cattse  "  exists,  and  "  anger  "  scrapes  it,  or  irritates  it.  "  Cause 
for  strife  "  as  we  have  already  said,  one  word.  The  ^  prefix, 
implying  ground  or  cause,  clears  up  several  passages,  where 
in  the  E.  V.  it  has  not  been  noticed  (see  Class  XXXIX). 
"  Wrathful  one  "  literally,  master  or  owner  of  wrath  (Prov. 
23  :  2),  "  Great  sin  ;"  not,  "  aboundeth  in  transgressio?i"  (E.  V.). 
That  would  make  the  "furious  man "  (E.  V.)  himself  the 
culprit;  but  these  delicate  communicants  veil  deeply  " great^ 
sin"  and  Solomon  would  teach,  that  frank  treatment  might  have 
made  it  show  itself.  The  next  verse,  which  we  placed  above, 
that  we  might  trace  its  connection,  needs  but  two  remarks ; 
first,  that  "  bring  low,"  in  the  first  clause,  means  a  form  of  low- 
ness  into  which  a  sinner  is  crushed  at  the  last  day  :  while  "  low," 
in  the  second  clause,  means  loioncss  of  "spirit:"  and  second, 
that  "get  hold  of  honor"  is  translated  (E.  V.)  "honor  shall 
uphold."  Two  masculines,  and  grammar  all  right  in  other 
respects,  favor  both  meanings ;  but  ours  has  the  order,  and 
moreover  (what  should  arbitrate  the  doubt),  ours  has  the  pri- 
mary signification. 

If  these //i?//Va/^/j' rc/i-fTrt^  professors  (v.  21)  have  these  buried 
sins ;  these  tenderly  raised  scions  of  the  church  are  really  keep- 
ing company  with  vile  iniquity.     As  all  such  doctrine  implies 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  503 

that  they  have  the  means  to  find  this  out,  the  next  Proverb 
rebukes  them  as  in  fault,  and  warns  them  as  enemies  to 
themselves : — 


24  He  that  walks  with  a  thief,  hates  his  own 
self. 
He  hears  the  oath,  but  does  not  inform. 


24  Whoso  is  partner 
with  a  thief  hateth  his 
own  soul :  he  heareth 
cursing,  and  bewrayeth 
it  not. 


"  Thief;"  an  inspired  title  for  sinners  (Zech.  5:3;  Matt.  21  : 
13).  "Self;" literally, "x^z^/"  (E.V.)  (see  Job  9:  21).  "Hehears 
the  oath,  but  does  not  inform."  All  who  attended  the  syna- 
gogue, might  hear  about  this  every  day.  If  sin  was  committed, 
men  were  made  to  clear  themselves  by  ''''oath  "  (Lev.  5  :  i,  etc.). 
If  they  swore  falsely,  and  did  it  through  ignorance,  and  found 
it  out  afterward,  they  were  to  bring  a  serious  sacrifice  (Lev.  5  : 
4-6).  If  they  swore  falsely,  and  knew  it,  or,  if  they  heard  a  false 
''''oath"  and  knew  about  it,  and  "  [^/V/]  not  inform"  they  were 
to  bear  their  very  worst  guiltiness  (Lev.  6  : 3,  etc.).  This  is 
plainly  the  allusion  of  our  text.  As  though  men  had  two 
natures ;  as  though  the  delicately  raised  servant  were  the  one, 
and  the  "  thief"  with  bad  heart,  the  other ;  the  hypocrite  is  held 
to  be  secretly  aware  of  his  falsities.  If  he  allows  himself  to  be 
deceived,  there  is  serious  wilfulness.  ^^  He  hears  the  oath."  By 
the  very  body  of  the  Master  it  is  he  that  takes  it.  The  ^^  thief  " 
is  in  his  very  bosom  at  the  time.  He  wrongs  the  Church  :  but 
the  great  victim  of  the  wrong  is  much,  nearer  than  his  fellow 
men.  "  He  hates  his  [very]  self;"  that  is,  in  Eastern  language 
(13 :  24),  he  produces  the  results  of  hatred.  What  a  grand 
text  for  an  ante-communion.  The  "hypocrite  has  the  means  of 
knowledge.  "  He  hears  the  oath"  He  goes  to  the  church,  and 
takes  it.  He  has  been  witness  as  to  the  "  thief  j"  for  he  has 
robbed  God,  and  treated  Him  fraudulently  in  His  very  presence, 
"  He  hears  the  oath  "  intended  to  make  a  clean  heart,  and  buries 
everything.  And  for  a  life  time  in  the  church,  he  is  taking  that 
"  oath "  for  exculpation,  and  all  the  time  harboring  the 
iniquity. 

Now  one  influence  is  to  account  for  this.  Solomon  sets  his 
pen  right  upon  that  one.  It  is  "  a  man's  fear  "  that  drives  him 
to  be  a  hypocrite.     ''Fear"  is  the  great  counterfeiter.     Men 


504  PROVERBS,  [Chap.  XXIX. 

want  this  world;  but  "fear"  scares  them  about  the  next. 
Women  have  more  "fear "  than  men.  Women,  I  fear,  have 
more  hypocrites  than  men.  Men  would  be  more  led  by  fact, 
and  less  driven  by  the  apprehensions  of  impenitence.  "Fear" 
therefore,  is  the  great  counterfeiter.  And  by  this  we  mean,  not 
that  it  impels,  simply,  but  that  it  furnishes  the  raw  material.  It 
makes  the  counterfeit  out  of  its  very  self: — 


25  The  fear  of  man 
bringeth  a  snare:  but 
whoso  putteth  his  trust 
in  the   Lord    shall   be 


25  A  man's  fear  brings  a  snare  ; 

but  he  that  trusts  in  Jehovah  shall  be  set 
on  high.  '^Jl 

When  we  say  that  "  a  man's  fear"  becomes  the  counterfeit, 
we  mean  literally,  that  a  man's  repentance  may  be  nothing  but 
"fear."  Eight  soldiers  were  ordered  to  be  shot.  We  attended 
them  in  their  agonized  moments;  and  they  would  have  de- 
ceived the  very  most  penetrating.  They  were  melted  into 
humble  grief,  and  yet  buoyed  by  the  most  clear-put  confidence. 
The  days  passed  on,  and  they  were  led  out  to  be  shot.  Below, 
in  the  court,  there  were  three  suddenly  pardoned.  The  five 
seemed  Christians  to  the  last ;  the  three,  by  night,  were  in  a 
blasphemous  orgie.  We  did  not  see  all  this.  It  may  have  been 
highly  colored.  But  the  chaplain  at  'the  post  told  me  that  it 
was  an  old  experience.  "  Matis  fear"  therefore,  "  brings  a 
snare."  In  the  low-ground  of  earthliness,  the  plain  is  full  of 
such.  To  "be  set  on- high,"  we  must  get  a  trust  that  shall 
manifest  itself  as  being  "  in  Jehovah  ;"  and  to  be  "in  Jehovah" 
it  must  accord  with  His  nature.  Repentance  may  wear  a  close 
analogy  to  molten  terror ;  and  if  it  begin  in  that,  it  may  school 
itself,  out  of  timidity,  upon  a  mere  decency  of  life.  We  must 
trust  Jehovah.  To  trust  Jehovah,  we  must  know  Him.  To 
know  Him,  we  must  be  like  Him.  To  be  like  Jehovah,  we 
must  hate  sin.  To  hate  sin,  we  must  have  a  discernment  of 
holiness.  And  to  do  that,  the  whole  burden  of  this  Book  is, 
that  we  must  have  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of 
God  as  it  is  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  Those  poor  soldiers 
had  but  the  pestling  o{"fear"  and  "Though  thou  bray  a  fool 
in  a  mortar  in  the  midst  of  grits  with  a  pestle,  his  folly  shall 
not  depart  from  him  "  (27  :  22.) 


Chap.  XXIX.]  COMMENTAR  Y.  505 

Hence  follows  another  instance  of  a  divided  Divinity  (see  24  : 
21 ;  25  :  2).  King  alone,  God  is  often  looked  at.  King  alone, 
men  often  trust  to  Him.  Looked  at  merely  as  "the  Ruler," 
men  fear  Him,  and  court  Him,  and  simulate  a  selfish  piety.  This 
is  the  whole  English  of  hypocrisy.  As  the  Arbiter  merely  of 
a  law,  God  is  the  idol  of  myriads  of  devotees.  This,  after  all, 
is  the  true  philosophy  : — 


26  Many  seek  the  ruler's  favor  ; 

but  a  man's  judgment  is  from  Jehovah. 


26  Many  seek  the 
ruler's  favour:  but 
every  man's  judgment 
Cometh  from  the  Lord. 


The  fakir,  or  dungeoned  monk;  the  hook-swinger,  or  vic- 
tim of  Juggernaut  or  the  Ganges  or  Suttee ;  every  form 
of  false  religion  in  this  land  or  any  under  the  sun,  are  the 
"many  [seeking]  the  Biiler's  favor."  And,  in  a  way  that  all 
must  think  graphic,  Solomon  portrays  now  the  nature  of  the 
whole  deception.  If  I  profess  Christ,  let  me  ask,  Do  I  do  more 
\hz.TX '''' seek  the  face  of  the  Ruler 2"  My  fear;  it  is  but  that. 
My  service ;  it  may  be  but  that.  My  faith  ;  it  may  be  only 
that ;  directed  by  an  intellectual  soundness  in  the  creed.  Be- 
cause, put  together,  first,  fear;  then,  knowledge;  next,  decen- 
cy ;  then,  gospel  nurture  :  some  day,  deep  conviction ;  and, 
afterward,  delicate  bringing  forward  by  the  church  (v.  21) ;  and 
you  have  the  ingredients  of  a  hope  that  is  just  as  false  as  Pagan 
sorceries.  "A  man's  judgment  is  from  Jehovah."  '■'■  A  man's 
judgfnent ;"  i.  e.,  a  man's  verdict  that  makes  him  righteous  in 
the  end.  "  Is  from  Jehovah  :"  not  from  "  the  Ru/er"  only,  but 
from  all  the  noble  attributes  of  the  Deity  as  the  Most  High. 
To  crouch  to  Him  simply  as  King,  or  to  court  Him  simply 
for  His  law,  is  the  wide  hypocrisy.  To  trust  Him  as  ^'Jehovah," 
is  to  love  Him  in  His  superior  excellences. 

Now  to  judge  whether  we  do  this,  Solomon  leaves  but  one 
other  criterion : — 

27  An  abomination  to  the  righteous  is  a  wicked 
man ; 
and  an  abomination  to  the  wicked  man  is 
he  that  is  righteous  in  his  way. 


27  An  unjust  man  is 
an  abomination  to  the 
just,  and  he  that  is  up- 
right in  the  way  is  ab- 
omination to  the  wick- 
ed. 


How  do  we  tally  with  that .?     In  other  words, — Religion  is  a 
22 


So6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXX. 

love,  not  an  expedient.  The  question  is,  not, — Do  we  fear  Hell  ? 
but, — Do  we  love  holiness  ?  Our  flight  to  Christ  must  be  out  of 
our  iniquity,  as  well  as  out  of  our  danger.  We  will  not  declare 
that  self-interest  is  not  for  the  saints ;  and  that  they  have  not 
been  driven  by  ^^/ear  ;"  nor  that  the  law  is  not  a  school-master 
to  bring  them  to  Christ  (Gal.  3  :  24).  No;  for  verse  twenty- 
second  means  this  very  thing.  But  we  will  declare,  that  these 
are  no  part  of  their  religion.  Till  they  strike  the  clear  waters 
of  love,  all  else  has  been  mere  digging ;  and  if  a  man  really 
wants  to  know  whether  he  belongs  to  Christ,  let  him  take  this 
last  verse.  "  An  abomination  to  the  righteous  is  a  wicked  man." 
Does  he  really  hate  wickedness.?  Again,  "an  abomination  to 
the  wicked  is  he  that  is  righteous  as  to  his  way."  Mark  the 
difference.  "  The  way  "  is  mentioned.  In  the  first  clause  di- 
rectly the  "  wicked"  in  himself;  in  the  second  clause  only  "///<? 
way."  How  singularly  careful!  ^^  T/ie  wicked"  might  say 
truly, — he  does  not  hate  the  "  righteous  "  (see  all  this  discussed 
I  :  22,  et  alibi);  but  he  hates  ^^  his  way."  He  cannot  bear  to 
walk  in  it.  Articulately  given,  we  are  left,  therefore,  with  these 
tests.  Is  "  the  wicked  man  an  abomination"  ?  And  then,  re- 
versing it,  Is  "  the  righteous  man  an  abomination"  ?  or  (as  we 
might  deny  that  in  terms),  is  it  "  a?i  abofnination  "  to  us  to  be 
left  forever  nothing  but  the  "  righteous  [man's]  way?" 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Hitzig  took  the  first  part  of  this  chapter,  and  looked  at  it  in 
its  original  consonants.  He  determined  that  the  Masorites  had 
missed  the  sense  ;  that  the  first  verse  was  not  a  string  of  names ; 
that  the  consonants  must  be  divided  differently;  that  there  must 
be  a  different  vocalization  ;  and  that,  thus  treated,  the  passage 
had  a  consistent  sense,  which  dropped  most  of  the  proper 
names,  and  made  of  them  a  more  didactic  signification.  Stuart 
adopted  his  view ;  and  so,  we  see,  has  Zockler,  in  his  recent 
work.      The  following  is  Hitzig's  translation,  as  given  in  the 


Chap.  XXX.]  COMMENTAR  V.  507 

English  of  Stuart : — i.  "  T/ie  words  of  Agur,  the  son  of  her  who 
was  obeyed  in  Massa.  Thtcs  spake  the  man  : — /  have  toiled  for 
God,  I  have  toiled  for  God,  and  have  ceased.  2.  For  stupid  am  I 
more  than  atiy  man  ;  and  I  have  not  the  understanding  of  men. 
3.  For  I  did  not  learn  wisdom  j  nor  did  I  become  acquainted  with 
a  knowledge  of  the  Most  Holy.  4.  Who  ascejideth  to  Heaven,  and 
then  descendeth  ?  Who  hath  gathered  the  wind  in  his  fists  ?  Who 
hath  bound  up  the  waters  as  in  a  garment  ?  Who  hath  established 
the  ends  of  the  earth  ?  What  is  his  name,  and  what  is  his  sojts 
name,  that  thou  shouldest  knoiv  him  ?  "  Our  objections  to  this  are, 
first,  that  it  is  a  bold  resort  for  the  discovery  of  a  sense  ;  excu- 
sable, if  necessary ;  but  always  yielding  in  likelihood  to  a 
reading  that  employs  the  Masoretic  text :  second,  that  it  is  an 
unlikely  reading  for  "  massa,"  and  a  very  unusual  one  indeed 
for  the  mere  accusative,  which  is  translated  "for  God  j"  third, 
that  it  gives  no  perspicuous  meaning ;  and  fourth,  that  it  gives 
none  whatever  in  unity  with  the  texts  that  follow.  This  last  is 
not  a  damning  difficulty,  but  becomes  so  in  the  case  of  Hitzig; 
because  the  meaning  that  he  gives  is  but  little,  except  as  a  high 
exordium.  We  discard,  however,  with  almost  equal  confidence 
the  Old  Version,  which  has  been  retained  by  most  commenta- 
tors as  better  than  Hitzig's  alteration.  The  difficulty  of  the 
Old  Version  is,  that  it  multiplies  the  unknown  so.  Nobody 
knows  "Agur."  Nobody  knows  "Jakeh."  Nobody  knows 
"  Ithiel,"  or  why  the  name  should  be  so  solemnly  repeated.  And 
nobody  can  give  any  account  of  "  Ucal"  It  is  not  probable 
that  a  king  would  be  so  thoroughly  unknown.  Moreover, 
nobody  knows  "  Lemuel"  (31  :  i,  4) ;  for  we  treat  similarly  the 
thirty-first  chapter.  Nobody  knew  Melchisedec,  and  nobody 
knew  Job.  Our  argument  is  not  a  perfect  one  :  but  it  evinces 
high  probability  ; — because  both  Job  and  Melchisedec  zxtmade 
familiar,  and  are  thoroughly  explained  in  their  appearance  on 
the  stage.  But  what  vital  meaning  do  we  get  from  "  AgtcrV 
Where  is  the  force  of  what  is  so  gravely  brought  upon  our 
view  }  It  struck  us  that  we  would  take  the  simple  Hebrew,  and 
enquire  its  meaning.  We  would  accept  nothing  as  a  proper 
name  till  we  found  it  destitute  of  sense  :  and,  following  no 
intricate  conceits,  we  would  fail  of  a  directer  meaning,  before 


5o8 


PROVERBS. 


[Chap.  XXX. 


we  went  off  into  anything  more  difficult.  It  is  astonishing  how 
facile  the  result.  We  believe  that  all  was  the  work  of  Solomon. 
We  believe  that  there  was  no  such  man  as  "  Agur"  except  the 
Great  Man,  Christ  Jesus.  We  believe  there  was  no  such 
"  kiftg"  as  '■^Lemuel."  We  believe  everything  is  the  work  of 
Solomon,  as  much  as  any  Proverb.  If  it  appear  Arabic,  or 
extra-Hebraic,  no  matter;  Solomon  gathered  his  material  over 
a  wide  surface.  We  believe  it  is  distinctly  what  it  says,  "  The 
Prophecy."  We  count  it  as  all  finished  in  the  four  first  verses, 
and  ''  Jakeh"  and  '' Jthiel"  and  "  Ucal"  and  "Muel"  in  the 
next  chapter  (vs.  i,  4),  we  would  be  quite  willing  to  read  that 
way,  if  like  "  Lo-ammi"  in  the  Prophet,  or  "  Lo-ruhama/i,"  words 
confessedly  significant  (Hos.  i  :  8,  9),  it  were  thought  euphoni- 
ous, or  wise,  to  give  them  without  a  translation.  But  what  the 
Hebrews  saw,  why  not  our  people  see .''  Certain  it  is  that  the 
words  to  a  Hebrew  were  about  as  follows : — 


Words  of  I-Fear,  Son  of  the  Godly ;  The 
Prophecy : — 

The  Strong  Man  speaks  to  God-with-me, 

to  God-with-me  and  to  I-am-able. 

Forasmuch  as  I  am  more  brutish  as  to  my- 
self, than  a  man  of  the  better  sort, 

and  have  not  the  intelligence  of  a  common 
man, 

and  have  not  been  taught  wisdom, 

and  yet  know  the  knowledge  of  holy  things; 

who  has  gone  up  to  heaven  and  come 
down  ? 

who  has  gathered  the  wind  in  his  fists? 

who  has  bound  the  waters  in  a  garment  1 

who  has  set  firm  all  the  extremities  of  the 
earth  ? 

what  is  his  name,  and  what  is  his  son's 
name  ?     Because,  Thou  knowest. 


The  words  of  Agur 
the  son  of  Jakeh,  even 
the  prophecy:  the  man 
spake  unto  Ithiel,  even 
unto  Ithiel  and  Ucal. 

2  Surely  I  am  more 
brutish  than  any  man, 
and  have  not  the  un- 
derstanding of  a  man. 


3  I  neither  learned 
wisdom,  nor  have  the 
knowledge  of  the  holy. 

4  Who  hath  ascend- 
ed up  into  heaven,  or 
descended?  who  hath 
gathered  the  wind  in 
his  fists?  who  hath 
bound  the  waters  in  a 
garment?  who  hath 
established  all  the  ends 
of  the  earth  ?  what  is 
his  name,  and  what  is 
his  son's  name,  if  thou 
canst  tell  ? 


Let  us  examine,  first,  the  language,  and  then  the  result  as  to 
the  sense.  "I-fear."  This  is  the  very  simplest  Hebrew.  It 
actually  occurs  in  Deuteronomy  (32  :  27).  The  verb  is  the 
familiar  one  ~i:]^,  which  means  primarily  to  turn  out  of  the  ivay. 
And  this  turning  out  of  the  way  for  danger,  is  a  prudent  and  an 
innocent  character  of  ""fear"    *'  Agur"  therefore,  or  "  I-fear" 


Chap.  XXX.]  COMMENTARY.  509 

with  the  light  we  get  afterward,  marks  -Himself  as  the  "  Strong 
Man "  of  the  next  clause ;  the  "  Son  of  the  Godly,"  because 
descended  out  of  the  loins  of  the  Church  (see  Rev.  12:5);  and 
the  "  Man  "  (just  as  "  Muel  "  (31  :  i)  is  God  and  man) ;  contem- 
plating the  low  humanity  of  Christ,  which  is  about  to  express 
its  wonder  at  its  amazing  knowledge.  "  Godly  /'  from  a  root 
meaning  to  venerate :  "  Jakeh  .-"  it  is  the  singular,  and  means 
"  the  pious  one  "  which  keeps  in  view  what  is  too  often  forgotten, 
that  Christ  was  not  the  son  of  the  abandoned,  but,  as  His 
mother  expresses  it  (31:2),  ^^  the  son  of  my  vows."  "The 
Prophecy;"  not  neediinWY prediction,  as  in  the  present  case,  but 
an  oracle,  or  vision,  or  inspired  elation,  of  any  kind.  The  words 
that  follow  constitute  "  the  Prophecy  "  for  though  the  speech  of 
the  '■'Man  "-Christ  does  not  begin  till  the  second  verse,  the  very 
names  in  the  next  clause  are  predictive  ;  and  the  most  vitally  so 
of  the  whole  of  the  vision.  "  The  Strong  Man;"  strojig,  though 
weak ;  "  Strong,"  because  He  sees  in  Himself  such  wonderful 
conditions.  The  word  "  strong  "  is  implied  in  the  noun  that  is 
selected.  "  Speaks  ;"  oracularly.  It  is  the  solemn,  poetic,  and, 
in  fact,  rare  expression.  "  To  God-with-me."  That  the  Man 
Christ  should  address  the  Deity  has  innumerable  precedents. 
If  it  were  necessary,  we  could  imagine  the  Human  Nature  as 
addressing  the  Divine  Nature ;  for  that  really  occurs,  in  high 
Eastern  vision,  in  the  Book  of  Zechariah  (3  :  4-6,  7,  8).  In 
lofty  texts,  like  this,  it  is  perfectly  admissible.  Christ  speaks  of 
His  Divine  Nature  (J0.3  :  13) ;  and  speaks  of  it  as  being  where 
the  Man  Christ  Jesus  was  not,  viz.,  in  Heaven.  But  the  fourth 
verse  of  this  chapter  mentions  both  Father  and  Son ;  and, 
therefore,  in  this,  which  is  so  near  it,  it  is  not  necessary  to  dis- 
tinguish. "  The  Strong  Man  "  speaks  to  the  "  God"  which  was 
''with  [Him],"  and  calls  Him  "  Z7^^/,"  which  means,  "  I-am- 
able."  There  was  a  powerful  Divinity  in  Christ ;  and  that  He 
was  wondering  about.  His  mother  repeats  the  wonder  in  the 
after  case  (chap.  31:2).  The  whole  is  a  grand  "  Prophecy  "  of 
Christ  in  the  form  of  a  grand  inquiry.  "  Agtir  "  makes  it  of 
''Ithiel."  That  is,  the  "  Man,"  '' I-fear,"  goes  searching  into 
\hQ''God-with-7ne."  There  is  an  " /-/d-dir "  part,  and  an  "7- 
am-able"  part,   of  His  one  Grand   Person;    and  these  parts 


5IO  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXX. 

speak  even  in  the  New  Testament  with  the  humility  (Jo.  5:19, 
30),  and  with  the  splendor  (Jo.  8:58),  that  belong  to  each. 
"Forasmuch  as;"  the  simple  particle  because.  "I  am  more 
brutish ;"  i.  e.,  more  the  mere  untaught  animal.  "  As  to  myself;" 
i.  e.,  as  to  my  human  self;  for  it  is  the  "  Strong  Man  "  that 
speaks.  The  emphasis  is  laid  by  the  mere  expression  of  the 
pronoun.  "  Than  a  man  of  the  better  sort ;"  that  is,  than  an 
educated,  refined  man,  which  Christ  was  not.  "  The  better  sort" 
is  expressed  by  the  noun  selected  (see  Class  XLIX).  "And 
have  not  the  intelligence  of  a  common  man."  That  is,  He  had 
not  the  education  usually  given  to  the  more  lowly.  The  com- 
momiess  of  the  humanity  is  expressed  again  by  the  noun  (see 
Class  XLIX).  "  And  have  not  been  taught  wisdom."  Here  the 
emphasis  is  on  the  "■  taitght."  "And  yet  know  the  knowledge 
of  holy  things."  The  meaning  of  the  whole  is,  that  He  had 
singular  light.  He  confronted  the  doctors  in  the  Temple ;  and, 
as  a  little  child,  was  a  miracle.  Whence  came  this .?  This  is 
what  the  "  Prophecy  "  represents  as  a  surprise.  "  Who  has 
gone  up  to  Heaven  and  come  down?"  Somebody  has.  The 
"  Strong  Man  "  addresses  this  appeal  to  the  "  God-with-itie  ;" 
and  ends  it  significantly  : — Who  is  it }  "  Who  has  gotie  up  to 
Heaven^  etc.  ?  "  "Because  Thou  knowest."  One  word  back  in 
the  third  verse  : — "  hnoza  the  knowledge."  "  We  have  not  altered 
this;  nor  said, — ^^ have  the  knowledge"  (E.  V.),  which  would 
be  better  English  ;  because  this  seems  an  intentional  form  (see 
Chap.  1:2;  also  17  :  27).  The  words  that  Christ  gave  to  His 
disciples,  God  gave  to  Him  (Jo.  17:8,  14,  25,  26)  ;  and  Christ, 
in  saying  so,  would  include  all  senses ;  the  outer  word ;  the  in- 
ner word ;  the  outward  blessed  revelation ;  and  the  inward 
teaching.  He  knew  the  knowledge ;  i.  e.,  He  discerned  in 
perfect  ways  what  the  Spirit  without  measure  was  there  to  im- 
part. Going  up  to  heaven  j  gathering  the  wind  j  binding  the 
waters  ;  and  setting  firm  the  extremities  of  the  earth, — were  the 
work  of  a  Divinity.  Some  Divinity  had  been  at  work  upon  Him. 
He  applies  to  the  Able  One,  to  the  God  with  Him,  to  explain  a 
low  man's  wonderful  knowledge :  and  then  adds,  as  significant 
of  the  reply, — ''''Because  Thou  knowest."  It  will  be  seen  that 
we  unlimber  the  third  verse  in  part,  as  we  have  in  similar  cases 


Chap.  XXX.]  COMMENTARY.  511 

(1:3;  2:2).  All  lies  buried,  without.  Other  commentators 
string  the  whole  in  one.  This  change  is  highly  important ;  and 
it  is  upon  this  unlimbering  of  a  clause,  that  the  whole  passage 
reveals  its  signification.  There  remains  little  to  add.  These 
are  the  words  of  "  I-fear."  The  rest  goes  on  as  from  Solomon. 
This  first,  too,  is  his  own  lucubration.  We  might  mark  three 
verses  (2,  3,  4)  with  quotations  ;  and  these  would  be  the  speech 
of  tht  ^^  S/ro/ig  Man."  Mary,  in  the  thirty-first  chapter  (v.  2), 
wonders  about  her  Son.  She  asks,  under  awful  mystery, 
"  What  is  my  Son?  and  what,  etc."  That  will  come,  therefore, 
as  a  helpful  confirmation.  (This  apart,  however).  We  have 
altered  no  word.  There  is  a  slight  irregularness  in  the  word 
"  Ucal."  But,  with  that  exception,  we  have  gone  out  of  our 
way  not  even  for  a  pebble;  and  it  seems  that  in  this  close  of  the 
Book,  God's  Spirit  deepens  upon  the  King;  and,  whether  he 
borrows  some  Balaam-oracle,  or  puts  together  imagery  from 
varied  source,  this  strikes  our  mind  as  certain,  that  the 
smoothest  and  most  artless  rendering,  makes  Christ,  in  this 
chapter,  and '  His  mother,  in  the  next,  to  be  pictured,  in 
'■''  prophecy"  as  revolving  what  manner  of  "  Strong  Man  "  Jesus 
was  (Luke  i :  66). 

The  division  makers  have  given  none  between  these  last 
sentences  and  the  next.  And  doubtless  Solomon  meant  a 
connection,  in  binding  us  to  that  theory  of  God's  "  words " 
which  has  encouraged  us  to  the  literal  taking  of  these  last  in  the 
way  that  we  have  been  bold  to  do  : — 


5  Every  word  of  God 
is  pure  :  he  is  a  shield 
unto  them  that  put 
their  trust  in  him. 


6  Add  thou  not  unto 
his  words,  lest  he  re- 
prove thee,  and  thou  be 
found  a  liar. 


5  Every  speech  of  God  is  tried. 
He  is  a  buckler  to  them  that  take  refuge  in 

Him. 

6  Add  thou  not  unto  His  words; 
lest  He  use  thee  for  purposes  of  reproof, 

and  thou  be  shown  up  as  false. 

"  Speech;"  not  the  usual  term  for  "  word"  (E.  V.),  but  more 
literally,  "  speech."  What  God  utters,  therefore,  is  the  thing  in- 
tended. "Tried;"  literally,  in  a  furnace;  i.  e.,  by  heat,  like 
ore.  "  Every."  God  never  utters  anything  carelessly,  or  mean- 
inglessly,  like  men.  Nor  does  He  speak  speculatively.  "  He  is 
a  buckler."     What  He  talks  to  us  about  is  our  deliverance.     In 


512  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXX. 

this  solemn  light,  "Add  thou  not  unto  His  words  ;"  for  they  are 
vital.  Mere  speculation  might  brook  denial ;  but  where  eter- 
nity hangs,  be  careful.  "  Add  thou  not  unto  His  words,  lest  He 
use  thee  for  purposes  of  reproof ;"  literally,  "  lest  He  reprove  by 
thee."  Gesenius  would  translate  like  the  English  Version;  but 
we  have  examined  the  cases  with  ^,  and  they  mean,  to  make  a 
reproof  out  of  a  thing  (Is.  11:4;  2  Sam.  7  :  14).  So,  to  see  by 
a  thing  (29  :  16).  The  meaning  is,  God's  words  are  not  only 
"  tried,''  but  vital.  He  who  spoils  them  by  altering  their  sense, 
will  not  only  be  made  an  example  of  in  reproving  others,  but  in 
the  end  will  find  that  he  has  mistaken  his  "  refuge."  So,  then, 
we  have  a  useful  Proverb ;  but  we  have  it  reflecting  its  lights 
upon  the  "  ^e/^r^i' "  just  noticed  (vs.  1-4).  Those  strange  syl- 
lables are  "  tried.''  There  is  a  meaning  in  every  one  of  them. 
"  ^^o-«r,"  and  "  ya/^(f/;,"  and  ^^  Ithiel,"  are  like  gold  altogether 
refined.  We  have  a  right  to  clutch  at  it  down  to  its  very  dust. 
And  that  guarded  too  from  the  thought  of  its  being  mere 
wonder  J  for  these  are  names  of  deliverance.  This  very  "  God" 
is  a  "  buckler."  This  very  "  Man  "  is  a  delivera'nce  ;  if  we  es- 
pouse the  truth,  and  make  no  additions.  And  this  very 
"  Man  "  will  make  a  use  out  of  us  all.  For,  if  we  despise  His 
words,  then  He  will  make  a  reproof  of  us,  and  show  our  falseness. 
Next  comes  what  is  called  the  ^Prayer  of  Agur.'  We  con- 
ceive it  to  be  no  part  of  the  "  7Vords  of  Agur"  at  all ;  but  a  con- 
tinuance, as,  indeed,  there  has  been  all  along,  of  the  words  of 
Solomon,  Solomon,  having  stated  that  the  words  of  God  are 
tried,  and  that  they  are  practical ;  for  that  "  He  is  a  buckler 
to  them  that  take  refuge  in  Him  ;"  puts  His  deliverance  to  the 
test  by  this  model  prayer.  It  embraces  everything.  Solomon 
asks  "  two  things ;"  first,  piety ;  and,  then.  Providences  that  will 
favor  it,  and  build  it  up.  In  asking  piety,  he  puts  it  in  that 
dual  form  so  common  in  Scripture  (3:3;  Jas.  i  :  27)  ;  and  that 
fits  it  to  the  Two  Tables  of  the  Law.  In  asking  good  Provi- 
dences, he  seizes  that  golden  mean  most  favorable  to  an  ad- 
vance in  grace.     Let  us  listen  to  him  : — 

7  Two  things  have  I  asked  from  Thee.  ^  >,°  *''i''^^'  '^f  <=  ^ 

I  t>  ,  _     . .  required  of  thee  ;  deny 


Refuse  me  not  before  I  die. 


me  them  not  before  I 
die: 


Chap.  XXX.]  COMMENTARY.  513 


8  Remove  far  from  me  naughtiness  and  fraud. 
Give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches. 

Let  me  break  off  the  food  appointed  for 
me. 

9  Lest  I  be  full,  and  deny, 
and  say, — Who  is  Jehovah .? 
or,  lest  I  be  poor,  and  steal, 
and  wrest  the  name  of  my  God. 


8  Remove  far  from 
me  vanity  and  lies; 
give  me  neither  pover- 
ty nor  riches :  feed  me 
with  food  convenient 
for  me  : 

9  Lest  I  be  full,  and 
deny  thee^  and  say, 
Who  is  the  Lord  ?  or 
lest  I  be  poor,  and 
steal,  and  take  the 
name  of  my  God  in 
vain. 


The  Two  Tables  of  the  Law  are  met  by  the  expressions, 
"  naughtiness  and  fraud."  "  Naughtiness  "  would  not  be  badly 
translated  "  vanity  "  (E.  V.) ;  for  the  word  grew  to  mean  what 
was  e/nj>ty  and  vain  ;  and,  as  such,  it  would  well  represent,  not  lov- 
ing God,  but  violating  the  First  Table  by  worshiping  ^^  vanity." 
But  the  primary  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  is  not  "  vanity,"  but 
something  positively  bad.  Then  it  grew  to  mean  deceitful ; 
and  then  vain,  as  something  that  miserably  deceives.  "  Vanity" 
therefore,  is  not  primary ;  and  Solomon  chooses  the  word  as 
meaning  positive  badness,  as  well  as  the  quality  of  being  vain. 
"  Naughtiness"  is  a  capital  word,  if  we  could  restore  it  into  the 
English ;  for  it  has  the  quality  of  being  naught,  as  well  as  a 
tincture  of  positive  evil.  What  Solomon  prays  against  is  viola- 
tion-of  either  Table;  against  ''''  naughtiness,"  z%  rejecting  God; 
and  against  '"'' fraud"  (literally,  an  affair  of  lying^,  as  injuring 
our  fellow-men.  And  then,  as  the  other  thing  prayed  for,  he 
asks  for  favorable  Providences.  "  Give  me  neither  poverty 
nor  riches."  He  states  the  reason.  "  Lest  I  be  full  and  deny  ;" 
and  thus  encounter  the  curse  of  those  "  who  trust  in  riches  " 
(Mr.  10  :  24)  ;  "  or  lest  I  be  poor,  and  steal,  and  wrest  the  name 
of  my  God."  Let  us  consider  more  closely  some  of  these  ex- 
pressions. V.  7.  "From  thee;"  an  irregular  suffixed  pronoun 
(see  Ps.  22:25).  -'Eefuse;"  literally,  "  7y//M<?A/,"  and  refer- 
ring to  the  thing,  not  the  person.  "  Before  I  die;"  as  we  would 
say,  "  As  long  as  I  live."  "  Let  me  break  off;"  "  Feed  nie  imth" 
(E.  v.).  The  verb  means  to  tear  off.  This  is  the  Hiphil.  It 
is  a  most  familiar  and  specific  request.  Give  me  little  ahead, 
and  nothing  behind.  "  Feed  me"  as  with  the  manna.  Let  me 
tear  off  each  morning,  literally,  the  food  of  my  appointment. 
"  Lest  I  he  full,"  and  of  course  feel  no  need  of  Jehovah.  "  Or 
22* 


514  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXX. 

lest  I  be poor^  and  steal  •"  and,  as  men  were  called  upon  to  do  in 
Leviticus  (Lev.  5  :  i,  etc ;  see  29  :  24),  take  oath  of  my  innocence, 
and  thus  unlawfully  ^^  wrest  the  na?ne  of  7ny  God."  More  gene- 
rally, lest  under  the  pressure  of  world-care,  "  T  steal,''  which  is 
a  common  name  for  all  impenitency  (29  :  24;  Zech.  5:3;  Matt. 
23  :  14),  and  then  snatch  at  (which  is  a  literal  rendering),  or 
seize,  the  name  of  God;  i.  e.,  set  up  a  hollow  claim  to  being 
justified  before  Him. 

One  of  the  forms  in  which  this  is  done  is  merely  to  "  tongue" 
God;  i.  e.,  to  be  guilty  of  the  cheat  of  only  a  lip  service  (Is. 
29:13).  ^^  Every  word  of  God  is  tried"  (v.  5);  and  it  is  ex- 
ceedingly important  to  get  all  straight,  and  to  add  nothing  (v. 
6)  to  His  gospel  intimations.  But  there  is  such  a  thing  as  mere- 
ly tonguing  Him  ;  i.  e.,  having  all  clear  as  to  mere  doctrinal 
sense,  and  seizing  ttpon  the  name  of  God  (v.  9),  i.  e.,  claiming 
to  be  justified  by  Him  ;  and  letting  it  all  amount  to  calling 
Him  Lord,  Lord,  and  not  doing  the  thing,  that  He  says  (Luke 
6  :  46).  We  are  presented  with  a  picture  of  this,  as  beginning 
family  degeneracies  : — 

10  Give  not  tongue  service,  as  a  servant  to  his  van°t 'tn'to^ Ifs"  mas^ter" 

master, 
lest  He  curse  thee,  and  thou  be  held  guilty. 

11  A  generation  after  will  curse  its  father, 
and  not  bless  its  mother. 

12  A  generation  after  that  will  be  clean  in  its 

own  eyes, 
and  yet  not  washed  from  its  filthiness. 

13  A  generation  still  after,  O  how  lofty  have 


lest  he  curse  thee,  and 
thou  be  found  guilty. 

11  yVier/f/i- a  genera- 
tion that  curseth  their 
father,  and  doth  not 
bless  their  mother. 

12  There  is  a  genera- 
lion  that  are  pure  in 
their  own  eyes,  and  yet 
is  not  washed  from 
their  filthiness. 

13  There  is a.%cncr3.~ 
,  .  tion,  O  how  lofty  are 
become  its  eyes,                                                                their   eyesi   and    their 

and  its  eyelids  lifted  up.  |  ^f^'^.^lf^^^ 

14  A  generation  further  yet  will  have  swords  tion  whose  teeth  ar^a^ 

for  its  teeth,  and  knives  for  its  fangs, 
to  devour  the  troubled  from  the  earth,  and 

the  needy  from  among  men. 


swords,  and  their  jaw- 
teeth  as  knives,  to  de- 
vour the  poor  from  off 
the  earth,  and  the 
needy  from  a mong 
men. 


This  is  a  picture  of  household  undoing.  It  is  a  most  terrible 
one.  There  is  a  similar  picture  in  Isaiah  (Is.  5  :  8-25).  His 
six  portraits  differ,  but  are  co-ordinate,  with  this;  and  seem,  like 
this,  never  to  have  been  noticed  by  a  single  commentator.  The 
terrible  point  in  the  picture  by  Solomon  is  its  beginning.     It 


Chap.  XXX.]  COMMENTARY.  515 

begins  by  lip-service.  "A  generation"  of  men;  i.  e.,  a  father 
and  a  mother ;  have  family  worship,  and  go  through  the  forms 
of  religion  ;  but  are  simply  tortgning  God.  They  profess  belief, 
and  go  to  the  communion,  and  read  the  Word,  and  are  out- 
wardly moral ;  but,  consciously,  if  they  would  confess  the  truth, 
they  deal  in  words,  and  are  not  actual  in  their  devotions.  Their 
children  become  conscious  of  this ;  for  it  is  a  thing  that  steals 
out  from  our  very  tones.  It  begins  an  order  of  corruption.  In 
"a  generation,"  parental  influence  has  been  lost.  They  "will 
curse  [their]  father,  and  not  bless  [their]  mother."  "A  genera- 
tion [more] ;"  and  they  feel  no  need  of  religion.  They  "  will 
be  clean  in  [their]  own  eyes,  [though  not  at  aU]  washed  from, 
[their]  filthiness."  "[Then]  a  generation;"  and  this  con- 
tented sin  will  have  grown  into  actual  pride.  "  Oh  how  lofty 
[are  their]  eyes,  and  [their]  eyelids  lifted  up."  "  [Finally]  a 
generation  "  utterly  fallen  and  corrupt ;  "  [having]  swords  for 
teeth,  and  knives  for  [jaw  teeth]  ;•"  horribly  oppressive  and  un- 
feeling ;  "  [devouring]  the  troubled  from  the  earth,  and  the 
needy  from  among  men."  This  is  the  fruit,  in  four  hereditan- 
cies,  of  a  beginning  in  iongiiing  God.  Let  us  go  back  for  the 
detail.  "  Give  not  [mere]  tongue  service."  This  is  a  single  word. 
It  occurs  but  twice.  It  has  been  greatly  misunderstood.  The 
other  case  is  in  the  Psalms  (Ps.  loi  :  5).  It  is  translated 
^''  slanderetJr  (E.  V.).  It  will  be  noticed  that  here  the  Eng- 
lish Version  has  it,  "  Accuse."  "  Accuse  not  a  servant  to  his 
master."  The  whole  sentence  in  the  Psalms  is  : — "  Whoso 
privily  slandereth  his  neighbor."  The  word  has  a  very  certain 
origin.  It  is  the  root  of  what  is  familiar,  viz.,  the  word  for 
tongue.  It  means,  originally,  to  lick,  then  to  use  the  tongue  upo?i. 
In  the  Psalm,  therefore,  it  would  seem  to  mean,  ''He  thai 
tongues  me,  or  uses  his  tongue  upon  me,  or  gives  me  a  tongue  ser- 
vice as  his  friend,  him  will  I  cut  off  "  and  it  mightily  confirms 
this  version,  that  the  suffix,  "  me,"  appears  in  the  original,  and 
has  to  be  treated  as  paragogic  by  other  commentators.  It 
means  that  Christ,  in  this  Messianic  Psalm,  will  not  tolerate 
lip-service.  "  He  that  gives  me  a  tongue-service,  him  will  I 
cutoff."  It  must  be  distinctly  remembered  that  the  only  in- 
stance of  the  word  is  there,  and  in  the  present  Proverb.     Now, 


5i6  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXX. 

with  Solomon,  the  form  is  the  imperative, —  Tongue  not,  or  '"'' give 
not  tongue-service,  as  a  servant  to  his  master."  "  As  a  servafit." 
The  noun  here  is  in  apposition  to  the  understood  pronoun. 
"  Lest  He  curse  thee  ;"  i.  e.,  lest  thy  Master  curse  thee.  "  And 
thou  be  held  guilty ;"  i.  e.,  after  all  thy  confident  and  long-con- 
tinued professions.  Then  follow  the  pictures  in  the  descent. 
V.  II.  ^''  A  generation  after."  This  is  all  one  noun,  without  an 
article.  It  is  not  an  adverb,  because  it  is  the  nominative  to 
^^  will  curse  j"  h\\\.  it  expresses  lapse,  or  sequence.  It  derives 
from  a  verb  meaning  to  go  roiuid  in  a  circle.  Each  of  these 
prefatory  nouns  (vs.  11-14)  mark  "  a  generation  [still]  further;" 
and  the  force  of  the  whole  is  to  show,  that  these  family  ad- 
vances take  place  in  degeneracy  during  each  ''''  generation  "  of 
time.  "  Curse  ;"  not  indecent  cursing  (Ec.  7  :  22).  Scorn  (13  :  i ; 
14:6)  and  hate  (8  :  36)  are  like  words.  They  are  predicated 
of  the  most  gentle.  The  meaning  is,  practical  cursing ;  the 
turning  away  from  parental  influence.  V.  13.  "  Have  become  ;" 
a  dexterous  preterite,  showing  that  the  change  has  been  going 
on.  The  negligence  of  the  last  stage  has  been  growing  into  the 
pride  of  this  present  one.  The  last  clause  resumes  the  future. 
Verse  fourteenth  would  set  the  climax ;  though  the  correspond- 
ing picture  in  Isaiah  is,  perhaps,  more  specifically  dreadful  (Is. 
5  :  22-24).  "  ^Vo  unto  them  that  are  mighty  to  drink  wine,  and 
men  of  strength  to  mingle  strong  drink ;  which  justify  the 
wicked  for  reward,  and  take  away  the  righteousness  of  the 
righteous  from  him.  Therefore,  as  the  fire  devoureth  the 
stubble,  and  the  flame  consumeth  the  chaff;  so  their  root  shall 
be  as  rottenness,  and  their  blossom  shall  go  up  as  dust."  The 
Christian  professor,  conscious  oi  lip-service  (v.  10)  in  his  house, 
should  take  warning.  These  are  the  consequences  increasing 
after  him. 

For  Decay  is  insatiable.     It  has  no  bottom  ! — 


11;  The  horse  leech  has  two  daughters,  Give,  1,  '1  The  horse-ieech 

^  p,  .  o  J  )    j,ath     t^o     daughters, 

vjlVe.  crying^    Give,     give. 

These  three  things  are  never  satisfied ;  ihr^'^  "^^V'^^^S- 

four  have  never  said, — Enough  : —  fied,  yea,  four  things 

say  not,  //  is  enough  : 

16  Sheol;  and  the  enclosure  of  the  womb ;        ,u'^J^^  ^^^^\  and 

'  '  the  barren  womb ;  the 


Chap.  XXX.]  COMMENTARY.  517 

the  earth,  which  has  never  filled  with  water; 
and  fire,  which  has  never  said, — Enough. 
17  The  eye  that  mocks  a  father, 

and  has  a  contempt  for  obeying  a  mother, 
the   ravens    of    the    brook    shall    bore    it 


through, 
and  the  children  of  the  eagle  shall  eat  it. 


earth  that  is  not  filled 
with  water ;  and  the 
fire  that  saith  not,  // 
is  enough. 

17  The  eye  that 
mocketh  at  his  father, 
and  despiseth  to  obey 
his  mother,  the  ravens 
of  the  valley  shall  pick 
it  out,  and  the  young 
eagles  shall  eat  it. 


The  quality  of  these  four  things  is,- that  they  are  indefinitely 
greedy  :  so  of  sin,  that  it  has  no  limit.  See  how  it  hungered  down- 
ward in  those  four  generations.  It  will  continue  deepening  in 
Hell.  It  begins  with  tongue-service  (v.  10).  It  sinks  to  bitter 
malignity  (v.  14).  It  will  never  rest.  The  Pit  was  called 
"  bottomless  "  (Rev.  9:1).  And,  therefore,  he  that  is  near  the 
top,  beginning  with  the  earlier  stage  (v.  11)  ;  he  that  curses  his 
father;  reproduced  in  quainter  metaphor  (v.  17),  he  "that 
mocks  a  father  ;"  may  as  well  know  all  at  once.  "  The  horse- 
leech has  two  daughters  :"  there  is  no  hope  for  him,  but  through 
the  grace  of  God.  "  The  eye  that  mocks  a  father,  and  has  a  con- 
tempt for  obeying  a  mother,  the  ravens  of  the  brook  shaU  bore  it 
through,  and  the  children  of  the  eagle  shall  eat  it."  Such  is  the 
meaning  of  the  whole  passage.  It  should  be  said  that  we  are 
tying  in  bundles  here  in  exact  agreement  with  the  division- 
makers.  We  claim  evidence  in  this.  Under  the  English 
Versionists,  if  we  inspect  their  rendering,  verse  loth  has  no  con- 
nection with  vs.  11-14;  verse  17th  has  no  connection  (I  mean 
in  sense)  with  vs.  15,  16  ;  and  verses  32d  and  33d  have  none 
with  the  three  preceding  and  with  each  other.  These  all,  as 
can  be  seen,  show  no  interval  in  the  MSS.  ;  and  these  all,  as 
will  also  be  discovered,  blend  consecutively  in  the  sense  we  give 
to  them.  Now  again  for  specific  criticisms.  "  The  horse-leech  " 
(E.  v.).  This,  like  the  ''grey-hound"  (v.  31),  and  like  many 
other  words  but  once  occurring,  has  to  be  largely  guessed  at. 
What  specific  word  we  use  for  them  is  less  important.  The 
emblem  may  be  judged  of  from  the  root.  "  The  grey-hound" 
(v.  31)  is  something  narrowed  at  the  loins,  and  may  mean  an 
athlete  {Wood),  or  a  girt- horse  {De  JFette).  It  makes  little 
difference.  So,  "  horse-leech"  comes  from  a  verb  meaning,  to 
stich.     It  may  mean  a  vampire.      It  may   mean   a   ghoul,  or 


5i8  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXX. 

imaginary  sprite,  that  sucked  the  blood.  It  makes  little  differ- 
ence. *'  The  Aluka,"  perhaps,  just  giving  the  Hebrew,  would  be 
the  best  to  venture  (De  Wette).  All  we  need  see  in  it  is 
insatiablefiess.  And  this  branches  again  into  four  kindred 
metaphors.  "  Sheol ; "  from  the  verb  to  ask.  It  never  stops 
asking.  "  The  enclosure  of  the  womb ;  "  universally  translated 
^^  the  barren  tvomb"  (E.  V.).  The  noun  ^^ enclosure"  is  from  a 
verb  to  close,  which  is  used  in  several  texts  where  barrenness  is 
called  the  closing  of  the  womb  (Gen.  i6  :  2).  Still,  it  only 
means  "  eticlosure."  That  is  all  that  is  in  this  substantive  ;  and  it 
occurs  but  very  rarely.  "  He  was  taken  from  prison  and  from 
judgment  "  (Is.  53  :  8).  The  word  "-prison  "  is  this  simple 
vocable.  The  idea  of  special  insatiableness  in  the  "  barren  " 
seems  to  be  a  physiological  fancy.  Moreover,  the  Hindoos  have 
a  Proverb  of  just  these  particulars,  and  in  that  we  hear  nothing 
of  sterility  : — "  The  fire  is  not  sated  with  wood  ;  nor  the  great 
sea  with  the  streams  ;  nor  the  God  of  death  with  all  the  living : 
nor  the  beautiful-eyed  with  inen."  The  Septuagint,  therefore 
(vide),  is  probably  the  more  correct.  "The  earth;"  rained 
upon  but  never  the  fuller  ;  "  and  fire  ;"•  that  will  burn  to  the  last 
timber!  These  four  never  say,  "i-jn  ;  i.  e..  Plenty !  or,  A  com- 
petency.'  So  the  Maelstrom  of  being  once  corrupt.  Solomon 
teaches,  Obsta  principiis.  "  The  eye  that  mocks  a  father  ;'  i.  e., 
beginning  away  back  in  incipient  undutifulness  (v.  11);  that 
"  eye"  in  the  hunger  of  its  corruption,  thus  early  is  the  same  as 
lost.  He  paints  it  as  a  dead  "<')•<?"  staring  up  from  a  heap  of 
corpses.  He  sets  the  wild  birds  in  motion.  "  The  eye  thai 
fnoc/cs  a  fal/ier,  and  has  a  contempt  for  obeying  (literally,  despises  to 
obey)  a  mother,  the  ravens  of  tJie  brook"  (sometimes,  ''valley" 
E.  V. ;  but  small  valley  made  by  a  brook :  we  prefer  "  brook  " 
because  more  characteristic  of  the  raven)  ''shall  bore  it 
through  "  (just  like  "  the  ravens  ;"  that  dig,  or  "  bore,"  with  the 
peculiar  motion  of  their  beak)  ;  "  and  the  children  of  the  eagle  sliall 
eat  it."     A  terrible  picture  of  death  in  but  the  first  step  ! 

And  yet  how  unconscious  !  This  is  the  next  idea.  The 
"adulterous  woman  [eats]"  (v.  20);  that  means,  in  Solomon's 
language  (5:3;  9  :  17),— Impenitence  enjoys  peace ;  and,  with- 
out dreaming  of  insatiable  decay,  "  [wipes]  her  mouth  and  [says] 


Chap.  XXX.]      .         COMMENTARY.  519 

I  have  committed  nonaugMiness."     The  four  next  types,  there- 
fore, are  images  of  this  natural  concealment : — 


18  These;  three  things  are  quite  beyond  me; 
yea,  four  I  cannot  mark  : — 

19  the  way  of  the  eagle  in  the  heavens ; 
the  way  of  a  serpent  over  a  rock  ; 
the  way  of  a  ship  in  the  open  sea ; 
and  the  way  of  a  man  in  a  girl. 

20  In  such  a  way  has  the  adulterous  woman 

eaten,  and  wiped  her  mouth, 
and  said, — I  have  committed  no  naughti- 
ness. 


18  There  be  three 
things  luhich  are  too 
wonderful  for  me,  yea, 
four  which  I  know  not : 

19  The  way  of  an 
eagle  in  the  air,  the 
way  of  a  serpent  upon 
a  rock,  the  way  of  a 
ship  in  the  midst  of  the 
sea,  and  the  way  of  a 
man  with  a  maid. 

20  Such  is  the  way 
of  an  adulterous  wo- 
man ;  she  eateth,  and 
wipeth  her  mouth,  and 
saith,  I  have  done  no 
wickedness. 


Of  course,  this  is  important  doctrine.  Men  are  sinking,  and 
do  not  trace  it.  They  are  insatiably  seduced ;  and  yet  actually 
dream  that  they  are  advancing  heavenward.  The  pictures  are 
simple.  "  Clviite  beyond  me  :"  primarily,  a  verb  to  separate. 
Hence,  separated  from  me.  It  came  to  mean  "  tvonderful " 
(E.  V.) ;  but  here,  nearer  the  primary,  let  us  say, — too  hard  for 
me,  or,  separated,  so  that  I  cannot  see.  "Mark;"  usually, 
know;  but  here,  very  expressively,  the  old  English,  ^^  fr.ark." 
As  for  example, — "  the  way  of  an  eagle  in  the  heavens."  It 
closes,  and  I  can  no  longer  "  jnark  "  it.  In  the  ether,  after- 
ward, it  is  "  g'm'te  beyond  me."  "A  serpent  over  a  rock."  It 
glides ;  but  there  is  no  track.  "  A  ship  in  the  open  sea ;" 
literally,  "  in  the  heart,  &"€.  ;"  meaning  out  from  shore ;  in " 
Greek, — "in  the  midst"  (Matt.  14:24).  The  waters  close, 
and  where  the  ship  tracked  is  now  untraceable.  So  with  a 
secret  amour.  "Girl;"  not,  of  course,  a  maid,''  E.  V.  (tho 
Hebrews  called"  a  ^^at/V,"  li^'l?!^) ;  but  n^sbS' !  i.  e.,  as  derived 

T  :  T    :  - 

from  its  root,  pt/bescens,  a  marriageable  woman.  These  are  all 
instances  of  blank  concealment ;  and  so,  the  Wise  Man  implies, 
is  sin :  it  is  unconscious.  Life  shuts  behind  it,  with  no  track  upon 
the  ocean.  The  Serpent  glides,  and  leaves  no  print  upon  the 
rock  (14:12).  "  /«  such  a  way  has  the  adulterous  wo?nan  eaten, 
and  wiped  her  mouth,  and  said, — I  have  co'mmitted  no  naughtiness  " 
We  have  not  been  unreasonable  in  imagining  the  "  Strange 
Woman"  to  be  Impenitence  (2  :  16).    Here,  anything  else  would 


520  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXX. 

be  inconceivable.  ''''  She  haseaicfi"  (see  same  figure  9:17). 
^^  And  wiped  her  mouth."  We  remove  outward  evidences  of  sin, 
and  have  little  thought  of  it.  We  have  done  this  (preterite)  at 
any  given  moment  of  our  history.  That  terrible  process  that 
the  earlier  verses  depict  (vs.  11-14)  takes  care,  as  part  of  its 
effect,  to  muffle  its  own  footsteps  as  it  advances  in  our  spirit. 
^^Haughtiness j"  —  a  philosophic  word.  Sin  is  worthlessness. 
So  we  are  to  express  it.  And  so  does  this  root,  and  others 
in  the   original  Hebrew, 

Sin  is  not  only  progressive  (11-14),  and  i?tsatiab/e  (15,  16), 
and  insidious  (18-20),  as  the  last  three  fascictila  have  quaintly 
set  forth  ;  but  it  is  also  intolerable.  The  universe,  as  of  its 
very  nature,  must  spue  it  out,  as  a  disquieting  evil.  (For  like 
images,  see  19  :  10 ;  21:9;  29  :  21  ;  Matt.  15  :  26)  : — 


21  Under  three  things  the  world  has  been  dis- 

quieted; 
and  under  four  she  will  never  be  able  to 
bear  up : — 

22  under    a    servant,    because    he    becomes 

king; 
and  a  vile  fellow,  because  he  is  sated  with 
food; 

23  under   a  hateful   woman,    because   she    is 

married ; 
and  a  handmaid,  because  she  dispossesses 
her  mistress. 


21  For  three  things 
the  earth  is  disquieted, 
and  for  four  which  it 
cannot  bear: 


22  For  a  servant 
when  he  reigneth,  and 
a  fool  when  he  is  filled 
with  meat ; 


23  For  an  odious 
woman  when  she  is 
married,  and  an  hand- 
maid that  is  heir  to  her 
mistress. 


The  figures  begin  to  be  interdistinguishable.  Perhaps  they 
were  before ;  but  there  is  danger  of  fancifulness.  Here,  how- 
ever, they  are  starkly  discrepant.  If  our  corruption  were  tole- 
rated, four  things  would  belong  to  it : — first,  universal  dominion  ; 
second,  universal  satisfaction  j  third,  universal  felloivship  ;  and 
fourth,  universal  disorder.  These  four  things  are  incompatible; 
but  the  i)lainer  the  intolerablencss.  First ;  universal  dominion. 
There  belongs  to  every  saint  universal  subjection  of  the  crea- 
ture. If  we  are  Christ's  all  things  are  ours  (i  Cor.  3:21).  See 
also  Rom.  8 :  28.  If  the  lost  are  to  be  adopted,  it  realizes  the 
first  image, — "a  servant  [becoming]  king."  He  that  is  "clean 
in  [/«>]  oivn  eyes,  and  yet  ?iot  ivashed  from  [^liis'\filthiness"  (v.  12), 
is  a  rebel  against  Heaven ;   and  yet  aspires  to  a  place  in  it  that 


Chap.  XXX.]  COMMENTARY.  521 

would  make  all  things  subject  to  him  !  This  is  the  first  intoler- 
ableness.  The  second  is,  universal  satisfaction.  No  good  thing 
is  to  be  withholden  (Ps.  84  :  11).  The  saint  is  to  be  universal- 
ly happy  !  This  is  the  next  intolerableness  : — "  a  vile  fellow, 
because  he  is  sated  with  food."  The  third  is,  universal  compan- 
ionship.  The  corrupt,  if  they  are  tolerated,  must  mingle  with 
the  hosts  of  the  blest !  and  we  are  pleased  to  find  an  emblem 
which  carries  us  many  chapters  back,  and  helps  us  with  many 
passages.  It  is  the  Termagant  Woman  (21  :  19).  We  have  al- 
ways understood  that  as  Impenitence.  Impenitence  is  intoler- 
able in  its  very  self.  It  is  not  tolerable  to  the  impenitent.  A 
perpetual  dropping  on  a  very  rainy  day  (27  :  15);  or,  in  fact,  a 
life  upon  the  ridge-pole  (25  :  24);  would  be  better  than  impeni- 
tence, and  heaven  itself.  How  intolerable  to  foist  the  impeni- 
tent upon  the  saints.  The  lost  man,  therefore,  in  aspiring  to 
be  a  Christian,  is  aiming  at  the  third  intolerableness  ;  i.  e.,  iini- 
versal  fellozvship ;  which  answers  to  the  third  emblem  of  the 
four  :  viz.,  "  a  hateful  woman  \iindertaking  to  be'\  married."  We 
have  but  one  more  point ;  and  that  is,  universal  unfairness,  or 
disorder.  If  the  base  go  up,  the  good  must  come  down.  If 
the  vile  can  be  honored,  the  saints  have  no  property  in  God. 
They  are  virtually  dispossessed.  This  is  the  fourth  lesson. 
There  is  a  fourth  thing  by  which  "  the  world  has  been  disqxiiet- 
ed."  I  beg  you  to  notice  the  past  tense.  The  pretensions  of 
the  impenitent  have  already  tried  our  faith.  And  the  tendencies 
of  such  things  answer  to  the  fourth  mischief  included  in  the 
fourth  emblem  of  the  Wise  Man;  which  is,  now,  the  last;  viz., 
"a  handmaid  [that]  dispossesses  her  mistress."  Let  us  again 
travel  back  to  bring  up  critical  peculiarities.  "Under;"  the 
regular  preposition  for  under.  Our  English  Version  translates 
it  "for."  "Disqaieted;"  perturbed  J-  the  same  word  introduced 
into  a  previous  Proverb  (29  :  9)  to  describe  not  sending  peace 
but  a  sword  (Matt.  10  :  34).  "Bear  up;"  intransitive  (Ps.  89  : 
10  ;  Hab.  1:3);  not  the  transitive  "  bear  "  (E.  V.) ;  otherwise 
we  could  not  parse  "  tmder."  "  Because ;"  not  "  when  "  (E.  V.). 
The  world  could  "  bear  "  the  ungodly,  and  make  "  a  servant"  of 
them,  but  for  their  undertaking  to  reign.  So  in  all  the  clauses. 
"  Vile  fellow."     See  the  four  words  translated  ''fool"  (E.  V.), 


522  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXX. 

and  their  different  meanings  (Class  XLIX).  '■''  Hateful  woman  y" 
feminine  passive  participle  of  the  verb  to  Jiaie.  ^^Dispossesses.'' 
See  Deut.  2  :  12.  The  word  sometimes  means  to  possess  ;  never, 
perhaps,  means,  " /^  heir  to''  (E.  V.;  see  Gesenius)  ;  but  de- 
cidedly means,  to  dispossess  (Zeph.  2:9;  Gen.  45  :  11).  The 
whole  meaning  is,  that  {i) progressive,  (2)  insatiable,  and  (3)  in- 
sidious corruption,  must  be  a  thing  (4)  intolerable  to  the  uni- 
verse. 

But  how  to  get  rid  of  it !     It  must  be  by  miracle  !     It  must 
be  by  being  "  made  wise"  from  above  : — 


24  These  four  are  little  things  of  earth  ; 

and  it  is  such,  that  are  wise,  being  made 
wise. 

25  The  ants  are  a  people  of  no  strength, 

yet  they  make  sure  their  food  in  the  sum- 
mer. 

26  Conies  are  a  people  not  strong, 

yet  they  fix  their  dwelling  in  a  rock. 

27  There  is  no  king  for  the  locust, 

yet  he  goes  forth  making  fair  division  of  all. 

28  The    spotted   lizard    takes  hold   with    his 

hands, 
and  such  as  he  is  in  king's  palaces. 


24  There  be  four 
things  ii'hich  are  little 
upon  the  earth,  but 
they  are  exceeding 
wise  : 

25  The  ants  are  a 
people  not  strong,  yet 
they  prepare  their  meat 
in  the  summer  j 

26  The  conies  are 
but  a  feeble  folk,  yet 
make  they  their  houses 
in  the  rocks  ; 

27  The  locusts  have 
no  king,  yet  go  they 
forth  all  of  them  by 
bands ; 

28  The  spider  taketh 
hold  with  her  hands, 
and  is  in  kings'  pal- 
aces. 


Differences,  now,  easily  appear,  (i)  1  he  poverty,  (2)  the 
danger,  (3)  the  discord,  and  (4)  the  poisonous  character,  of  sin, 
are  the  four  particulars ;  and  they  point  the  marvel  of  forgive- 
ness and  acceptance  for  the  sinner.  "  Wise,  being  made  wise." 
That  is  a  grand  Evangel ;  and  it  comes  exactly  from  the  He- 
brew. First  (i),  under  poverty.  "  The  ants  are  a  people  of  no 
strength  ;"  and  what  a  wild  conceit,  that  the  tiny  worker  works 
by  his  own  wit ;  and,  by  a  deep  philosophy,  forecasts  the  Win- 
ter. He  is  "  wise,  being  made  wise."  What  a  wild  conceit  that 
the  impenitent  frames  by  his  own  wit  the  wisdom  of  the  Gos- 
pel. 'Second  (2),  his Z^;-//.  "  Conies  ai-e  a  people  not  strong  ;  yet 
they  fix  their  dwelling  in  a  rock."  Making  grace  plainer  is  im- 
possible. Third  (3),  our  discords.  "  The  locust,"  with  "  no 
king,"  moves  over  the  green  with  all  his  rapacities,  without 
stopping  to  quarrel  with  his  neighbor.  Devouring  in  his  mighty 
hordes,  who  ever  saw  him  break  sheer  rank  to  fall  upon  the 


Chap.  XXX.]  COMMENTARY.  523 

rest  1  "  The  locust  [has]  no  king,  yet  he  goes  forth,  making  fair 
division  of  all,"  And  so  we,  with  our  strange  lusts,  and  our 
strong  rapacity  for  selfishness,  are  gradually  moved  into  the 
line.  "  [We  do]  all  eat  the  same  spiritual  meat"  (i  Cor.  10:  3). 
"  Our  fellowship  is  with  the  Father  "  (i  Jo.  i  :  3).  "  We  are  all 
baptized  by  [the]  one  Spirit  "  (i  Cor.  12  :  13);  and,  though  we 
have  no  earthly  "  king  /'  but,  on  the  contrary,  everything  earth- 
ly to  increase  our  discords  ;  yet,  like  ^^  the  locust,"  we  are  moved 
on  from  above.  We  are  "  7vise,  being  made  tuise  "  and  go  feed- 
ing in  our  rank,  with  the  godly  instinct  giving  light  within  us. 
Lastly  (4)  our  inward  poisons.  Think  of  the  best  of  us  as  in 
Heaven!  "  the  spotted  lizard  in  [a]  King's  [Palace]!"  These 
four  are  the  wonders  of  our  state  ;  and  the  Bible  seems  to  teach 
that  it  is  meant  thus.  "  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  suck- 
Imgs  [there  is  to  be]  ordained  strengtA||'  (Ps.  8  :  2).  This 
projet  is  very  elaborate  : — For  "  God  ham  chosen  the  foblish 
things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise ;  and  God  hath 
chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things 
which  are  mighty;  and  base  things  of  tlie  world,  and  things 
which  are  despised,  hath  God  chosen ;  yea,  and  things  which 
are  not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that  are  ;  that  no  flesh  should 
glory  in  His  presence."  But  now  then,  more  critically: — • 
'''Made  wise  J  '  the  Pual  participle.  "Make  sure  ;"  from  a  verb, 
prim.arily,  to  set  up.  Lay  up  might  answer  as  the  meaning. 
''^Conies/'  rather  a  guessed  specification  (vs.  15,31)  among 
many  timorous  ruminants.  Their  house  (literally)  fixes  them 
in  the  list,  as  belonging  to  a  class  that  are  among  the  rocks. 
"Making  fair  division  of  all "  (literally,  of  all  of  it,  or  of  all 
that  belongs  to  him).  We  translate  differently,  for  a  better  idiom. 
"  Maki/ig  fair  division/'  simply,  dividing.  We  vary  here,  too  ; 
lest  it  should  mean  cutting  or  dividing  the  grass  as  they  go. 
The  starting  point  is  not  that  they  go  "  /;/  bands  "  (E.  V.),  for 
they  do  not;  but  that,  throwing  themselves  into  a  mighty  line 
like  the  knives  of  a  mower,  they  bite,  each  one  in  his  path,  and 
waste  no  time  in  snatching  from  each  other.  "  The  spotted  liz- 
ard" is  an  apax  legomenon  j  but  we  get  the  sense  when  we 
trace  it  to  a  root  meaning  to  poison  ;  and  when  we  conceive  it 
as  d^ poisonous  reptile,  marvellously  out  of  place  in  a  kings  pal" 


524  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXX. 

ace.  "Such  as  he;"  emphatic  pronoun  (28:24).  "Takes 
hold."  This  is  the  same  verb  used  in  verse  ninth  for  zo resting 
the  name  of  God.  It  means  seizing,  or  griping,  with  a  clutching 
grip.  The  poisonous  reptile  gripes  in  that  way  his  hold  "  in 
palaces." 

Now  if  this  be  a  picture  of  the  sinner ;  and  the  poor  wretch, 
so  venomous  in  his  nature,  can  lay  "//(?A/with  his  hands,"  and 
get  into  the  Palace ;  how  wise  for  Solomon,  as  a  good  earnest 
preacher  of  the  truth,  to  close  by  a  practical  application.  He 
does  so  in  the  next  passage  : — 


29  There  be  three 
things  which  go  well, 
yea,  four  are  comely  in 
going: 

30  A  lion,  which  is 
strongest  among  beasts, 
and  turnetn  not  aw.iy 
for  any  ; 


29  These  three  make  each  step  good, 
yea,  four  make  good  their  going  : — 

30  a  lion,  mighty  among  beasts, 
and  that  turns  not  back  for  any ; 

31  a  grey-hound,  or  a  he-goat, 
and  a  King!     I)(/  not  thou  stand  against'.  3'  AgVey-hound;an 

H"  o  I  he-goat,    also  ;    and    a 

im.  king,    against     whom 

32  If  thou  hast  been  withered  down,  by  lifting 

thyself  up, 
and  if  thou  hast  been  meditating  with  a 
hand  upon  the  mouth, 

33  forasmuch    as   pressing   milk   presses  out 

whey, 
and  pressing  the  nose  presses  out  blood, 
so    pressing   down   passion   presses   away  .,       - 

strife  I  bringeth  forth  strife. 


there  is  no  rising  up. 

32  If  thou  hast  done 
foolishly  in  lifting  up 
thyself,  or  if  thou  hast 
thought  evil,  lay  thine 
hand  upon  thy  mouth. 

33  Surely  the  churn- 
ing of  milk  bringeth 
forth  butter,  and  the 
wringing  of  the  nose 
bringeth  forth  blood  ; 
so  the  forcing  of  wrath 


Man  being  so  wretched,  as  pictured  by  those  weak  things  of 
the  earth  (v.  24);  so  poor;  so  exposed;  so  discordant  even 
with  himself;  so  poisonous  in  his  inward  nature;  if  there  be  a 
chance  to  clutch  with  his  hands,  and  get  fixed  in  the  King's 
Palace,  how  insane  (see  33d  verse)  to  have  "  strife"  with  that 
Palace-Sovereignty  itself.  "  [There  be]  three  [things  that]  make 
each  step  good  ;"  and  this  is  a  picture  of  the  Almighty.  There 
is  no  resisting  Him.  "  [There  be]  four  [that]  make  good  their 
going;"  i.  e.,  that  will  move  along  in  their  track,  whether  we 
will  hear,  or  whether  we  will  forbear:  the  "Hon,"  which  is 
strong;  the  "grey-hound,"  which  is  fleet;  the  "  he-goat,"  which 
is  bold,  "  and  a  King  !  Do  not  thou  stand  against  Him."  "  A 
lion  \_which  /V]  mighty  among  beasts,  and  that  turns  not  back 


Chap.  XXX.]  COMMENTARY.  525 

for  any."  This  is  exegetical  of  "  \inaking\  good  their  going  " 
(v.  29).  "^  grey-hound"  (literally,  a  girt  in  the  loins,  see. 
commentary  v.  15) ;  "or  a  he-goat  "  as  though  the  difference 
were  not  so  great  between  these  last.  But  all  to  usher  in  the 
"  King;"  strong,  like  the  "  lion  "  fleet  like  the  "  hound  "  bold, 
like  the  "  he-goat  •'  and  Who,  in  other  parts  of  Scripture  (Ez.  i  : 
5,  etc. ;  Rev.  4:  7),  has  the  different  features  of  His  Providence 
portrayed  by  just  such  animail  natures.  '''Do  not  thou  stand 
w^ainst  Him."  "  If  thou  hast  been  \]iumhled  by  thy  pride\  and 
hast  \begun  to  think  deeply],  thy  hand  upon  [thy]  mouth,"  then 
remember,  that  "  as  [the]  pressing  [0/  the]  milk  [drives  out  the] 
whey  j"  as,  with  the  bleeding  nostril,  the  pressure  of  the  finger 
expels  "  the  blood;"  so  the  laying  hold  of  thy  vile  passions,  and 
smothering  them  with  all  thy  weight,  shall  drive  away  thy  "  strife  " 
with  the  Almighty.  It  is  a  grand  conclusion  !  ''Make  good." 
This  is  the  literal  Hiphil.  It  is  idiomatic  also  in  the  English. 
It  means,— God  goes  where  He  pleases.  Nulla  vestigia 
retrorsum.  "  Each  step  j"  simply,  a  step.  "  Do  not  thou  stand 
against  Him."  This  seems  all  en  regie  ;  and  the  wonder  is  that 
it  should  have  been  translated  differently.  "  Against  whom  there 
is  no  rising  up  "  (E.  V.)  is  irregular  every  way.  The  verb  is  an 
orderly  imperative ;  and  the  particle  is  not  the  positive  or  abso- 
lute negation,  but  one  confined  to  the  more  optative  sense. 
The  expression  is,  with  Him,  rather  than,  "  against  Him  "  but 
that  does  not  alter  the  sense  (see  Ps.  55  :  18 ;  94  :  16),  and  is  as 
noticeable  in  both  translations.  "  If  thou  hast  been  withered." 
The  verb  means  that,  primarily.  "  Done  foolishly "  (E.  V.) 
would  have  to  be  altogether  a  derivative  sense.  "  Lay  "  (E.  V.) 
is  not  in  the  Hebrew.  "  Evil"  (E.  V.)  is  not  necessarily  implied. 
If  thou  \i2i'~.\.  fainted  or  been  wilted  down  (see  Ps.  i  :  3 ;  37  :  2) 
through  "hfting  thyself  up,"  and  art  deeply  thinking,  thy  ''hand 
upon  [thy]  mouth  "  then,  Solomon  implies,  thou  art  a  fitting 
subject  for  my  final  adjuration.  "Churning"  (E.  V.);  not  so 
at  all ;  but  most  distinctly,  "  pressing."  "  Whey ;"  a  word  no- 
where so  translated.  But  how  can  V\v^  pressing  of  milk  cause  to 
go  out  from  it ;  for  that  is  the  expression  (it  is  the  Hiphil  of 
the  verb  to  go  ^?//),— either  "  curds  "  (Gen.  18:8;  see  Gesen.) 
or  "  cheese  "  {Zockler).     "  Butter  "  (E.  V.)  is  out  of  the  question. 


526  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

The  word  in  each  clause  is,  cause  to  go  out.  It  is  spoken 
of  the  ^^  blood."  It  is  spokerj  of  the  "strife:''  and  so, 
therefore,  of  the  "  whey."  We  must  look  at  the  internal 
evidence.  And,  besides,  there  is  a  similar  evidence,  almost 
always,  where  the  word  occurs.  "  He  asked  for  water,  and 
she  gave  him  milk;  she  brought  forth  luhey  in  a  bowl  of 
the  mighty"  (Judg.  5:25).  How  could  he  use  "butter" 
(E.  V.)  as  a  hasty  drink  7  Again,-"  brooks  of  honey  and  butter  " 
(E.  v..  Job  20:  17).  How  could  butter  j  or  how  could  curds 
or  cheese, — run  in  a  brook  }  There  are  but  eight  cases  of  the 
word.  None  of  them  forbid,  and  the  only  cognate  strongly 
favors,  our  meaning-  (Ps.  51  :  7  ;  *  see  also  Jos.  Ant.  5  :  5,  4.). 
However,  it  is  not  important,  unless  it  be  for  the  meetness  of  the 
imagery.  "  The  nose  ;"  a  homely  figure,  that  won  favor,  we  can 
scarce  doubt,  because  the  dual  appears  in  the  same  verse  as  the 
word  for  "passion."  " Passion j"  literally,  the  two  nostrils; 
usually  translated  anger  (Ps.  103  :  8) ;  but  meaning,  as  all  these 
words  do  (Hos.  7:5),  any  high  "passion"  (see  i  Sam.  1:5, 
Gesenius).  God  does  as  He  pleases  (v.  29).  He  is  our  Great 
Benefactor.  If  "  wise  "  to  appease  Him,  we  must  be  "  made 
wise."  He  is  ready  to  fuake  us  7iiise,]\\st  as  He  gives  wisdom  to 
"  the  a  Jits."  How  mad  to  quarrel  with  Him.  As  the  pressure 
of  milk  drives  out  whey,  so  that  it  ceases  to  form ;  as  the 
pressure  of  a  wound  drives  out  blood,  so  that  it  ceases  to  flow  ; 
so  bearing  all  our  weight  upon  our  passions  will  drive  out  strife  ; 
and,  with  assiduous  care,  the  reptile  may  be  in  the  Palace  of 
the  King. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

But  now  the  other  Messianic  oracle  !  "  Lemuel"  (E.  V.)  is  not 
a  name  in  history.  Moreover  "  7vords  of  Lemuel "  (E.  V.)  is  awk- 
ward, because  the  "  words  "  were  not  of  the  imagined  "  Lenmel" 
but  of  "his  mother."  "  What,  my  son?"  (E.  V.).  How  can  that 
be  a  word  "  of  Lemuel  "  ?   Again  (v.  33), — "  Give  not  thy  streng^ 

*  "  His  words  were  softer  than  oil."     "  Smoother  than  curds  of  milk"  says  Gesenius. 
We  say,  "  wkey." 


Chap.  XXXI.]  COMMENTARY.  527 

unto  women."     That  is  the  speech  of  the  ''mother  ■"  and   it  is 
not  natural  to  say,  that  it  is  "  the  prophecy  that  his  mother  taught 
him  "  (E.  V.) ;  because  it  was  what  she  uttered,  rather  than 
anything  that  she  made  him  learn.     Hitzig,'  therefore,  goes  off 
upon  another  rendering  like  his  former  one  (chap.  30),  which 
succumbs  to  even  more  difficulty.     Ours,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
also  as  before.     And  as  icords  about  somebody  seems  to  agree 
better  with  the  style  of  the   passage,   than  zuords  which  some 
ijitended  personage  may  be  supposed  to  speak,  we  have  examined  as 
to  whether  we  could  not  disengage  the  3,  and  make  it,  words 
about  Muel,  and  not  ''words  of  Lemuel,"  as  in  the  English  Ver- 
sion,    We  had  two  difficulties  : — First,  "  words  "  is  in  the  con- 
struct.    The  construct  usually  precedes  a  genitive.     Happily, 
not  always,  however  (see  Green,  Gr.  §  255  §  257 ;  and  2  Ki.  5  : 
9;  Ezek.  13  :  2).     It  sometimes  precedes  ^  preposition:  and  in 
that  case,   often,  this  very  preposition  5-     Getting  over   that 
difficulty,  then,  we,  however,  fall  into  another.     The  fourth  verse 
has  "Lemuel''  a  second  time.     This  time  it  is  Lemoel;  and 
perhaps,  that  is  significant.     "  //  is  not  for  Kings,  O  {Lemoel) 
Lemuel"  (E.  V.).     We  must  either  take  such  an  absolute  name 
after  all,  or  expound  again  the  intrusive  3-     To  go  to  the  foun- 
dation, therefore,  we  hunted  after  Mucl.     There  was  no  such 
word.     But  there   is  a  word  mo  (Job  9  :  30)  ;    and  it  means 
water;  and  like  the  wordQi^^  (water),  it  means  "seed  "  (Num. 
24  :  7  ;  Is.  48  :  i)  ;  i.  e.,  animal  seed.     Mo-ab  means  a  man  far 
too  incestuously  much  the  son  of  a  father.     Mo-el,  to  leap   to 
the  meaning  at  once,  would  mean  the  "seed  of  God!"    Let  us 
give  our  translation  : — 


1  Words  in  respect  to  the  Seed-of-God,  a 

King ; 
a  prophecy  in  agreement  with  which  His 
mother  disciplined  Him. 

2  What  is  my  son  1     And  what  is  the  son  of 

my  womb  1 
and  what  the  son  of  my  vows } 

3  Give  not  thy  strength  to  women ; 
or  thy  ways  so  as  to  destroy  kings. 

4  Let  it  not  be  for  kings,  for  the  seed  of 

God ; 


The  words  of  king 
Lemuel,  the  prophecy 
that  his  mother  taught 
him. 

2  What,  my  son  ? 
and  what,  the  son  of 
ray  womb  ?  and  what, 
the  son  of  my  vows  ? 

3  Give  not  thy 
strength  unto  women, 
nor  thy  ways  to  that 
which  destroyeth 
kings. 

4  //  is  not  for  kings, 
O  Lemuel,  it  is  not  for 


528 


PROVERBS. 

let  it  not  be  for  kings  to  drink  wine; 

nor  for  princes ;  or  strong  drink  : 

lest  one  drink,  and  forget  what  is  com- 
manded, 

and  set  wrong  the  cause  of  any  of  the  sons 
of  misery. 

Give  ye  strong  drink  to  him  that  is  being 
lost; 

and  wine  to  the  embittered  in  soul. 

Let  him  drink,  and  forget  his  wretched- 
ness, 

and  remember  his  trouble  no  more. 

Open  thy  mouth  for  the  dumb  man, 

to  plead  the  cause  of  all  the  children  of  a 
change. 

Open  thy  mouth  ;  judge  righteousness; 

and  plead  the  cause  of  the  afflicted  and 
needy. 


[Chap.  XXXI. 

kings  to  drink  wine, 
nor  for  princes  strong 
drink  ; 

5  Lest  they  drink, 
and  forget  the  law,  and 
pervert  the  judgment 
of  any  of  the  afflicted. 


6  Give  strong  drink 
unto  him  that  is  ready 
to  perish,  and  wine  un- 
to those  that  be  of 
heavy  hearts. 

7  Let  him  drink,  and 
forget  his  poverty,  and 
remember  his  misery 
no  more. 

8  Open  thy  mouth 
for  the  dumb  in  the 
cause  of  all  such  as  are 
appointed  to  destruc- 
tion. 

9  Open  thy  mouth, 
judge  righteously,  and 
plead  the  cause  of  the 

I  poor  and  needy. 


The  passage,  in  this  view,  would  be  "  a  prophecy"  (v.  i),  and 
''  a  prophecy"  predictively  imagined  to  be  in  the  mouth  of  Mary, 
the  "  mother"  of  the  "  Seed-of-God."  We  read  that  the  mira- 
cles about  John  led  all  the  people  to  wonder  what  manner  of 
child  this  should  be  (Lu.  i  :  66).  We  read,  that  Mary  kept  all 
the  facts  about  the  shepherds,  "  and  pondered  them  in  her 
heart  "  (Luke  2:19).  We  read,  that  the  Angel  Gabriel  told 
her  that  her's  should  be  the  "  Seed  of  God"  (Lu.  i  :  35).  For 
when  she  wondered,  he  said  : — "  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come 
upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow 
thee;  therefore  also  that  Holy  Thing  that  shall  be  born  of 
thee,  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."  Solomon,  therefore,  is 
on  the  same  track  with  the  Evangelist.  "  Words  in  respect  to 
the  Seed-of-God,  a  King."  So  far,  all  is  good.  We  have  but  to 
add  '■'■  Muel"  to  the  other  names  of  our  blessed  Redeemer. 
'■'•  A  prophecy  ;"  of  course  a  most  literal  one.  "  In  agreement 
with  which  His  mother  disciplined  Him."  "  The  prophecy  that  his 
mother  taught  him"  (E.  V.),  has  this  difficulty,  that  the  verb 
translated  ^^ taught"  means  to  correct,  or  discipline.  It  is  not  a 
verb  suited  for  two  accusatives.  "  Which"  therefore,  is  abso- 
lute ;  and  is  governed  as  by  the  "  cause-manner-atid-instrument " 
rule  of  the  Latins,     Correct  is  not  a  right  term  to  apply  to  any 


Chap.  XXXI.]  COMMENTARY.  529 

sins  of  Christ ;  but,  analogously  with  a  common  child,  He  no 
doubt  had  His  mother's  training.  First  of  all  (v.  2),  her  training 
was  colored  by  her  marvel, — who  He  could  be.  "  What  is  my 
son  ?  and  what  is  the  son  of  my  womb  ?  and  what  the  son 
of  my  vows?"  She  seems  to  have  reached  dim  notions 
of  Him;  that  He  was  "a  King"  (v.  i)  and  that  He  was 
to  be  a  Founder  of  "  Kings "  (vs.  3,  4) ;  that  His  success 
depended  upon  His  obedience  (vs.  3-9 ;  see  also  Zech.  3:7); 
and  that  if  He  failed  to  obey,  He  would  be  giving  His 
«  ways  so  as  to  destroy  kings  "  (v.  3).  It  is,  therefore,  a  very 
elaborate  gospel.  She  lets  it  appear  also,  that  these  "  kings  "  are 
also  the  "  seed  of  God  "  (v.  4)  ;  and  that  they  also  must  be  ruled 
by  the  same  laws  of  obedience  that  had  won  everything  under 
their  Founder.  But  a  gem  of  the  passage  is,  a  bright  figure  for 
this  obedience  itself.  "Give  not  thy  strength  to  women." 
Before,  adulterousness  has  been  the  type  of  all  impenitence  (6  : 
32;  Jas.  4:4).  Here  it  is  the  type  of  all  Christ's  imaginable 
aberration.  This  very  naturally  !  "  My  meat  is,  to  do  the  will 
of  Him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  His  work  "  ( Jo.  4  :  34) .  With 
Paul,  par  etnitience,  He  could  say, — "  This  one  thing  I  do  " 
(Phil.  3  :  13).  He  had  positively  no  leisure  for  self.  Nor  has 
the  Christian.  Nor  will  they  have  through  all  eternity.  Neither 
Christ,  nor  His  people,  will  seek  mere  delight  while  ages  roll. 
"  Whether  [they]  eat  or  drink,  etc."  (i  Cor.  10  :  31).  We  often 
think  that  Heaven  will  be  a  time  of  pleasure.  Like  the  shimmer 
of  a  stream,  it  will  not  flow  for  the  sake  of  the  shimmer,  but  for 
its  portage  to  the  sea.  Heaven  will  be  a  place  of  packed  work ; 
but  so  smooth,  so  grateful,  so  high,  as  a  great  joy  itself;  so 
smoothly  oiled  ,  so  delightfully  spurred  forward  as  our  very 
life ;  that  the  shimmer  will  follow  the  stream,  as  light  its 
luminary.  "  She  that  liveth  in  pleasure  is  dead  while  she  liveth  " 
(i  Tim.  5  :  6).  And  so,  this  "wine"  of  the  fourth  verse,  and 
these  "  women  "  (v.  3  ;  for  it  will  be  seen  the  figure  shifts),  are 
the  great  metaphors  for  ihtsQ  propter  se  pleasures.  Christ  will 
have  none  of  them.  So  ^^ His  mother  [trained]  Him.'"  Paul 
speaks  the  like  before  the  Governor.  "  He  reasoned  of  righteous- 
ness, temperance,  and  judgment  to  come ;"  an  exhaustive  skeleton. 
**  Of  righteousness  ;"  that  is,  of  our  standing  before  the  law  ;  "  of 
23 


530  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

temperance ;^  that  is,  of  our  whole  sanctification ;  for,  being 
temperate^  I  mean  yoking  in  mere  pleasure,  and  spurring  for- 
ward a  zeal  of  consecration,  is,  after  all,  our  sanctifying  work. 
"  IVomeji"  therefore,  and  all  this  pitching  upon  "strong  drink," 
are  for  the  sake  of  a  sample.  Mary  stirs  her  Son  for  His  grand 
work.  It  is  not  for  Him  to  have  a  breath  of  prurient  pleasure. 
Let  Him  waver,  and  He  will  ^''destroy  kings."  His  must  be  a 
perfect  obedience.  He  is  to  "  open  [His]  mouth  for  the  dumb." 
He  is  to  "plead  the  cause  of  the  afflicted  and  needy."  Joy  will 
follow  :  but  as  the  shadow  the  substance ;  as  the  shimmer  the 
stream :  as  with  the  great  God  Himself,  ineffable  bliss  ineffable 
practice  of  the  purest  rectitude.  Nor  was  He  to  be  peculiar  in 
this;  I  mean  in  duty.  "It  [was]  not  for  kings;"  viz., 
those  He  should  make  "  kings ;"  and,  in  a  lower  sense, 
the  '''' seed  of  God"  (for  notice  now  the  force  of  the  second 
^) ;  "  //  \was\  not  for  kings,  for  the  seed  of  God  j  it  \iuas'\  not 
for  kings  to  drink  wine ;  nor  for  princes ;  or  strong  drink." 
That  is  to  say, — All  men  are  to  be  single-eyed  in  duty.  Christ 
is  our  general  model.  "  [Our]  meat  is  to  do  the  will  "  of  our 
Father;  and  pleasure  must  be  the  taste  of  this  "meat."  This  is 
a  pregnant  passage.  Not  that  being  happy  is  wrong ;  not  that 
turning  aside  to  be  amused  is  wicked;  not  that  ascetic  hardness 
may  not  be  most  particularly  insane ;  but  that  we  must  turn 
aside  to  be  refreshed  for  our  work.  We  are  not  to  "  eat  in 
the  morning"  (Ec.  lo  :  i6),  as  the  ancients  so  deftly  described 
it.  We  are  to  eat  when  meat  is  necessary  ;  meaning,  we  are  to 
seek  pleasure  when  it  is  needed  to  refresh.  For  Ecclesiastes 
goes  on,  "  Blessed  art  thou,  O  land,  when  thy  king  is  the  son  of 
nobles,  and  thy  princes  eat  in  due  season,  for  strength  and  not  for 
drunkenness"  (Ec.  lo:  17).  So  follows  that  terrible  sentence; 
— "  Give  ye  strong  drink  to  him  that  is  being  lost."  The  word 
is  the  actual  participle.  It  is  not  ^^  ready  to  perish"  (E.  V.), 
but  OiCiMdiWy ''^ being  lost."  '''' Being  lost"  is  the  primary  signifi- 
cation (Ps.  119:  176).  Give  pleasure,  thus  madly  on  its  own 
account,  to  men  who  are  going  down  to  Hell.  "  Let  [them] 
drink."  It  suits  them.  "Let  [them]  forget  [their]  wretched- 
ness." It  is  a  horrid  imprecation!  As  when  Christ  said  to 
Judas,   "That   thou   doest  do    quickly"   (Jo.    13:27).      "His 


Chap.  XXXI.]  COMMENTARY.  531 

trouble  no  more."  Alas!  that  is  the  restless  longing.  We  are 
no  extremists  for  temperance.  But  this  text  would  be  a  sad  one 
to  quote  in  defence  of  spirits.  The  meaning  is, — Pleasure ;  here 
tropically  meant  both  by  "  Z£//«(?  "  and  "  a/<?;«^;/," — is  not  to  be 
lusted  after  on  its  own  account.  We  are  not  to  "  drink  [it],  lest 
[we]  forget  what  is  commanded,  and  set  wrong  the  cause  of  any 
of  the  sons  of  misery."  But  we  are  to  leave  it  reigning  madly 
among  the  "  lost'''  "  Let  \theni\  drink."  It  befits  their  nature; 
"  let  them  drink  and  [try,  if  they  can,  to]  forget  \their\  wretched- 
ness, and  remember  \their]  trouble  no  fnore."  ''^  Seed-of-God ;" 
Mu-el :  more  regularly  mo  (see  v.  4;  also  Job  9:30).  A  21 
however  would  be  Phenician  (see  Gesen.).  It  may  be  made 
mu  to  distinguish  Christ  from  the  other  '''' seed-of-God"  (v.  4), 
viz..  His  royal  people.  "  What,  7ny  son?  "  (E.  V.) ;  not,  '^  what 
shall /  say,  my  son?"  (RosenmuUer  and  Umbreit),  but  (more 
grammatically,  i.  e.,  without  anything  to  supply), — "  What  is 
my  son}"  not  even  saying,  "  Who!  "  but  "  What?  "  ;  a  pronoun 
of  still  higher  wonder.  As  the  "  Strong  Man  "  wonders  about 
Himself  (30:  i),  so  Mary  wonders  about  the  ''''  Seed-of-God" 
that  was  the  "  son  of  \Jier\  womb."  "Vows."  Hannah  (i  Sam. 
I  :  13)  and  Elizabeth  and  Mary  seem  all  to  have  been  rarely 
pious  ;  and  to  have  made  very  special  "  vows  "  about  the  birth 
of  their  respective  children.  Elizabeth  "  hid  herself  five 
months  "  (Luke  i  :  24)  after  her  conception,  which  answers  to 
no  custom  of  her  people ;  and  was  at  the  beginning  of  her  preg- 
nancy ;  and  could  have  been  for  nothing  but  for  prayer.  What 
an  extraordinary  continuance  of  prayer !  No  wonder  that  John 
was  the  greatest  man  ever  born  (Matt.  11  :  11).  Moreover,  she 
says,  that  she  had  been  praying  before,  and  attributes  her  very 
praying  to  the  Almighty.  "  Thus  was  the  Lord  dealing  with 
me  (that  is,  thus  was  He  leading  me  to  pray)  in  the  days 
wherein  He  looked  on  me  to  take  away  my  reproach  among 
men  "  (Luke  i  :  25).  This  is  a  new  view,  but  we  believe  a  just 
one.  It  was  not  a  modest  hiding  for  one  socially  a  recluse ;  for 
there  was  no  such  custom ;  but  an  instant  resumption  of  prayer  the 
moment  she  saw  her  first  long  vigils  crowned  with  success.  Her 
first  Retreat  had  won  her  a  child.  Her  second  won  her  his  piety 
and  greatness.     So,  doubtless,  Mary  prayed  (Lu.  i  :  28,  30;  see 


532  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

also,  as  to  Zacharias,  Lu.  1:13;  hence  Prov.  30  :  i — "  son  of 
the  godly")-  " -5"^  <^^  to  destroy."  If  Christ  by  possibility 
sinned,  it  would  "  destroy  "  His  dynasty.  The  very  conception 
seems  profane ;  but  He  Himself  appears  to  have  alluded  to  it ; 
for  He  tells  His  disciples  to  watch  and  pray,  lest  they  entered 
hito  (His)  temptation  (Mark  14  :  38).  He  was  girding  Himself 
for  Gethsemane.  "  Enter  into  temptation "  is  no  idiom  for 
personally  being  tempted.  Moreover,  "  t/iat  which  destroyeth 
kings  "  (E.  V.)  cannot  be  made  out  of  the  original.  "  Zet  it  not 
be  "  (v.  4).  We  introduce  the  imperative  instead  of  the  English 
Version, — "//  is  not,"  because  3lS>  as  we  said  awhile  ago  (30  : 
31),  is  not  for  the  indicative.  It  is  an  optative,  or  imperative, 
negation.  Moreover,  not  having  expounded  "  kings "  as  an 
intended  example  for  her  son,  as  does  the  English  Version,  we 
find  nothing  preferable  in  an  indicative  sense.  "  Seed-of-God" 
(v,  4);  the  regular  ;//^,  as  we  have  stated;  to  indicate  ^^ seed," 
perhaps,  in  a  more  prosaic  sense.  "  The  kings  "  are  less  mysti- 
cally the  "seed,"  than  "  Thy  Seed,  which  is  Christ  "  (Gal.  3  : 
16).  "Or"  (v.  4).  The  word  is  a  puzzling  one.  Itmaystand 
for  an  infinitive.  It  may  mean  to  desire  (De  Wette,  Rosen- 
miiller).  But  it  looks  so  much  like  "  or,"  that  we  have  marked 
it  that  way ;  though,  as  it  will  appear,  in  a  somewhat  abnormal 
position.  "  The  cause."  Christ's  great  work  is  the  cause  of  the 
miserable.  "  Embittered  in  soul "  (v.  6),  does  not  mean  in 
Hebrew  sad,  but  bitter,  or  hostile.  Fierce,  vehement,  says 
Gesenius;  as  strong  stands  in  antithesis  to  sweet.  (Jud.  14  :  14). 
"  Lo  I  raise  up  the  Chaldeans ;  that  bitter  and  hasty  nation"  (Hab. 
I  :  6).  "  Lest  angry  fellows  run  upon  thee  "  (E.  V.,  marg : 
""bitter  in  soul,"  Jud.  18  :  25).  "  Mighty  men  chafed  in  their 
minds  "  (E.  V.  marg.,  "  bitter  of  soul,"  2  Sam.  17:8),  The  mean- 
ing seems  to  be, — Let  embittered  sinners  have  pleasure,  and  see  if 
that  will  bury  their  "  wretchedness."  "  Wretchedness  ;  "  literally, 
''■poverty."  "  T'r^//^/^  ;"  literally,  " /"<?//."  "  Children  of  a  change  ; " 
those  appointed  to  a  change.  "  Children  of,"  however,  has  a  wide 
circle  of  meaning:  as  "children  of  wrath"  (Eph.  2:3)  for 
example,  and  "children  of  the  devil"  (i  Jo.  3  :  10).  It  may 
mean,  suited  to,  or  appointed  to,  or  subject  to  ;  or  beginning  to  be 
under ;  or  possibly,  all  these  together.    *'  Appointed  to  destruction  " 


Chap.  XXXL]  COMMENTAR  Y.  533 

(E.  v.)  comes  nowhere  near  the  sense.  In  David  (Ps.  102  :  26) 
it  is  translated,  "  They  shall  be  changed'"  (E.  V.).  The  idea  is 
that  Christ's  "  kings  "  are  "  c/n'/dren  of  a  change  y"  and  as  such 
are  distinctly  opposed  to  those  that  are  ''''being  lost"  (v.  5). 
"  The  dumb"  is  the  man  that  cannot  speak  for  himself,  but  needs 
an  Intercessor.  "  Judge  righteousness ;"  as  Christ  does  when 
He  builds  a  happy  verdict.  This  ^''judgment"  or  verdict  is  the 
"  bruised  reed  "  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah  ;  for  Christ  builds  it  upon 
His  own  Righteousness,  and  He  had  to  wrestle  for  that  in  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane  (see  remarks  v.  3).  It  was  promised 
that  He  should  not  "break  the  bruised  reed"  (Is.  42:3); 
neither  did  He;  for,  though  He  cried  out  in  agony  (Matt.  27  : 
46)  about  God's  forsaking  Him  ;  and  though  He  begged  the 
disciples  to  pray  (Matt.  26  :  38-40) ;  yet  He  was  able  to  come 
back  from  the  embowered  olive-trees  saying: — "It  holds  off" 
(aTre;\^ef) ;  or  "it  has  passed"  (through  His  resisting  "unto 
blood  striving  against  sin  ") ;  and  He  was  able  to  say  to  them, 
"  sleep  on  now,  and  take  your  rest  "  (Matt.  26  :  45)  :  another 
trial  is  over ;  and  with  more  cheerful  eye  to  feel  that  much 
through  His  struggle,  and  to  announce  the  coming  of  His  per- 
jured betrayer  (Matt.  26  :  46).  Nine  verses  then  (vs.  1-9)  are 
a  great  Prophecy  of  Christ. 

Twenty-two  verses  (10-31)  are  a  Great  Picture  of  the  Church. 
We  like  to  keep  the  "  Brida"  (Rev.  21:9)  and  the  "  Husband" 
(see  also  verse  11,  below)  together.  It  might  mean  "^  capable 
woman."  Doubtless  it  does,  secularly,  and  astthe  substance  of 
the  allegory.  It  might  mean  "  Wisdom  "  (14  :  i),  as  opposed  to 
"  Folly"  (9  :  13) ;  or  the  "  Wise  Woman  "  {allegorice^,  as  set  over 
against  the  "  harlot  "  (7  :  10).  It  might  mean  ///."  Church,  as  a  twin 
picture  to  Muel  (v.  i),  like  the  linkings  in  the  Song  of  Solomon. 
In  fact,  piety  is  the  same  in  all.  And  one  might  ask  how  we 
could  possibly  distinguish  between  (i)  a  pious  female,  (2)  piety 
itself,  and  (3)  a  pious  church ;  since  the  same  colors  must  be 
laid  on  in  the  case  of  each  of  them.  This  does  make  us  less 
anxious  to  distinguish  among  the  three ;  but  there  are  certain 
broad  features,  such  as  buying  a  field,  and  planting  a  vineyard 
(v.  16)  ;  such  as  having  a  husband  (v.  11) ;  such  as  having  done 
him  good  all  the  days  of  her  life  (v,  12),  which  is  true  of  the  church ; 


534  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

such  as  her  children  rising  up  and  calling  her  blessed  ;  her  husband 
also  himself  praising  her  (v.  28) ;  such  as  being  a  unit  too, 
she  only  being  chiefly  virtuous  (v.  30) ;  which  lead  us,  in  spite  of 
ourselves,  to  the  conclusion,  that  this  is  the  One  Catholic 
Church  of  the  Almighty.  Let  us  begin  the  translation.  There 
are  as  many  verses  as  there  are  letters  in  the  Hebrew.  And 
each  one  in  their  order  begins  with  one  of  them. 

In  the  first  place,   she  is  a  unitary  church.     There  is  none 
like  her : — 

10  Who  can  find  a  capable  woman .?  vinuo'^'Voman'^^'for 

her  price  is  far  above 
rubies. 


So  that  her  price  is  far  above  pearls. 


"  My  dove,  my  undefiled,is  but  one  (really,  in  her  very  nature^ 
otie  ;  there  is  an  emphatic  pronoun),  she  is  the  only  one  of  her 
mother ;  she  is  the  choice  one  of  her  that  bare  her  "  (Cant.  6  : 
9).  "Capable;"  literally,  a  woman  of  resource  or  strength. 
Pharaoh  says  (Gen.  47  :  6)  if  there  are  any  "  capable "  men 
among  the  brothers,  they  can  be  set  over  my  cattle.  Piety  has 
many  terms  in  the  Bible  (see  i  :  2-5).  "So  that;"  ■) ;  is  rather 
illative  or  consequential.,  as  in  the  next  verse,  than  an  equivalent 
for  "/(?r  "  (E.  v.).     She  \s precious,  because  she  is  so  rare. 

The  next  verse  introduces  her  Husband,  and  in  two  aspects  ; 
first  as  having  trusted  her  (witness  the  emphatic  past),  and 
second,  by  way  of  consequence,  whJch  is  the  force  of  "j,  as  hav- 
ing "  no  lack  of  gain  "  : — 

II  The  heart  of  her  husband  has  safely  trusted  ^uVba^d^  doth'  fafefy 

trust  in  her,  so  that  he 
shall  have  no  need  of 
spoil. 


her; 
so  that  he  has  no  lack  of  gain. 


"Her  husband;"  of  course  Christ.  He  can  safely  trust  her, 
because  He  secures  her  by  His  own  Spirit.  And  He  can  truly 
make  "  gain  "  of  her,  because  she  will  be  His  wealth.  "  He  shall 
see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied  "  (Is. 
53:11)- 
12  She  has  been  doing  him  good,  and  not  evil,!    ".^''^*'".  ^°.,'^''^, 

o.  o  '  '   good,  and  not  evil,  all 

all  the  days  of  her  life.  I  the  days  of  her  life. 

Witness  the  preterite.     Were  it  future,  it  might  be  true  of 
individuals.     But,  as  the  preterite,  it  is  only  true  of  the  church. 


13  She  seeketh  wool 
and  flax,  and  worketh 
willingly  with  her 
hands. 


Chap.  XXXL]  COMMENTARY.  535 

The  new-born  "  [do]  good  "  always.  The  man  being  impeni- 
tent before  his  conversion,  did  not  do  ''good"  always.  The 
church  made  up  of  the  new-born,  has  always  done  good. 
'' Doing  good"  seems  not  to  be  recognized,  as  it  ought,  as  being 
'  a  quality  that  absolutely  ^r^^d'i-  the  pious  (Matt.  25  :  40  ;  i  Jo 
3:7). 

The  hypocrite  works  legally;  the  church  "cheerfuUy,"  or,  as 
the  literal  Hebrew,  with  pleasure.  That  is  the  reason  ''kings" 
may  not  "drink  wine"  {v.  ^),  i.e.,  seek  pleasure  on  its  own 
account ;  and  yet  may  be  supremely  happy  : — 

13  She  has  hunted  up  wool  and  flax, 

and  worked  cheerfully  with  her  hands. 

She  "  has  "  done  it  (emphatic  preterite).  It  is  not  a  purpose. 
Some  saints  think  being  ready  to  work  is  enough.  She  "  has  " 
done  it.  She  has  not  said,that,  if  she  had  influence,  she  would 
be  useful;  or  that,  if  she  had  money,  she  would  give  it  liberally 
to  the  poor.  But  "she  has  hunted  up  wool  and  flax,  and 
worked  cheerfully  with  her  hands. " 

She  has  not  yielded  to  mystery,  or  succumbed  to  the  far-off 
nature  of  the  faith.  She  has  not  been  content  with  home 
morals,  or  the  earthly  maxims  of  men;  but  she  has  gont  far-off 
for  her  sustenance;  even  to  Heaven  itself.  "Man  did  eat 
angels' food"  (Ps.  78:25). 

14  She  has  become  like  the  ships  of  a  mer-l    '4  She  is   like  the 

rVnnt-  merchants'   ships;  she 

i-iiciiiL,  bringeth  her  food  from 

she  brmgs  her  food  from  afar.  '*f*'- 

This  glorious  "food"  she  does  not  bury.  She  feeds  it  to  her 
people.  She  does  this  in  the  "night"  of  dark  vision,  when 
faith  is  but  a  feeble  groping.  This  is  a  beautiful  image.  She 
does  not  yield  to  the  cold  torpid  morning,  when  it  is  hard  to  get 
out  of  sleep  :  but  she  faces  it : — 

15  She  rises,  also,  while  it  is  yet  night;  I  '5  She  riseth  also 
and  gives  a  portion  to  her  house,  '  pjgiv-eth'm''eat  "A 
and  an  allowance  to  her  maidens  household,  and  a  por- 

^     '^*  I  tioii  to  her  maidens. 

"A  portion;"  i.  e.,  apiece  torn  off ;  corresponding  to  a  pre 
vious  Proverb,—"  Let  me  break  off  the  food  appointed  for  me  " 


536  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

(30  :  8).  Both  point  to  an  "  allowance  "  (see  last  clause),  which 
must  be  had  each  day ;  which  cannot  be  kept  till  the  morrow 
(Lev.  22  :  30) ;  but  which  will  breed  worms  (Ex.  16:  20)  like 
the  manna  from  heaven,  if  the  church  encourages  her  people  to 
live  on  it  as  belonging  to  the  past. 

She  ventures  too,  and  extends  her  area.  She  goes  out  and 
annexes  other  lands : — 


16  She  has  considered  a  field,  and  takes  it. 
Of  the  gain  of  her  hands  she  has  planted  a 
vineyard. 


16  She  considereth  a 
field,  and  buyeth  it  ; 
with  the  fruit  of  her 
hands  she  planteth  a 
vineyard. 


Notice,  I  beg,  the  tenses.  First,  preterite ;  and  then,  in  the 
same  clause,  future.  The  '\  conversive  does  not  make  an  abso- 
lute past,  but  a  tense  having  a  futurition  from  the  moment  of 
the  preceding  preterite.  She  looks  before  she  leaps,  "  She 
has  considered,  and  takes."  "  With  the  gain  of  her  hands,  etc," 
i.  e.,  on  her  work  in  the  past  she  builds  what  is  to  come. 
^^  Gain;"  literally  '''' fruit."  '''"Considered"  literally,  .yr//^///^^, 
reflected. 

Just  here,  though,  she  has  a  guard.  Large  enterprise  dissi- 
pates, and  brings  in  the  world.  Witness  our  prosperous 
denominations.     She  fences  against  that : — 


17  She  has  girded  her  loins  with  strength, 
and.  strengthens  her  arms. 


17  She  girdeth  her 
loins  with  strength, 
and  strengtheneth  her 
arms. 


The  1  conversive,  again,  is  illative.  "  She  has  girded  her 
loins;"  i.  e.,  she  has  begun  that  way,  and  the  girdle  all  through 
Scripture  is  the  "  iriitk  "  (Eph.  6:14);  not  the  "  truth  "  in  the 
letter,  for  that  is  the  "  sword  of  the"Spirit"  (Eph.  6  :  17);  but 
the  "  truth  "  in  the  spirit,  for  that  is  the  inward  "  strength  "  of 
the  pious.  "  She  has  girded  her  loins  with  strength,  and  \so 
she]  strengthens  her  arms." 

She  is  careful,  too,  to  make  no  mistake ;  that  she  may  not  be 
strengthening  her  arms  in  vain.  She  keeps  watchful  even  in 
the  "  night  "  of  gloom  and  trial.     She  keeps  "her  candle  ": — 


18  She  has  tasted  whether  her  merchandize 
be  good. 
Her  candle  goes  not  out  by  night. 


18  She  perceiveth 
that  her  merchandise 
is  good  :  her  candle 
goeth  not  out  by  night. 


Chap.  XXXL]  COMMENTARY.  537 

"  Tasted ;"  this  is  the  literal  Hebrew.  She  risks  nothing 
upon  any  false  wares.  She  tastes  everything  before  she  buys. 
She  buys  nothing  in  the  "  nights  Or,  if  she  does,  she  seeks  for 
all  possible  light,  and  buys  it  with  all  possible  scrutiny.  "  She 
has  tasted."  It  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  She  did  it  at  her  first 
conversion.  Her  piety  is  an  affair  of  taste.  She  trusts  none 
until  she  tastes  it.  And  this  is  her  continual  care,  "  \to  taste]  her 
merchandize  whether  [it]  be  good  ;"  literally,  because  it  is  ^^ good-" 
and  to  buy  as  much  of  it  with  the  right  taste,  as  she  is  possi- 
bly able.  ^    ^ 

Aiming  at  verse  twentieth,  where  she  is  represented  as  going 
abroad  with  good  works,  the  more  common-place  (24  :  1-6  ;  28  : 
18)  verse  nineteenth  is  interposed,  where  she  is  painted  as  hard 
at  work  at  home.  She  is  no  Mrs.  Jellyby,  leaving  everything 
neglected  in  her  own  house  : — 

19  She  has  thrown  out  her  hands  in  spinning; 
and  her  hands  have  held  the  spindle. 


19  She  layeth  her 
hands  to  the  spindle, 
and  her  hands  hold  the 
distaff. 


•'ThroAim  out;"  referring  to  the  rude  "  spiiming "  of  an 
ancient  date,  in  which  the  hand  was  "  thrown  out "  in  drawing 
the  thread.  Perhaps  not  unintentionally  the  same  words  are 
used  in  the  next  verse  to  represent  the  "  [holding]  out  [of]  her 
hands  to  the  afflicted."  She  is  good,  but  not  good  at  the  expense 
of  duty.  Her  charity  begins  at  home.  She  works  busily  at 
''spinning"  and  then  goes  but  to  "[open]  her  palm  to  the 
afiiicted  "  : — 


and  held  out  her  hands  to  the  needy. 


20  Shestretchethout 


20  She  has  opened  her  palm  to  the  afflicted,  ^^^  j,^„j  ^^  j^e  poor; 


yea,  she  reacheth  forth 
her  hands  to  the  needy 


Nor  is  she  blind  to  the  command,— "  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor."  She  works  naturally.  She  follows  the  sense  of 
Christ's  homiletic,  "  Go  not  from  house  to  house  "  (Luke  10  :  7). 
She  squanders  not  her  service  by  scattering  her  work  unpromis- 
ingly ;  but  begins  at  Jerusalem  (Lu.  24  :  47  ;  Rom.  i  :  16).  She 
provides  for  her  children  first;  doing  good  to  all  men,  but 
understanding  the  sense  of  the  Apostle,  where  he  says,  "  specially 
to  them  who  are  of  the  household  of  faith  "  : — 


23* 


538  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

21  She  is  not  afraid  of  snow  for  her  house- 1  /'.^''^  '^  "°^  ^''^^ 

,         ,  oi    the    snow    for    her 

hold  ;  household:  for  all  her 

for  all  her  household  have  been  clothed  in'^lXscariir'"^'"''"'* 
crimsons.  I 

"Snow."  "She  is  not  afraid  "  of  the  chilling  winter  of  the 
soul.  She  not  only  shuts  it  out ;  but  secures  for  all  she  loves 
glory  as  well  as  safety.  "  Crimsons ;"  from  a  verb  meaning,  to 
sJwie  J  colors,  both  priestly  and  royal.  She  not  only  sees  that 
her  saints  appear  saintly ;  but  that  they  be  clothed  royally,  no 
less  than  sacerdotally,  as  both  safe  and  sovereign  heritors. 

Moreover,  as  a  church,  and  in  the  individual  believer,  she 
sets  great  store  by  appearing  reputably  : — 

2  2  She  has  made  for  herself  coverlets:  I    f?  She  maketh  her- 

.  sell  coverings  of  tapes- 

cotton  and  purple  are  her  clothmg.  try;  her  clothing  2* 

I  silk  and  purple. 

She  does  not  despise  comfort  even  for  herself.  "  Cotton ;  "  the 
ancient  byssus ;  something  more  rich,  or  more  rare,  at  least, 
than  the  textile  of  our  day. 

Her  grand  aim  at  ornament  is  to  ornament  "  her  Husband." 
In  that  she  is  His  sole  beauty.  Christ  is  not  "known"  but 
through  the  Church.  All  comes  down  to  her  from  Him:  but, 
like  the  moon,  she  is  the  Sun's  beauty  through  the  night. 
What  would  be  heard  of  Christ  but  through  the  Church  7  And 
"  in  the  gates ;  "  yea,  in  the  very  court  of  Heaven  ;  His  commerce 
with  the  Church  is  that  which  has  ennobled  the  face  of  the 
Redeemer  (Ps.  19:5;  Is.  53  :  11 ;  Jo.  3  :  29 ;  Rev.  4 :  9-11) : — 


23  Her  husband   has  become  known  in  the 
gates, 
in  sitting  with  the  elders  of  the  land. 


23  Her  husband  is 
known  in  the  gates, 
when  he  sitteth  among 
the  elders  of  the  land. 


She  does  all  sorts  of  good  ;  and  benefits  the  world  even  with 
less  things  than  her  royal  raiment : — 


24  She  has  made  under-linen,  and  sold  it; 
and  delivered  girdles  to  the  Canaanite. 


24  She  maketh  fine 
linen,  and  selleth  it: 
and  delivereth  girdles 
unto  the  merchant. 


The  savage  tribes  that  pick  up  fragments  of  our  dress,  may 
represent  the  heathen  that  begin  the  crude  lessons  of  redemp- 


Chap.  XXXI.]  COMMENTARY.  539 

tion.  "  Girdles;"  in  Paul  (Ephes.  6  :  14)  the  foundation  of  the 
"whole  armour."  "To  the  Canaanite:"  the  English  Version 
says,  ''to  the  merchant:'  So  says  Gesenius.  Doubtless  the 
Canaanites  did  become  the  traffickers  (Job.  41:6;  Is.  23  :  8 ; 
Hos.  12:7);  z.n(\''  merchant"  is  not  an  incorrect  translation. 
But  the  Septuagint  retains  "  Canaanites;'  and  with  the  requi- 
site historical  key,  this  seems  the  more  striking  rendering.  The 
church  sheds  light  even  in  her  trade ;  and  the  beginnings  of 
evangelized  dress  she  carries  with  her  in  her  worldly  intercourse 
among  men.  "  Girdles  y"  literally,  "  girdkr  The  singular  we 
read  collectively. 

Imparting,  however,  she  does  not  lose.  Giving  doth  not 
impoverish  her.  These  Proverbs  to  a  large  degree  oscillate 
from  one  extreme  point  to  another.  Going  out  with  all  her 
purity  among  the  corrupted  Canaanites,  she  does  not  become 
herself  impure.  On  the  contrary,  she  has  a  principle  of  defence. 
"  She  laughs  at  "  any  exposure  either  of  wealth  or  person  : — 

,   1  1  i^iU;„,^.  2=;  Strength  and  hon- 

25  Strength  and  beauty  are  her  clothmg,  our  «r^  her  clothing; 

and  she  laughs  at  the  day  that  is  yet  to  -^^^^^e  shall  rejo.cem 

come. 

"  Strength  and  beauty."  How  godlike  that  is  !  Man's  works 
separate  these  two  traits  in  all  that  he  creates.  The  stately 
palace  !  We  could  knock  tons  off,  and  its  strength  remam. 
But  there  are  no  heavy  cornices  in  the  works  of  the  Creator. 
'' Strens:th  and  beauty"  Xx^t^^\^^^\y  together.  So  in  the  new 
creation.  In  eternal  blessedness  the  "  strength  "  that  "  laughs 
at  the  future  will  be  numerically  one  with  the  "beauty"  that 
adorns  the  ages. 

Her  great  work  will  be  to  give  light.  Preachmg  is  her 
highest  errand.  Promulging  truth  is  what  she  is  most  made  for 
in  the  creation.  And  yet  this  is  allied  with  the  homeliest 
drudgeries  of  her  labor : — 

...    J  1     26  She   openeth  her 

26  She  has  opened  her  mouth  with  wisaom  ,     mouth  with  wisdom; 
and  kind  direction  is  upon  her  tongue.         -d^in  her^.t°ng-  " 

27  She  has  looked  well  to  the  ways  of  her  ^^-7^jShejm>^ke^th  well 

house  ;  household,  and  eateth 

and  eats  not  the  bread  of  idleness.  -t^the  bread  of  idle- 


540  PROVERBS.  [Chap.  XXXI. 

Four  verses  speak  of  her  "  praise  "  for  all  this.  First  (v.  28), 
the  very  life  of  her  sons  praises  her.  What  is  the  church  but 
her  sons  }  The  Hebrew  is  peculiar.  They  rise  "  and  "  praise 
her.  The  meaning  is,  they  praise  her  by  their  very  rise.  Most 
mightily  her  Greatest  Son  (Rev.  12  :  5)  "gives  praise  to  her," 
The  greatest  birth  of  the  church  is  her  Son  and  King ;  *'  her 
Husband,"  in  the  figure  of  the  text.  And,  therefore,  in  the 
emphatic  Hebrew, — 


28  Her  children  have  risen  up  to  bless  her. 
Her  husband;  ^e  also  praises  her. 


28  Her  children  arise 
up,  and  call  her  bless- 
ed ;  her  husband  also^ 
and  he  praiseth  her. 

She  is  a  wonderful  creature  :  a  superb,  bewildering  mystery. 
Isaiah  announces  (Is.  61 :  7  *)  that  she  is  the  Second  Creature 
in  the  universe.  If  Christ  be  part  of  her,  as  He  is,  in  His 
Human  Nature,  she  is  then  the  First  Creature.  Many  Intelli- 
gences have  been  high  ;  but  she,  higher.  For  listen  to  the  text 
that  follows ! — 


29  Many  daughters  have  done  ably  ; 
but  thou  hast  gone  up  above  them  all, 

"  Above  them  all,"  in  holiness  : — 

30  Grace  is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain ; 

a  woman  that  fears  Jehovah,  in  that  shall 
praise  herself. 


29  Many  daughters 
have  done  virtuously, 
but  thou  excellest  them 
all. 


30  Favour  is  deceit- 
ful, and  beauty  is  vain; 
but  a  woman  tkat  fear- 
eth  the  Lord,  she  shall 
be  praised. 


The  Church,  to  be  the  grandest  creature  of  the  Most  High, 
must  be  the  holiest.  With  Christ  as  Head,  that  is  the  hope. 
"  In  the  ages  to  come  the  exceeding  riches  of  His  grace"  are 
— how  }  Why,  "  in  His  kindness  towards  us  through  Christ 
Jesus  "  (Eph.  2  :  7).  To  be  very  kind.  He  must  make  us  holy. 
That  we  be  very  holy,  is  His  only  "  kindness."  "  Grace  is 
deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain."  That  is,  splendors  of  grand  life 
are  nothing,  though  it  be  in  the  courts  of  God.  The  "  "Woman 
that  fears  Jehovah,"  is  the  splendid  Church,  through  infinite 
ages  of  redemption. 

There  is  indeed  a  "gain  of  [hand],"  as  well  as  a  grace  of 
heart ;  but  even  that  is  largely  this  grace  itself.     The  most  solid 

♦Not  '^^ double"  (E,  V.),  but  "  the  sectnd place  "  (see  2  Kings  23  :  4). 


Chap.  XXXI.]  COMMENTARY.  541 

wage  of  goodness  will  be  intrinsically  the  being  good.  "  Give  " 
this  to  the  Church.  "In  the  gates  ;"  i.  e.,  when  transferred  to 
the  realm  of  I^eaven  ;  among  her  Great  Ones,  when  assembled 
in  her  Courts  :  let  her  chief  wealth  be  her  purity  : — 

31  Give  her  of  the  gain  of  her  hands  ;  ,^3x.  Give  her  of  jh^e 

and  let  her  own  works 
praise  her  in  the  gates. 


and  let  her  works  praise  her  in  the  gates. 


III. 

ORIGINAL   EXPOSITIONS 
CLASSIFIED. 


CLASSES  AND  THEIR  CONTENTS. 


CLASS  I. 
Unnoticed  Conclusions  after  an  Infini- 
tive WITH  Lamedh. 
i :  2,  3  ;  1:4,5;  i :  6,  7  ;  ii :  8 ;  v :  2  ;  ii :  12- 

15  ;  ii :  16, 17 PAGE  549 

CLASS  n. 
Unnoticed  Conclusions  after  a  Parti- 
ciple. 
vi :  12-15  ;    xi : 18,   19  ;    xvi : 27-29  ;  xv  : 
10  ;  xviii :  21 ;   xxii :  11  ;  xxv  ;  22  ;  xxviii  : 
2  ;  xxix  :  7  ;  xxix  :i2 551 

CLASS  in. 
Unnoticed  Conclusions  Not  Preceded  by 

Lamedh  or  a  Participle. 
ii :  i-s  ;  ii :  18-20  ;  vii :  i ;  xxii :  17 554 

CLASS  IV. 
Unnoticed     Cases     of     Two    or     More 
Clauses    Running    Together    into    One 

Proposition. 
vi :  26  ;    xii :  16  ;    xvii  :  26  ;   xx  :  15  ;   xx  : 
25  ;  xvi :  2  ;  xxi :  2  ;  xxi :  12 555 

CLASS  V. 
Unnoticed  Cases  of  the  Flow  of  the 

First  Clause  into  the  Second. 
xxi :  31 ;  xiv  :  7  ;  xxi :  15  ;  x:  13  ;  x  :  14  ;  x  : 
23  ;  xiii :  5  ;  xiv  :  22  ;  xv  :  5  ;  xvi :  3  ;  xxii : 

18  J  xxiv  :  28 557 

CLASS  VI. 
Unnoticed    Independency    of  the    Se- 
cond Clause. 

xx:  II ;  iii :  12  ;  xxiii  :  23 561 

CLASS    VII. 

Overlooked    Cases'  where   Sentences 

should  be  Inverted. 

xiv  :  9  ;  xx  :  6  ;  xxviii :  16 562 

CLASS  VIII. 
Overlooked    Cases   where    Sentences 
should  Not  be  Inverted. 
vii  :  22  ;  xi :  17  ;   xiii :  5  ;  xiii :  8  ;  xiv  :  2^  ; 
xvi :  7  ;  xvi :  11  ;  xx  :  7  ;  xxi :  12  ;   xxviii : 

II 563 

CLASS  IX. 

Unnoticed  Simplicity  of  Langu.\ge. 

xiii :  19  ;    xvi  :  31 ;    xxiii  :  28  ;    xxvi  :  26  ; 

xxvii  :  9  ;    xxix  :  9  ;    xxix  :  11  ;    xxx  :  32  ; 

xxxi :  3  ;  xxxi :  30 566 

CLASS    X. 
Unnoticed  Force  of  the  Expressed  Pro- 
noun. 
:  22  ;  i :  26  ;  iii :  18  ;  iv  :  13  ;  x  :  22  ;  x  :  24  ; 


V :  23  ;  X :  18  ;  xi :  28  ;  xxm :  3  ;  xxiii :  i^  ; 
xxvi  :4  ;  xix  :  1  ;  xxi :  13  ;  xxii :  9  ;  xxviii : 

26  ;  xxiv  :  32 569 

CLASS  XI. 

Overlooked  Pronominal  Suffixes. 

viii:35 S7» 

CLASS   XII. 
Overlooked    Intention   of  the  Pronom- 
inal Suffix. 
ix  :  7  ;  xiv  :  2  ;  xiv  :  14  ;  xvi  :  26  ;  xiv  :  10  ; 

xxi :  20 572 

CLASS  XIII. 
Overlooked  Cases  of  Nouns  Absolute. 
xvi  :  2  ;     xxi :  2  ;     xxiv  :  23  ;      xxiv  :  31 ; 
xxviii :  1 574 

CLASS  XIV. 

Unnoticed  Cases  of  Nouns  in  Apposition. 
iv  :  7  ;  v  :  22  ;    viii :  22  ;    xii :  27  ;    xiv  :  10  ; 
xvi :  3  ;  xvi :  31  ;  xviii :  17  ;  xviii  :  20  ;  xxii : 

" 575 

CLASS  XV. 
Overlooked  Instances  of  Nouns  Used 

Adverbially. 
vi :  23  ;  vii :  27  ;  viii :  2 577 

CLASS  XVI. 
Overlooked  Cases  where  Adverbial  Use 

was  Not  Really  Intended. 
viii :  22  ;  xvi :  4 578 

CLASS  XVII. 
Overlooked  Force  of  the  Genitive. 
xxix  :  I  ;  xxix  :  4  ;  xvii :  2  ;  xx  :  29  ;  vi :  19  ; 
xii :  17  ;  xiv  :  5  ;  xix  :  5  ;   xix  :  9  ;  xxi :  28  ; 
XXV :  18 579 

CLASS  XVIIL 
Unnoticed  Simplicity  of  the  Conjunc- 
tion Vav. 

iii :  12  ;  ix  :  16 582 

CLASS  XIX. 

Unnoticed  Instances  of  Vav  as  not  a 

Simple  Copulate, 

xiv  :  22  ;  XX :  1 1 583 

CLASS   XX. 

Overlooked  Bearing  of  the  Absence  op 

the  Conjunction  Vav. 

xxii :  5  ;  xxii :  4 584 

CLASS  XXI. 
Overlooked  Preterites. 
xi :  7  ;  xiii  :  i  ;  xxi :  22  ;  xxxi :  17  ;  xxiv  :  27.  585 
(S4S) 


546 


CLASSES 


CLASS  XXII. 
<        Overlooked  Hiphils. 

xiv  :  i8  ;  xxi :  12  ;  rxviii :  7 586 

CLASS  XXIII. 

Overlooked   Imperatives. 

3t :  I ;  xii :  25  ;  xx  :  18  ;  xxiii :  25  ;  xxx  :  31.  588 

CLASS   XXIV. 

Unnoticed   Force  of  the  Preposition 

Lamedh. 
xiv  :  35  ;  xix  :  23  ;  xix  :  27  ;  xxi :  31  ;  xxvi : 

2    59° 

CLASS  XXV. 
Unnoticed  Force  of  Prepositions  other 

than  Lamedh. 
XXV  :  20  ;    xxvi :  12  ;    xxix  :  20  ;    xxix  :  2  ; 

xxix  :  16  .  xxx  :  6 591 

CLASS    XXVI. 
Unnoticed  Cases  of  Beth  ("Tl)  Essenti.b. 
xiii :  17  ;  xvii :  20  ;    xxiv  :  16  ;    xxviii :  14  ; 
XX  :  30  ;  xxv  :  8  ;  v  :  14  ;  xiii  :  23  ;  xiv  :  3 . .  594 

CLASS  XXVII. 

Unnoticed  Cases  of  Verbs  Requiring  a 

Preposition. 

xvii :  12 596 

CLASS  XXVIII. 
Unnoticed  C.^ses  of  Verbs  Not  Requir- 
ing a  Preposition. 

xxix  :  16  ;  xxx  :  6  ;  xvii :  26  ;  xxi :  12 596 

CLASS  XXIX. 
Unnoticed  Cases  of   Return  to  a  Pri- 
mary Sense. 
xiii :  14  ;  xiv  :  27  ;  xiii :  12  ;  xiii :  15  ;  xviii  : 
24  ;    i :  10  ;   xxvi :  16  ;    xxvii  :  8  ;    xx  :  22  ; 
xxvii :  I  ;  xxviii :  12  ;  xxviii :  28  ;  xxix  :  18  ; 
xxx  :  10  ;  xxx  :  16  ;  xxx  :  27  ;  xxxi :  8 597 

CLASS  XXX. 
Unnoticed  Cases  of  |>i^'[2p[  (to  Miss)  in 

its  Primary  Meaning. 

XX  :  2  ;  xiv :  21 6^ 

CLASS  XXXI. 
Unnoticed  Cases  of  '^IQJ?  (to  Move  up) 

IN  ITS  Primary  Meaning. 

xxvi  :  17  ;  xxi  :  24  ;  xxii  :  8 604 

CLASS    XXXII. 

Unnoticed  Cases  of  J^^Sj  (to  Level)  in 

ITS  Primary  Meaning. 

v;6;  V  ;2i 605 

CLASS   XXXIII. 
Unnoticed  Cases  of  Q^7  (to  Devise) 

-  T 

IN  ITS  Primary  Meaning. 

X  :  23  ;  xxiv  ;  8,  9  ;  xxi  :  27 607 

CLASS  XXXIV. 

Unnoticed  Cases  of  Jj^^  "^  (to  he  Excit- 
ed) IN  ITS  Primary  Meaning. 
xxiii :  17  ;  xxiv  :  i  ;  xxiv  :  19 6o3 


CLASS  XXXV. 

Unnoticed  Cases    of  ")^5>^   (to  bb 

Straight)  in  its  Primary  Sense. 
ix  :  6  ;  iv  :  14,  15  ;  xxiii  :  19 609 

CLASS  XXXVI. 

Unnoticed  Cases  of  fTllJ)^^   (some- 

T    • 

THING  Stable)  in  its  Primary  Sense. 
ii  :  7  ;  iii :  21  ;  viii  :  14  ;  xviii  :  i 610 

CLASS  XXXVII. 

Unnoticed  Cases  of  Secondary  Meaning, 
XV  :  7  ;  XX  :  8  ;  xviii  :  6  ;   xx  :  6  ;   xxiv  :  7  ; 
xxiv  :  34 6ii 

CLASS  XXXVIII. 
Overlooked  Force  of  N>'^  |~>>  (if  not). 

iii :  30  ;  iv  :  16 614 

CLASS  XXXIX. 
Overlooked  Force  of  pQ  as  a  Prefix  to 

Nouns. 
iv  :  23  ;  iv  :  26  ;  vi :  19 615 

CLASS  XL. 
Overlooked  Meanings  of  TrJ55  (Soul). 

vii  :  23  ;  xxvii :  9  ;  xxviii  125 616 

CLASS  XLI. 

Unnoticed  Meaning  of  "ift  (Mouth). 

xvi :  26  ;  xxii :  6 617 

CLASS  XUI. 
Unnoticed  Meaning  of  I^Sb  (before). 

viii :  30 618 

CLASS  XLIII. 
Unnoticed  Sense  of  the  Word  f^Jj^^^ 

T      — 

(Sin-Offering). 
xiii :  6  ;  xiv  :  34  ;  xxi :  4  ;  xxiv  :  9  ;  x  :  16. .  619 

CLASS   XLIV. 
Unnoticed  Meaning  of  "13  hj<^  (because 

also).      •       '  " 
xi :  31  ;  XV  :  II  ;  xvii  :  7  ;  xxi  :  27  ;  xix  :  10  621 
CLASS  XLV. 
Overlooked  Sense  of  i^  (because). 

ii  :  10  ;  iii  :  25  ;   iv  :  8  ;   xix  :  18  ;   xxii :  18  ; 
xxiii :  9  ;  ii :  18,  19  ;  xxiii  :  13  ;  xxiii :  as. .  622 

CLASS  XLVI. 

Overlooked  Sense  of  J^SPT  (to  no  pur- 
pose.) 
iii :  30  ;  xxiv  :  28  ;  xxvi  :  2 624 


AND    THEIR    CONTENTS. 


547 


CLASS  XLVII. 

Overlooked  Sense  of  the  Expression 

"  Hand  to  Hand." 

xi :  21 ;  xvi  :  5 625 

CLASS  XLVin. 
Overlooked  Force  of  the  Word  Judg- 
ment. 
xii  :  s  ;  xiii :  23  ;  xvi :  8  ;  xix  :  28  ;   xxi :  7  ; 
xxix  :  26  ;  ii :  8 626 

CLASS  XLIX. 
Overlooked  Differences  in  the  Four 
Words  for  Man. 
xii :  14  ;    xviii :  16  ;   xix:  11;    xix:  21,  22; 
XX  :  17  ;    xxviii  :  2,   3  ;    xx  :  24  ;    xxix  :  5  ; 

XXX  :  2 628 

CLASS    L. 
Overlooked  Meaning  of  "  Woman." 
xi :  16  ;  xi :  22  ;  xxi :  9  ;  xxi  :  19  ;  xxv  :  24  ; 

xxvii :  15  ;  xxxi :  10,  etc 629 

CLASS   LL 
Overlooked  Emblems. 
vii :  9  ;  vii  :  22  ;  x  :  6  ;  x  :  11  ;  x  :  20  ;  xvii : 
19  ;  xviii  :  19  ;  xxii  :  5,  6  ;  xxii :  15  ;  xxiii  : 
23  ;  xxv  :  23  ;  xxv  :  26  ;  xxv  :  28  ;  xxvi :  7- 
10  ;  xxvii :  8  ;  xxvii :  17  ;  xxvii  :  19 631 

CLASS   LIL 
Overlooked  Sense  of  Suretyships. 
vi  :  1-5  ;  xi  :  IS  ;  xvii :  18  ;   xx  :  16  ;   xxii : 
a6,  27  ;  xxvii :  13 636 


CLASS  LHI. 

Overlooked  Peculiarities  of  the  Pass- 
ages WHERE  Long  Life,  Wealth,  and  Hon- 
or, seem  to  be  Promised  to  the  Pious. 

iii  :  I,  2  ;  iii :  16  ;  iv  :  10  ;  viii :  18  ;  ix  ;  11 : 

X  :  27  ;  xxii :  4 637 

CLASS  LIV. 

Overlooked  Preface  to  Numbered  Lists 
OR  Statements. 

vi ;  9-19  ;  XXX :  10-33 ^39 

CLASS  LV. 

Overlooked  Gospel. 

X  :  8  ;  xiii  :  14  ;  xiv  :  27  ;   xvi :  6  ;  xxiv  :  7- 
12  ;  xxix  :  26  ;  xix  :  19 642 

CLASS   LVL 

Unnoticed  Doctrine. 

xvi ;  10 ;  xvi ;  20 ;  xvii  :  16  ;  xv :  24  ;  xx  : 
14;  xxiv  :  5  ;  xxvii :  3 644 

CLASS  LVIL 

Overlooked  Allusions  to  the  Deity. 

xxiii  :  1-8  ;  xxiv  :  21-26  ;  xxv  :  2-7 646 

CLASS  LVHL 

Overlooked  Messianic  Prophecies. 

XXX  :  1-4  ;  xxxi :  1-9 647 


i 


/ 


SOME  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS 


REEXAMINED 


CLASSIFIED    LIST. 

The  expositions  in  the  following  list  are  absolutely  original.  They 
are,  therefore,  without  authority,  and  subject  to  the  prejudice  of  all  ver- 
sions, and  all  previous  students  of  the  Bible.  The  writer's  own  preju- 
dices are  aroused  against  his  own  work,  when  he  sees  so  many  novelties 
springing  up  in  so  short  a  book,  in  a  field  so  thoroughly  tilled,  and  after 
laborers  so  much  better  informed,  and  with  so  many  more  of  the  auxilia- 
ries of  cognate  speech.  He  has,  therefore,  needed,  himself,  the  encour- 
agement which  this  classification  gives.  It  allows  his  readings  mutual 
support.  He  has  left  out  many  not  capable  of  a  kindred  grouping. 
Those  which  he  inserts,  in  number  over  three  hundred,  seem  all  to  be 
encouraged  by  the  following  facts  :— first,  they  agree  with  confessed 
idioms  of  the  English  ;  second,  they  agree  with  confessed  readings  of 
other  Hebrew;  third,  some  of  them  with  confessed  classical  and  New 
Testament  Greek  ;  and  fourth,  all  of  them  with  the  context,  in  ways  to 
relieve  jumbled  and  incomprehensible  connections,  or  to  redeem  the 
passage  from  hopeless  and  most  improbable  common-place.  If  he  can 
give  even  a  few  of  his  readings  an  accepted  hold,  or  heal  even  one  mu- 
tilated text,  as  the  surgeons  say,  "  by  the  first  intention,"  he  will  be  grati- 
fied even  by  that  much  gleaning  of  value  from  his  studies  in  so  Great  a 
Book. 

CLASS    I. 

UN-NOTICED    CONCLUSIONS 

AFTER    AN    INFINITIVE   WITH    LAMEDH. 


I. — Chap,  i :  2,  3. 

2  To  know  wisdom  and  admonition  ; 

to  put  a  distinct  meaning  into  discriminated 
speeches ; 

3  to    accept  clear  sighted  admonition, 

is  righteousness  and  judgment  and  right  be- 
haviour. 


2  To  know  wisdom  and  in- 
struction ;  to  perceive  the 
words  of  understanding  ; 

3  To  receive  the  instruction 
of  wisdom,  justice,  and  judg- 
ment, and  equity ; 


We  say  in  English,—"  To  falter  is  deatA."  "We  read  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment,— "  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father  is  this, 
— To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep  him- 
self unspotted  from  the  world,"  Jas.  i  :  27.  This  Greek  is  inverted  ; 
but  read  reversely,  it  matches  our  case  at  once.  "  To  visit  the  fatherless 
and  widows  in  their  affliction,  is  pure  religion  and  undefiled."  The  old 
interpretation  in  this  case,  and  the  versions  into  every  language,  have 
been  a  perfect  jumble  of  discordant  introduction. 

(549) 


S50  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


II.— Chap.  i:4,  5. 

4  In  order  to  give  subtlety  to  the  simple  ; 

to     the    child     knowledge     and     thorough 
thought  ; 

5  The  wise  man  will  hear,  and  increasingly  ac- 
quire ; 


■4  To  give  subtility  to  the 
simple,  to  the  youn^  man 
knowledge  and  discretion. 

5  A  wise  man  will  hear,  and 
will  increase  learning;  and  a 


^^A  ™   .^„'„    „i_„„j      u  1-  •  -11    ni^"  °f   understanding   shall 

and  a  man  already  become  discerning,  will  |  attain  unto  wise  coun£^ls: 
gain  in  capability  to  guide. 

We  say  in  English,  '  To  reap  we  must  sow.'  This  is  diiTerent  from  the 
last,  but  still  it  is  a  conclusion  preceded  by  the  preposition  'to''  (or 
lamedh).  In  this  very  Book  (E.  V.)  Prov.  22 :  19,  we  read, — "  That  thy 
trust  may  be  in  the  Lord,  I  have  made  known  to  thee  this  day,  even  to 
thee":  literally, — "  To  be  (or  that  there  be)  in  Jehovah  thy  ground  of 
trust,  I  have  made  known  to  thee  this  day,  even  to  thee."  Our  Old  Ver- 
sion, therefore,  has  essentially  the  same  forms  ;  and,  of  course,  it  would 
be  a  shame  to  stand  back  from  their  use,  where  it  throws  new  order  into 
a  whole  connection. 


III.— Chap,  i :  6,  7. 

6  For  putting  a  distinct  meaning  into  a  proverb 

or  an  enigma ; 
into  the  words  of  the  wise  and  their  intricate 
things  ; 

7  the   fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  main  knowledge; 
a  wisdom  and  a  discipline  that  fools  despise. 


6  To  understand  a  provcr!>, 
and  the  interpretation  :  the 
words  of  the  wise,  and  their 
dark  sayings. 

7  The  fear  of  the  Lord  it 
the  beginning  of  wisdom  ;  bui 
fools  despise  wisdom  and  in- 
struction. 


The  first  case  (vs.  2  and  3)  means  that  knowledge  is  holiness  ;  the  se- 
cond (4,  5),  that,  to  impart  knowledge,  we  must  increase  it  in  ourselves  ; 
and  this  third,  that  to  find  knowledge  in  books,  we  must  possess  it,  if  it 
be  of  a  spiritual  kind.  All  three  are  grand  Proverbs  for  the  opening  of 
this  spiritual  work. 

IV.— Chap,  ii :  8. 
8  To  keep  watch  over  the  paths  of  judgment     [    8  He  keepeth  the  paths  of 
lie  must  also  guard  the  way  of  His  saints.         j"dgnient,andpreserveth  the 

"  -^  1  wnv  nr  his  cainfs 


I  way  of  his  saints. 


v.— Chap,  v  : 


»   To  guard  deep  counsels  1      2  That  thou  mayest  regard 

and  knowledge,  let  them  mount  guard  over  r'^'^"'? ''°"\ ''"'^  ,'''^/''  '^y  ''P^ 

thy  lips.  1  may  keep  knowledge. 

These  cases  correspond  in  character  very  closely.  It  is  strange  that 
such  simple  renderings  have  not  been  thought  of;  for,  to  maintliin  the 
'  usual  ones,  great  dislocation  has  occurred  ;  the  infinitive  has  been  merged 
into  a  Kal  ;  all  purpose  for  lamedh  has  been  denied  ;  and,  to  maintain 
such  great  anomalies,  each  of  these  passages  has  been  quoted  to  sustain 
the  rest ;  giving  us,  it  may  be  well  here  to  say,  a  good  suggestive  impulse 
toward  that  very  arrangement  into  Classes,  which  ought  to  be  much  more 
efficient  to  support  the  grammar,  than  it  can  possibly  be  to  excuse  and 
violate  it.  These  passages  are  both  beautiful.  One  means,  that  God  has 
a  path  of  judgment  ;  that  Me  has  one  in  which  He  walks  of  strict  verdict 
or  justice  toward  every  creature  ;  that  He  has  one  toward  Satan,  for  ex- 
ample, in  which  He  shall  walk  eternally,  never  bending  a  hand-breadth 
from  strict  award  ;  that  He  has  one  toward  every  saint ;  that  to  keep  that 
He  must  watch  it  eternally  ;  and  that,  "  To  keep  watch  over  the  paths  of 


CLASS  I. 


551 


judgment,  He  must  [therefore]  also  guard  the  way  of  His  saints."  The 
other  means,  that  "  to  guard  knowledge  "  we  must  give  it  work  to  do  ; 
and  that,  as  the  tongue  is  the  most  illusive  of  all  the  enemies  to  peace,  to 
watch  that  is  the  best  practice  one  can  get.  "  To  guard  deep  counsels  and 
knowledge,  let  them  mount  guard  over  thy  lips." 
VI. — ^Chap.  ii :  12-15. 

12  To  deliver  thee  from  the  way  of  evil, 
from  the  man  that  utters  upturning  things, 

13  those  that  forsake  level  paths 
to  go  in^the  ways  of  darkness, 

14  who  rejoice  to  do  evil, 
exult  in  the  upturnings  of  evil  ; 

15  who  are  crooked  in  their  own  paths, 
and  turned  off  of  their  own  tracks. 


12  To  deliver  thee  from  the 
way  of  the  evil  jnan,  from  the 
man  that  speaketh  froward 
things  ; 

13  Who  leave  the  paths  of 
uprightness,  to  walk  in  the 
ways  of  darkness  ; 

14  Who  rejoice  to  do  evil, 
and  delight  in  the  froward- 
ness  of  the  wicked  ; 

15  Whose  ways  are  crook- 
ed, and  ikey  froward  in  their 
paths : 


her 


VII. — Chap,  ii :  16,  17. 

16  To  deliver  thee  from  the  strange  woman, 
from    the    stranger    that    flatters    with 

speeches, 

17  she  who  forsakes  the  guide  of  her  youth, 
has  also  forgotten  the  covenant  of  her  God 


16  To  deliver  thee  from  the 
strange  woman,  ez'cn  from  the 
stranger  which  flattereth  with 
her  words  ; 

17  Which  forsaketh  the 
guide  of  her  youth,  and  for- 
getteth   the  covenant  of  her 

I  God. 

The  idea  of  both  of  these  passages  is,  that  men  are  to  be  warned  from 
lost  ways  by  the  extremities  to  which  they  lead.  This  is  a  fresh  and' firm 
sense.  All' others  are  feeble.  Moreover  these  distinctly  appropriate  the 
grammar.  They  fit  it  like  a  glove.  If  vav  be  absent,  or  there  be  a  par- 
ticiple, or  there  be  a  Kal  after  a  participle,  all  is  accounted  for.  The  last 
shred  of  peculiarity  is  woven  in  ;  and  something  is  made  in  the  tapestry 
of  all  the  threads  that  are  present  in  the  text.  Of  course  such  fidelities 
should  be  admitted  as  having  rights. 


CLASS    II. 
UNNOTICED  CONCLUSIONS  AFTER   A    PARTICIPLE. 

We  say  in  English,  '  Betraying  the  governtnent,  we  forfeit  all  right  to  pro- 
tection frorn  it.'  We  might  expect  the  like  in  other  languages  ;  and  we 
actually  find  it  in  the  llebrew:  in  Prov.  7  : 8,—"  Passing  through  the 
street  near  her  corner ;  and  he  (better,  he  also)  went  the  way  to  her 
house,"  (E.  V.) ;  in  Prov.  28  :  27.—"  tie  thatgiveth  (literally,  giving)  unto 
the  poor,  shall  not  lack  ;  but  he  that  hideth  (literall}',  hiding),  his  eyes 
shall  have  many  a  curse  "  (E.  V) ;  again  in  Prov.  29  :  14, — "  The  king 
that  faithfully  judgeth  (literally,  judging)  the  poor,  his  throne  shall  be 
established  forever."  (See  also  19  :  16  ;  29  :  14).  Why,  therefore,  in  cases 
like  the  following,  where  the  sense  is  robbed  on  account  of  the  refusal, 
is  not  the  force  of  the  participle,  as  a  matter  of  course,  allowed  to  it  ? — 

I. — Chap,  vi :  12-15. 

12  A  worthless  man  ;  a  man  utterly  in  vain  ;  .^f   A   naughty  person    a 

,,  .         .                ,      J                ,            ■'•  wicKed  man,  walketh  with  a 

walkmg  in  crookedness  of  mouth  ;  froward  mouth. 

13  talking  with  his  eyes  ;  speaking  with  his  feet ;  13   He   winketh   with   his 
motioning  with  his  fingers  ;  eyes,  he  speaketh   with  his 

°  °  feet,  he  teacheth  with  his  aa- 

gers; 


552 


ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


14  Frowardncss  is  in  his 
heart,  he  deviseth  mischief 
continually ;  he  soweth  dis- 
cord. 

15  Therefore  shall  his  cal- 
amity come  suddenly  ;  sud- 
denly shall  he  be  broken  with- 
out remedy. 


14  with    upturnings   in   his   heart  ;  fabricating 

evil, — 
will  be  putting  forth  grounds  of  quarrel  all 
the  time. 

15  Wherefore   his   crushing   shall    come    sud- 

denly ; 
at  a  stroke  shall  he  be  broken,  and  there  be 
no  remedy. 

The  meaning  Is,  that  the  "  worthless  man,"  who  is  the  "  sluggard  "  of 
the  previous  texts  ;  though  he  might  claim  to  be  inoffensive  ;*yet,  "  talk- 
ing with  his  eyes,  etc.,"  "  motioning  with  his  very  fingers,"  and  (therefore) 
"fabricating  evil"  even  unconsciously;  instead  of  being  inoffensive; 
"  will  be  putting  forth  grounds  of  quarrel  all  the  time."  In  New  Testa- 
ment speech,—"  He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against  me  "  (Matt.  12  :  30) ; 
and,  "because  thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spue 
thee  out  of  my  mouth"  (Rev.  3 :  16).  Mark  how  smoothly  the  Hebrew 
lies  under  all  these  renderings. 

II. — Chap,  xi :  18,  19. 

18  A  wicked  man  doing  a  deceiving  work, 
and  he  who  sows  righteousness  having  a  true 

reward, 

19  thiis  righteousness  is  unto  life, 
but  he  t'nat  chases  evil  does  so  to  his  death. 


18  The  wicked  worketh  a 
deceitful  work :  but  to  him 
that  soweth  righteousness 
shall  be  a  sure  reward. 

ip  As  righteousness  tendetk 
to  life;  so  he  that  pursueth 
evil,  pursueth  it  to  his  own 
death. 


This  gives  rest  to  a  much  vexed  and  fretted  passage.  It  explains  the 
participles  ;  brings  both  troubled  Proverbs  into  one  ;  and  gives  a  mean- 
ing to  y^  {"  (^iiis")  which  the  bickerings  of  commentators  have  greatly 
thrown '  in  question. 

in. — Chap,  xvi :  27,  29. 
27   A  worthless  man,  digging  up  evil, 

and  having  upon  his  lips  as  it  were  burning 


fire, 

29  as  a  man  of  violence,  seduces  his  neighbor, 
and  leads  him  in  a  way  not  good. 


27  An  ungodly  man  diggeth 
up  evil  ;  and  in  his  lips  there 
is  as  a  burning  fire. 

29  A  violent  man  enticeth 
his  neighbour,  and  leadeth 
him  into  the  way  thai  is  not 
good. 


This  case  greatly  resembles  Case  First  under  this  Class. 

IV. — Chap,  xv  :  lo. 

10  Discipline  is  an  evil  to  him  who  forsakes  the  I     10  Correction   is  grievous 
path.  unt"  him   that  forsaketh  the 

It  is  in  hating  reproof  he  dies.  I  prTokt^!!  dU.'"'  '^'"'^  ^'- 

ITere  the  participle  and  the  conclusion  are  shut  into  a  single  clause 
But  examme  the  two 'versions,  and  see  how  the  common  one  misses  the 
sense.  All  previous  versions  make  the  two  clauses  quite  distinct  (see 
Class  v.);  in  which  case  the  second  sinks  into  a  perfect  commonplace  • 
but,  making  the  participle  the  condition  of  the  conclusion,  as  we  have 
done  above,  we  arrive  at  deep  doctrine.  "  Discipline"  is  not  "grievous" 
simply  (E.  v.),  but  "  an  evil  "  Missing  the  second  clau.se  our  Version- 
ists  have  also  missed  the  first  "  Discipline  is  an  evil  to  him  who  for- 
sakes the  path"  in  this  very  thing.  The  second  clause  is  actu.illy  the 
key.  "  Disciphne  is  an  evil"  ;  why  ?  because  the  man  who  will  not  sub- 
mit to  it,  hates  it,  and  because  it  is  in  this  very  act,  viz.,  "  in  hating  re- 
proof," that  he  grows  worse  ;  which  Solomon  expresses  by  saying  tropi- 


CLASS  II.  553 

call)',  "  lie  dies."     The  iinlimbering  of  the  participle,  therefore,  to  make 
of  it  the  pivot  of  the  whole  verse,  has  been  an  unobserved  necessity. 
Quite  similar  is  the  next  case  : — 

V. — Chap,  xvili :  21. 
21   Death  and  life  are  in  the  hand  of  the  tongue  ;]    21  Death  nnd  life  <7rf  in  the 
and  jus.  as  they  love  it  each  man  shall  eat  FCInrt'lot itS'Utrhe 


its  fruit. 


they  1 

fruit  thereof. 


22  For  thou  shalt  he.ip 
coals  of  fire  upon  his  head, 
and  the  Lord  shall  reward 
thee. 


Understood  like  the  English  Version,  the  thought  is  the  commonest 
possible.  Understood  like  the  last,  the  essence  of  our  life's  results, 
viz.,  as  decided  by  our  love,  is  most  theologically  and  truthfully  pointed 
out.     The  participle,  therefore,  is  still  the  hinging  expression. 

So  is  it  in  the  next  case,  where  the  same  participle  "  loving"  is  applied 
to  the  Almighty  : — 

VI. — Chap,  zxii :  n. 
II  The  king,  loving  purity  of  heart,  I     "  Hethatloveth  pureness 

has  graciousness  of  his  lips  as  his  near  com-  f/^-«/- fX;-,f  )^^ 
panion.  I  friend. 

This  text  will  fall  also  under  another  class  (Class  XII). 
VII. — Chap,  xxv  :  22. 
az  for,   shovelling  live  coals  thyself  upon  his 
head, 
Jehovah  shall  punish  thee  also. 

This  is  the  startling  instance.  It  has  been  missed,  not  only  by  all  the 
moderns,  but  by  the  Septuagint  translation.  It  is  quoted  from  the  Sep- 
tuagint  by  Paul ;  who,  though  he  often  corrects  that  text,  does  not  do  so 
in  the  present  case.  As  in  many  another  instance,  he  takes  their  version 
as  it  was  ;  and,  as  it  did  not  teach  error,  allows  its  idiom,  which  had 
grown  fast  to  the  language  of  the  synagogue,  to  be  sealed  upon  it  by  the 
more  recent  inspiration.  The  participle,  however,  occurring  just  as  be- 
fore, is  too  indicative  of  sense  to  be  mistaken  ;  and  again,  in  making 
that  the  hinge  of  the  sentence,  we  have  a  very  perfect  figure,  instead  of 
having  a  very  awkward  one  ;  and  we  have  a  verse  in  every  beautiful  de- 
tail corresponding  with  every  point  of  the  inspired  Hebrew. 

VIII. — Chap,  xxviii :  2. 
2  In  the   sin   of  a  land  many  are  its  leaders  ; 
but  by  the  plainest  man  who  imparts  dis- 
cernment, getting  knowledge,  it  makes 
itself  endure. 


2  For  the  transgression  of 
a  land  many  are  the  princes 
thereof:  but  by  a  man  of  un- 
derstanding and  knowledge 
the  state  thereo/ ihdXX  be  pro- 
longed. 


IX. — Chap,  xxix  :  7. 
7  The   righteous   man    taking   knowledge  of 
the  cause  of  the  weak, 
the  wicked  man  makes  no  attempt  to  know 

it. 
X. — Chap,  xxix  :  12. 
12  A  ruler,  paying  close  attention  to  some  false 
thing, 
will  have  altogether,  as  his  ministers,  wicked 
men. 

For  the  exposition  of  these  last  three  texts,  see  the  body  of  the  Com- 
mentary. 

24 


7  The  righteous  consider- 
eth  the  cause  of  the  poor  :  but 
the  wi  Iced  regardeth  not  to 
know  a. 


12  If  a  ruler  hearken  to 
lies,  all  his  servants  a r^  wick- 
ed. 


554 


ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


CLASS    III. 

UNNOTICED   CONCLUSIONS 

NOT  PRECEDED  BY  LAMEDH   OR  A  PARTICIPLE. 


I. — Chap,  ii :  1-5. 

1  My  son,  if  thou  wilt  take  my  words, 
and  hide  my  commandments  with  thee, 

2  so  as  to  point  thine  ear  toward  wisdom, 
thou   shalt   incline   thine   heart  toward  dis- 
cernment. 

3  But  if  thou  wilt  cry  after  discernment, 
and  lift  up  thy  voice  for  understanding; 

4  if  thou  wilt  seek  it  like  mone}', 
and  dig  for  it  as  for  hid  places  of  store  ; 

5  then  shalt  thou  discern  the  fear  of  Jehovah, 
and  find  the  knowledge  of  God. 


1  My  son,  if  thou  wilt  re- 
ceive my  words,  and  hide  my 
commandments  with  thee  ; 

2  So  that  thou  incline  thine 
ear  unto  wisdom,  and  apply 
thine  heart  to  understanding  ; 

3  Yea,  if  thou  criest  after 
knowledge,  a«(/ liftest  up  thy 
voice  for  understanding  ; 

4  If  thou  seekest  her  as  sil- 
ver, and  searchest  for  her  as 
/or  hid  treasures ; 

5  Then  shalt  thou  under- 
stand the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
and  find  the  knowedge  of 
God. 

This  is  a  double  proposition.  It  draws  one  conclusion  in  the  second 
clause  of  the  second  verse,  and  thus  paves  the  way  for  a  stronger  one  in 
the  proposition  beginning  with  the  words,  "  but  if"  (v.  3).  All  this  has 
been  missed  by  exegetes.  The  result  has  been  a  very  vapid  paragraph. 
But  a  discovery  of  that  second  clause  (v.  2)  as  one  to  drop  down  upon 
as  an  anterior  resting  for  the  sense,  makes  all  a  very  striking  paragraph. 
If  we  listen,  we  shall  be  moved.  The  heart  is  framed  that  wa)'.  And 
then  if,  moved,  we  cry  to  God,  and  entreat  for  final  favor,  we  shall  be 
converted.  It  is  a  succinct  and  literal  direction  for  climbing  out  of  dark- 
ness into  marvellous  light. 

II. — Chap,  ii :  18-20. 
iS  Because  she  has  sunk  down  to  death  as  to 
her  house, 
and  to  the  shades  as  to  her  paths, 

19  none  that  go  in  to  her  return  again, 
or  overtake  the  paths  of  life  ; 

20  for  the  very  purpose  that  thou  mayest  walk 

in  the  way  of  the  good, 
and  keep  the  paths  of  the  righteous. 

No  proposition  could  be  more  direct.  Impenitence  as  to  her  "  house," 
i.  e.,  as  to  all  her  interests,  has  sunk  down  to  death,  and  to  the  grave  as 
to  her  paths  ;  therefore,  there  is  no  hope  for  her  votaries.  What  interest 
can  be  a  motive  of  ascent  ?  or  what  path  bring  any  back  ? 

III. — Chap,  vii :  i. 

I   My  son,  watch  my  words,  1     1  My  son,  keep  my  words, 

-^1     ,  ■     , .     .  1  ,         -.1     and  lay  upmy  commandmen  * 

and  thou  shalt  store  my  commandments  with  1^^;^!^  j{jgg'_    ■* 

thee. 
IV. — Chap,  xxii :  17. 
17  Incline  thine  ear  and  hear  the  words  of  the 
wise, 
and   thou    shalt   incline   thine   heart  to    my 
knowledge. 

These  cases  are  simple;  and  they  resemble  and  explain  each  other, 


18  For  her  house  inclineth 
unto  death,  and  her  paths  un- 
to the  dead. 

19  None  that  go  unto  her 
return  again,  neither  take 
they  hold  of  the  paths  of  life. 

20  That  thou  mayest  walk 
in  the  way  of  good  men,  and 
keep  the  paths  of  the  right- 
eous. 


17  Eow  down  thine  ear,  and 
hear  the  words  of  the  wise, 
and  apply  thine  heart  unto 
my  knowledge. 


CLASS  IV. 


555 


CLASS  IV. 

UNNOTICED  CASES  OF  TWO  OR  MORE  CLAUSES 

RUNNING   TOGETHER   INTO   ONE    PROPOSITION. 


36  For  by  means  ofawhor- 
ifh  woman  a  man  is  brought 
to  a  piece  of  bread  ;  and  the 
adulteress  will  hunt  for  the 
precious  life. 


16  A  fool's  wrath  is  present- 
ly known  :  but  a  prudent  tnan 
covereth  shame. 


I. — Chap,  vi  :36. 
a6  For  after  a  woman  selling  herself  as  low  as 
for  a  loaf  of  bread, 
and  she  a  man's  wife, 
a  precious  soul  will  hunt. 

The  preposition  means,  primarily,  about,  or  round  about.  Hunting 
round  ov  about,  wo\i\d  not  he  a  bad  expression.  But  it  grew  to  mean 
"  fory  or  on  account  of,  which  also  makes  a  good  sense.  The  translation 
above  seems  to  be  a  smooth  transcript  from  the  Hebrew.  Italics,  when 
they  occur  so  heavily  as  in  the  Old  Version,  should  always  incline  us  to 
doubt.  The  thought  is,  that  Impenitence  debauches  herself  "  for  a  loaf 
of  bread,"  and  that  against  the  highest  claims  of  Another  ;  and  yet,  that 
"yi^r"  such  a  poor  wretched  object  of  contempt  "a  precious  soul  will 
hunt." 

II. — Chap,  xii :  16. 
16  A  fool,  in  the  day  that  he  is  made  to  know 
his  provocation, 
also  covers  over  his  shame,  a  wise  man. 

The  key  to  this  sentence  is  an  unnoticed  force  of  Niphal.  It  has  been 
observed  in  other  passages  ;  and  Gesenius  distinctly  points  it  out.  He 
quotes  Prov.  10  ;  9,  where  our  Old  Version,  under  the  force  of  the  usual 
Niphal,  translates,  "  shall  be  knoiun."  Gesenius  reads,  "  shall  be  made  to 
knozv."  He  quotes  Jeremiah  31  rig.  There,  even  the  Old  Version  seizes 
the  thought.  It  reads,  "  After  I  was  instructed  j'  i.  e.,  after  I  was  niade  to 
kno7v.  A  thought  of  this  idios)mcracy  of  the  verb  to  know,  would  have 
led  Gesenius  and  other  commentators  to  make  this  also  a  case  of  the 
causative  passive.  The  meaning  is,  that,  where  a  man  repents,  he  also 
believes  ;  that,  where  "  he  is  made  to  know  his  provocation,  he  also  cov- 
ers over  his  shame,  a  wise  man." 

III. — Ch.^p.  xvii :  26. 
26  Even  deserved  punishment  to  the  righteous 
does  not  seem  good 
when  designed  to  chasten  the  willing  with  a 
view  to  holiness. 

This  is  a  good  specimen  of  the  dislocations  that  a  false  rendering  as- 
sumes. In  the  first  place  "  even"  has  to  be  gotten  rid  of  It  is  therefore 
softened  into  "  also"  (E.  V.V  In  the  second  place  lainedh  occurs  before 
''  the  just"  {'E.Y .)  \  therefore,  Gesenius  mentions  it  as  belonging  after 
this  particular  verb  ;  and  quotes  this  verse  in  proof  of  it !  Thirdl3\  there 
is  no  attd  before  the  second  clause  ;  and,  therefore,  we  are  furnished  with 
Italics  (E.  v.),  and  "nor"  assumes  the  place.  Now,  all  these  obstruct- 
ing and  quite  inexplicable  points  come  each  in  place  with  our  simple 
rendering.  The  lainedh  drops  from  the  verb,  and  attaches  needfully  to 
the  adjective.  "'Even  "  is  seized  upon  at  once  ;  while  "  and"  ought  not 
to  be  present,  because  all  merges  into  a  single  thought :  and  that,  in- 


26  Also  to  punish  the  just 
/.<■  not  good,  nor  to  strike 
princes  for  equity. 


556  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONSr 

stead  of  being  so  tame  a  one  as  that  to  '^punish  the  just  is  not  [a]  good 
[thing] "  !  is  the  very  good  thought,  that  punishment  comes  acceptably 
to  no  one — that  even  to  the  righteous  it  does  not  seem  good,  even  though 
deserved,  and  when  distinctly  announced  as  intended  for  his  help  as  a 
believer. 

The  next  case  is  scarcely  important ;  but  just  as  strange  as  the  last  in 
never  having  been  noticed  : — 

IV. — Chap,  xx  :  15. 


15  There  is  gold,  and  a  mul- 
titude of  rubies  :  but  the  lips 
of  knowledge  are  a  precious 
jewel. 


15  There  actually  is  gold,  and  plenty  of  pearls, 
and   precious  vessels  in  the  lips  of  know- 
ledge. 

The  cause  of  its  lying  hid  is,  perhaps,  that  there  is  no  preposition  "  in." 
But  the  noun  absolute  (see  Class  XIII.)  will  serve  such  a  text  instead. 
We  can  translate,  "as  to  the  lips  of  knowledge,"  or  "  z«  the  instance  of;" 
and  the  meaning  will  be  just  as  good.  "There  is  gold  and  plenty  of 
pearls  and  precious  vessels  in  the  instance  of  the  lips  of  knowledge." 
In  the  absence  of  this  throwing  all  into  one,  the  first  clause  is  a  ve.ry 
feeble  one  ;  whereas,  together,  the  three  nouns  parse  precisely  alike,  with 
no  discernible  cause  why  the  first  two  should  be  made  into  a  separate 
assertion. 


v. — Chap,  xx  :  25. 
25  An  act  of  consecration  such  that  after  vows 
there  comes  inquiry  as  a  snare  has  actually 
swallowed  a  man  in. 


25  It  is  a  snare  to  the  man 
who  devoureth  that  which  is 
holy,  and  after  vows  to  make 
enquiry. 


This  is  a  difficult  sentence.  Our  translation  has  disturbed  the  clauses, 
so  that  we  cannot  preserve  them  in  the  English.  The  whole  Proverb  has 
been  much  contested.  Taking  the  "  hofy  thing,''''  however,  or  the  "  act  of 
consecration"  7K%  \\\Q  leading  noun  ;  and  putting  "snare"  in  apposition 
with  it, — "  tlie  holy  thing  as  a  snare  /"  then  making  vav  consequential,  and 
letting  the  words  that  follow  it  describe  one  characteristic  of  the  "  act  of 
consecration  " — that  it  is  such  that  after  vows  one  makes  enquir)'  ;  and 
we  have  the  description  of  a  thing  which,  snare-like,  sivallows  a  man  up. 
The  meaning  is,  that  religious  engagements  trap  a  man,  if  they  are  so 
lightly  made  that,  after  making  them,  he  enquires  and  hesitates. 

Next  come  two  very  signal  cases  : — 

VI. — Chap,  xvi :  2. 
2  As  to  all  the  ways  of  a  man,  pure  in  His  own 
eyes, 
while  yet  He  weighs  out  spirits,  is  Jehovah. 


2  All  the  ways  of  a  man 
are  clean  in  his  own  eyes : 
but  the  Lord  weigheth  the 
spirits. 


2  Every  way  of  a  man  is 
right  in  his  own  eyes :  but 
the  Lord  pondereth  the 
hearts. 


VII. — Chap,  xxi:  2. 
2  As  to  the  whole  way  of  a  man,  right  in  His 
own  eyes, 
and  weighing  out  hearts,  is  Jehovah. 

We  have  a  Class  XIII.,  which  includes  unnoticed  instances  of  nouns 
taken  absolutelj'.  If  it  were  not  for  this  present  class,  there  is  where 
both  these  would  occur.  We  might  make  still  another  class,  of  texts 
thrown  both  clauses  into  one,  and  the  whole  united  proposition  ending 
in  the  one  great  nominative  of  the  Proverb.  Witness  this  in  a  Proverb 
recently  gone  over: — "The  King,  loving  purity  of  heart,  has  gracious- 
ness  of  his  lips  as  his  near  companion"  (32 :  1 1).  In  the  Hebrew,  the 
great  subject  comes  last.     We  might  translate  this  way: — "  Loving  pur- 


CLASS  V.  557 

ityof  heart,  graciousness  of  his  lips  as  his  near  companion  hns  the  King." 
The  same  resort  for  the  sake  of  emphasis  occurs  in  both  our  present 
cases  "  Ways  "  in  one  case  (i6  :  2),  and  "  way"  in  the  other  (21  :  2),  are 
both  in  the  absolute.  The  meaning  is.— As  to  the  ways  of  a  man,  right 
inHisown  eyes,  and  weighing  out  hearts,  is  Jehovah;  that  is,"  right, 
though  men  are  wrong,  and  "  right,"  though  He  controls  them  in  the 
wrong  (I  Pet.  2  :  8),  and  right,  though  He  "  measures  out  hearts,  so  as  to 
determine  whether  they  shall  be  wrong  or  not.  It  is  a  strong  apologetic 
Proverb  after  naked  Calvinistic  texts.  Our  reading,  if  approved,  there- 
fore, is  a  grand  theological  pronunciation. 

VIII. — Chap.  xxi:i2. 
12  He  who  gives  wisdom  to  the  righteous  man  1     x.ThengW^^^^^^ 

by  means  of  the  house  of  the  wicked,         L^g  wicked:  but  God  over- 
overturns  the  wicked  by  means  of  evil.  throweth  the  wicked  ioxthtir 

'  wickedness. 

This  will  come  also  under  the  class  of  overlooked  Iliphils  (Class 

xxn). 

CLASS  V. 
UNNOTICED  CASES 

OF  THE 

FLOW  OF  THE  FIRST  CLAUSE  INTO  THE  SECOND. 

That  there *is  room  for  great  discoveries  here,  we  would  prove  by  a 
very  notable  one  given  by  Maurer,  if  not  actually  made  by  him.  Ihe 
Proverb  chap.  10:  29,  had  before  been  translated  "  The  way  of  the  Lord 
is  strength  to  the  upright  ;  but  destruction  shall  be  to  the  workers  of  in- 
iauitv"(E  v.).  Can  anything  be  more  tame  than  this  second  clause? 
We  may  be  sure  something  is  wrong  in  a  i^roverb  when  its  terse  sharp 
asseverations  degenerate  into  anything  so  dull  as  this  The  whole  is 
brightened  by  throwing  out  the  Italics.  That  lifts  the  Proverb  into 
our  present  class  ;  that  is,  the  class  of  unnoticed  cases  where  the  second 
clause  looks  back  for  part  of  its  language  to  the  first.  How  marvellously 
this  Proverb  is  changed  by  simply  dropping  what  does  not  belong  to  it ! 
Not  "The  way  of  the  Lord  is  strength  to  the  upright,  but  destruction 
shah  ^.  to  the  workers  of  iniquity  ;"  but.  The  way  of  the  Lord  is  both 
"strength  "and  "destruction."  Throw  out  x\,q- shall  be,  and  let  the 
second  clause  fall  back  upon  the  "/."  of  the  first :  then  it  will  announce 
a  most  pregnant  apothegm.  "The  way  of  the  Lord  is  strength  to  the 
up^ight%ut  destruction'to  the  workers  of  iniquity."  Now  this  d.scov- 
erv  enounced  by  Maurer,  is  a  fine  authority  for  another  not  hitherto 
made.  The  points  are  promisingly  similar.  The  text  is  still  more  beau- 
tiful.    We  give  it  as  our  first  case  :— 

I. — Chap.  xxi:3i.  „,      ,            •                 j 

31  A  horse  is   made   ready  against  a   day   of  f  g3j._^The  W^se^..^prepared 

battle  ;  1  safety  is  of  the  Lord. 
and  salvation  against  Jehovah. 

Throw  out  from  the  English  Version  the  Italic  "/.."and  repeat  the 
preposition  ",z^a/«r//"  for  they  are  the  same  in  both  causes  ,  and  we 
hav^  every  "lint  for  a  strangely  unnoticed  asseveration.    Ihe  rioly  Ghost 


558  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

has  been  speaking  of  our  danger.  There  is  no  denying  it.  Tliere  is  no 
temporizing  with  it.  "  Tliere  is  no  wisdom  nor  understanding  nor  coun- 
sel against  the  Lord  "  (v.  30,  E.  V.).  The  onl}'  way  to  meet  Him  is  to 
meet  Him  armed.  "  The  horse  is  prepared  against  the  day  of  battle; 
but  safety  (literally,  salvation)  against  the  Lord."  This  is  the  English  Ver- 
sion, with  nothing  changed  but  the  Italics  and  the  preposition  "<?/." 
The  next  case  is  more  like  that  of  Maurer ; — 


II. — Chap,  xiv  :  7; 


7  Go  from  the  presence  of 
a  foolish  man,  when  thou  per- 
ceivest  not  in  him  tlic  lips  of 
knowledge. 


7  Go  from  the  presence  of  a  stupid  man, 
and  thou  shalt  not  know  the  lips  of  know 
ledge. 

It  is  wonderful  that  Maurer  did  not  seize  the  analog}'.  Me  does  give 
a  strangely  coincident  translation.  We  S7\ys,"  I  e  7Vi;;ione  hoininis  stit/ti, 
et  noil  aiiimadvertis  labia  scicntiir^'^  But  then  he  spoils  all,  thus  : — "  Adi 
stitltiiin  sic  iit  enm  tibi  ex  adverso  habeas^  attende  eicin  quanttiin  potcs,  noti 
cognosces  qiiicquam  scientia:  (t  labiis  ejus  projisci."  The  meaning  of  this  is, 
— Confront  in  the  closest  way  the  foolish  man,  and  you  will  never  see 
any  traces  of  wisdom  in  his  lips.  Which  (.Anglice)  means,  that  a  fool  is 
a  fool.  Whereas  our  meaning  is,  the  solid  and  profound  averment,  that 
wisdom  is  to  be  learned  from  folly  ;  that  is,  that  Satan  mistaught  a  tntth 
when  he  spoke  of  Gods,  and  of  knowing  good  and  evil  ;  that  this  mys- 
tery gave  the  naming  to  the  tree  ;  that  had  there  never  been  any  sin, 
there  had  never  been  such  enlightened  holiness  ;  and  that,  comparatively 
speaking,  just  as  I'aul  means  when  he  says  he  was  not  sent  to  baptize 
(i  Cor.  1 :  17),  and  as  Christ  means  when  He  says,  "  They  had  not  had 
sin"  (Jo.  15  :  22),  if  we  go  out  of  sight  of  the  foolish  man,  \ve  shall  never 
know  the  lips  of  knowledge. 

Still  more  like  Maurer's  case  is  a  verse  in  the  twenty-first  chapter: — 

III. — Chap,  xxi :  15. 
15  The  execution   of  judgment    is   joy    to   thci.  13 /^  "joy  to  the  just  to  do 

rie'hteoUS  judgment:     hut     destruction 

,  *' .  '      ,  ,  .    .       .  \sliall  be  to  the  workers  of  in- 

but  rum  to  workers  of  ini^uit)'.  jiquity. 

"  Judgment^'  or,  to  speak  in  plainer  terms,  the  carrying  out  of  the 
awards  of  justice  (see  Class  XLVIII),  is  the  making  of  the  saints,  and 
the  ruin  of  apostate  sinners.  Our  argument  here  again,  in  addition  to 
our  smooth  agreement  with  the  Hebrew,  is,  the  miserable  commonplace 
of  the  second  clause  of  the  approved  English  Version.  Maurer  comes 
very  near  our  version.  So  do  others.  Zockler  nearly  reaches  it  in  his 
recent  commentary.  But,  while  writing,  as  we  have  done,  the  first  with 
the  second  clause,  they  mistranslate  "Judgment,"  making  it  merely  syn- 
onymous with  rig/it,  and  making  it  the  doing  right  of  man,  rather  than 
the  cariying  out  oi  "  Jiidgi/wnt"  whether  by  man  or  by  his  Maker. 

IV. — Chap,  x  :  13. 

13  Through  the  lips  of  the  discerning  wisdom!     'f  I"  ''^^  ''Ps  "f  him  that 

is  found  ;  !  ^^'^    understanding    wisdom 

,  I  r       .1       1        I       /•    1  >  '*  found :  but  a  rod  ts  for  the 

but  a  rod  for  the  back  of  the  senseless  man.    back  of  him  that  is  void  of  un- 

I  derstanding. 

A  good  prelude  for  our  version  would  be,  to  ask  ihe  question,  what 
Valuable  sense  the  second  clause  has  under  the  old  reading  ?  That  surely 
is  a  fair  argument  If  our  Sage  is  Solomon,  and  Solomon  in  the  curtest 
proverbs,  and  the  whole  under  the  lead  of  inspiration,  surely  more  caution 

*  He  attributes  this  comment  to  Ludovicus  de  Dieu, 


CLASS   V.  559 

should  have  been  had  against  the  poorest  truisms  in  so  brief  a  book. 
The  old  Proverb  would  say, — "  In  the  lips  of  him  that  hath  understand- 
ing wisdom  is  found."  Wliat  is  the  distinct  thought  learned  by  scores 
of  such  asseverations?  But  when  we  are  taught,  that  the  same  lips  carry 
wisdom  in  their  speeches,  and  yet,  in  those  very  speeches,  death  and 
gospel  hardness  to  the  impenitent  and  lost,  we  have  a  distinct  truth  to 
think  of,  and  in  fact  a  deep  theology  which  the  Apostle  long  after  is  care- 
ful to  supply.  These  patterings  of  commonplace  are  fine  indlcice  that 
there  must  be  something  deeper  thought  of  to  satisfy  a  sentence. 

V. — Chap,  x  :  14. 
14  The  wise  store  away  knowledge  ;  1    14  Wise  mm  lay  up  know- 
but  the  mouth  of  the  fool  early  ruin.  Vt^f^l  ^"'  the  mouth  of  the 
•'  I  foolish  IS  near  destruction. 

"Near  destruction  "  (E.  V.)  is  an  equivoque.  Does  it  mean  "near 
destruction  "  in  the  sense  of  speedy?  "  near,"  therefore,  being  an  adjec- 
tive ?  or  does  it  mean  near  to  destruction?  An  unsophisticated  reader 
would  suppose  the  latter.  The  Hebrew  adjective  implies  the  former. 
So  most  modern  scholars  (Maurer,  Zockler,  etc.)  regard  it.  But  they 
do  not  detect  the  holding  over  of  the  first  verb.  "The  wise  store  away 
knowledge  ;  but  the  mouth  of  the  fool  (near  or)  early  ruin." 

VI. — Chap,  x  :  23. 
23  As  a  jest  to  a  fool  is  the  execution  of  a  pur- 
pose ; 
but  it  is  wisdom  to  a  discerning  man. 

Several  moderns  have  seen  the  flow  of  this  first  clause  into  the  second  ; 
but  they  have  sent  forward  the  wrong  word.  Maurer  reads, — "  To  a  fool 
doing  wickedness  is  sport ;  to  a  man  of  understanding,  wisdom ;"  the 
meaning  being,  that  wickedness  is  the  sport  or  pleasure  of  a  fool,  and 
wisdom  the  sport  or  pleasure  of  a  discerning  man.  The  difficulties  of 
this  are  two ;  first,  "  j/^^r/ "  is  a  very  ill-chosen  word  for  pleasure;  and, 
second,  "sport"  being  before  "  fool  "  with  lamed/t,  and  "  wisdom  "  being 
before  "man"  with  lamedJi,  make  an  order  which  ought  to  throw  those 
substantives  just  into  that  relation.  Moreover,  "  do  7vickedness,"  by  going 
a  little  further  back  to  the  root,  means,  to  execute  a  purpose.  So  we  have 
sense  and  order  and  a  good  primary  meaning  all  combined  ;  and  we 
translate, — "The  execution  of  a  purpose  is  sport  to  a  fool,  but  wisdom  to 
a  discerning  man."  This  is  a  grave  idea.  We  beg  particular  notice  of 
the  second  clause  in  the  English  Version :  and  challenge  emphatically 
any  appreciable  force  in  it. 

VII. — Chap,  xiii :  5. 
5  A   deceiving  business  hates   the  righteous 
man, 
but  also  shames  and  disgraces  the  wicked. 


23  It  is  as,  sport  to  a  fool  to 
do  mischfef :  but  a  man  of  un- 
derstanding hath  wisdom. 


5  A  righteous  tnan  hateth 
lying :  but  a  wicked  tnan  is 
loathsome,  and  cometh  to 
shame. 


Maurer,  after  giving  the  old  meaning,  seems  to  turn  from  the  whole 
thing  with  a  species  of  disgust.  He  says  Ewald  translates  "a  lying 
word  "  into, — "anj'  deceitful  matter."  "Si  quis  prajferre  voluerit,  pras- 
ferat,"  he  says,  half  pettishly.  No  wonder  he  shrinks  from  a  text  that 
says  "  A  righteous  man  hateth  lying  !"  and  (as  he  translates  the  second 
clause) — "  A  wicked  man  acts  badly  and  baselj' !"  What  possible  help 
could  come  from  stacks  of  such  inconceivable  platitudes?  Strangely 
enough,  they  have  been  made  possible  by  inverting  the  first  clause,  and 
by  casting  two  Hiphils  out  of  the  second.  By  refraining  from  doing 
either,  our  own  much  better  sense  comes  in,  with  all  the  smoothness  of 


56o  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

the  Hebrew.  "  A  false  thing  hates  the  righteous  man,"  because  he 
stands  in  its  way,  and  burdens  it  with  rebuke  ;  but  it  does  still  worse  to 
the  wicked  man  ;  for,  in  the  end,  it  shames  him,  and  fills  him  with  dis- 
grace. 

The  next  is  an  overlooking  of  the  pregnant  force  of  vav  (see  Class 
XIX):— 

VIII. — Chap,  xiv  :  22. 
22  Must  they  not  err  that  devise  evil,  .22  Do  they  not  err  that  de- 

seeing  that  Mercy  and  Truth  devise  good  ?     "uth  ^klll  t\o  "JS  tlTal 

devise  good. 
The  next  shows  an  unnoticed  Hiphil  (see  Class  XXII).  It  is  rarely 
safe  to  read  (Hiphil)  "makes  subtle," — "is  prudent."  To  find  the  object 
for  the  Hiphil,  however,  we  have  to  invert  the  last  clause,  which,  never- 
theless, is  a  very  usual  and  very  natural  measure  for  coming  at  the 
sense  : — 

IX. — Chap,  xv  :  5. 
5  A  fool  rejects  the  discipline  of  his  father,        1     s  A  fool  despiseth  his  fath- 
but   gives   him    subtlety   who    keeps  watch  | -J---;,--, 'j-^^'^.-^^^^ 
upon  reproof. 

The  old  method  works  out  the  sense  (second  clause), — "  He  that  re- 
gardeth  rebuke  is  prudent-"  Where  is  the  great  force  of  that,  as  a  Pro- 
verb from  the  Kftig  of  Men?  On  the  other  hand,  the  thought,  that  the 
same  fool  who  rejects  the  wisest  discipline,  is  a  study  to  him  who  sub- 
mits to  discipline,  and  in  the  end  helps  him  to  more  subtletj' ;  is  a 
truth  that  has  to  do  with  the  very  timbers  of  our  state  ;  and  accounts 
more  than  anything  beside  for  the  permission  of  everj'  evil. 

X. — Chap,  xvi :  3. 
3  Roll  thy  doings  in  the  direction  of  Jehovah  ;|    3  Commit  thy  works  unto 
and    they   shall    have  success  according  to  | ^|;yeest:E[ishei ''""^''^ 
thy  plans. 

An  unnoticed  noun  in  apposition  (see  Class  XIV.)  is  the  key  to  this 
sense.  Instead  of  reading, — "  Ihy  thoughts,  shall  be  established"  (E.  V)., 
we  read, — "  They  shall  be  established  as  thy  thoughts."  This  carries  us 
back  to  a  first  clause  nominative.  It  binds  the  two  clauses  together. 
All  works  are  "established  "  in  God's  great  plan  ;  even  those  of  Satan, 
or  of  Nero.  But  the  saint's  works  are  established  favorably;  i.  e.,  they 
are  established  as  they  were  meant ;  i.  e.,  they  are  established  as  (or  ac- 
cordiug  to)  our  plans. 

The  next  case  has  been  overlooked  from  that  common  fault  of  not 
giving  to  i^  the  force  of  "  because"  (see  Class  XLV).  There  is  a  double 
stage  of  the  ik  Because  thou  dost  watch  over  wise  words  within  thee, 
they  become  pleasant  ;  and  because  they  become  pleasant,  they  become 
fixed  together  upon  thy  lips.  This  is  a  deep  ptiilosophy  of  heavenly 
obedience.  We  never  act  wrong  in  heaven,  because  we  are  bathed  in  a 
sea  of  blessedness  We  are  full  of  love,  which  is  the  same  thing  as  find- 
ing wise  words  pleasant.  F^erfect  love  incapacitates  us  from  wrong  ac- 
tion ;  for  love  is  the  spring  of  what  is  right,  and  perfect  love  casteth  out 
fear.     So  then  for  the  case  : — 

XI. — Chap,  xxii :  18. 
17  Because   it  is    pleasant   because    thou    dost  I     '8 '^o'''''"  a  pleasant  thing 
watch  over  them  within  thyself;  j ;Le'°"they"^haU Tith^'^c 

therclore  the)  shall  get  fixed  together  upon  1  fitted  in  thy  lips, 
thy  lips. 


CLASS  VI. 


561 


21  Be  not  a  witness  against 
thy  neighbour  without  cause  ; 
and  deceive  not  with  thy  lips. 


We  will  give  but  one  more  : — 
XII.— Chap,  xxiv:  28. 
aS  Be  not  a  witness  to  no  purpose  against  thy 
neighbor, 
and,  mayhapf  deceive  with  thy  lips. 

'  A  little  particle  at  the  beginning  of  the  verb  to  deceive  has  led  some  to 
make  the  second  clause  an  interrogative,  but  has  found  most  Hebraists 
ready  to  neglect  it  altogether.  The  English  Version  has  boldly  put  in  the 
Italic  "«c^."  The  little  particle  is  really  the  ^«w«(7«  of  the  sentence.  It 
gives  us  a  clue  to  throwing  it  all  into  one  ;  and  makes  a  maxim  com- 
plete as  to  the  matter  of  private  scandal.  We  are  not  to  witness  against 
our  neighbors  uselessly  (see  Class  XLVI).  This  is  a  full  maxim  by  it- 
self. But  then  it  is  enforced  by  a  bye  consideration  that  is  expressed  by 
the  particle  j-j^  that  ill-speaking  is  in  all  cases  dangerous  at  best;  and 
should  be  in  no  case  resorted  to  uselesslj',  because  "  wa//w/,"  that  is, 
it  may  be  that,  in  the  very  strongest  case,  we  may  be  mistaken.  We  are 
not  to  talk  censuringly  except  in  the  most  necessary  cases;  because,  in 
this  horribly  distracted  world,  we  are  never  sure  we  have  the  truth.  "  Be 
not  a  witness  to  no  purpose  against  thy  neighbor ;  and,  mayhap,  deceive 
with  thy  lips." 


CLASS  VI. 
UNNOTICED  INDEPENDENCY 

OF  THE 

SECOND    CLAUSE. 


Just  as  true  readings  have  been  hid  by  a  failure  to  unite  the  clauses, 
so  one  or  two  have  been  lost  from  sight  by  a  failure  to  divide  them. 
There  are  notable  instances  in  Prov.  16:  i  and  Prov.  18:  i  ;  both  of 
which  our  English  Version  throws,  in  their  two  clauses,  together.  Rosen- 
miiller,  in  the  instance  of  the  tirst,  and  Maurer,  in  the  other,  give  nearly 
our  own  rendering.  They  both  throw  the  two  clauses  apart ;  and  by 
that  late  discovered  method  of  translation  put  us  on  our  watch  for  like 
cases  which  they  fail  to  notice. 

Such  we  find  in  the  twentieth  chapter: — 

I. — Ch.\p.  XX  :  II. 

11  Even  by  his  common   doings  a  child  shall 

make  himself  known. 
Is  he  pure?  is  just  also  this, — Is  his  work 
right? 

The  translation  explains  everything.  But  for  this  distinctness  in  the 
second  clause,  a  child's  doings  would  be  gravely  the  test  (E.  V.)  whether 
his  work  is  right !     How  would  that  answer  ? 

-i\gain ; — 

II. — Chap,  iii :  12. 

12  For  whom  Jehovah  loves  He  corrects, 
and,  as  a  father,  does  the  son  a  favor. 


II  Even  a  child  is  known 
by  his  doings,  whether  his 
work  be  pure,  and  whether  it 
be  right. 


12  For  whom  the  Lord 
loveth  he  correcteth,  even  as 
a  father  the  son  ik  wktnrc  he 
delighteth. 


We  can  almost  feel  the  error  (E.  V.),  like  the  creaking  of  a  mill.     "  In 
wkorj  "as  not  in  the  text,  and  "fw«,"asan  unusual  translation  for  "and," 


562  ORIGINAL  expositions: 

make  the  machinery  groan  with  an  appearance  of  labor.  If  we  take  these 
out,  the  Hebrew  falls  smoothly  into  its  place  ;  and  the  sense  shows  its  orig- 
inal intention.  For  -whom  J-ehovah  loves  He  corrects,  and  favors,  as  a  fa- 
ther Joes  a  son. 

We  give  one  other  instance  : — 

III. — Chap,  xxiii :  33. 
23  Buy  the  truth,  and  sell  it  not.  23  Buy  the  truth,  and  sell 

It  is  wisdom,  and  discipline,  and   discern-  ^(rcdin/^d'unde^strnding: 
ment. 


CLASS   VII. 
OVERLOOKED    CASES 

WHERE 

SENTENCES  SHOULD  BE  INVERTED. 

Inverted  sentences  occur  in  English.  We  say, — '  A  great  king  was 
Frederick.'  We  mean, — Frederick  was  a  great  king.  The  rules  for  in- 
version seem  about  the  same  in  Hebrew.  In  fact  the  rules  are  singularly 
indistinct ;  or  else  cases  that  we  shall  mention,  would  hardl}'  have  been 
so  long  unnoticed.  The  most  remarkable  that  we  have  to  propose,  is  in 
the  fourteenth  chapter.     It  is  a  most  common  sentence  ;  — 

I. — Chap,  xiv  :  9.  . 

9  Sin  makes  a  mock  at  fools  ;*  I     9  Fools  make  a    mock  at 

but  between  upright  beings  there  is  favor.      | ')"^^^^^-Va™o°u"n  ""^  "2*''^°"^ 

The  difficulties  of  the  old  rendering  are,  first,  that  the  numbers  dis- 
agree :  "  Fools"  is  plural,  and  "  make"  (E.  V.),  or  tnakes,  is  singular  ;  and 
second,  that  the  verb  is  a  wrong  one  :  fools  viake  a  sport  of  sin  ;  but 
hardly  ''make  a  mock"  of  it.  On  the  other  hand,  invert  the  sentence, 
and  everything  comes  right.  The  context  has  been  speaking  of  "  the 
wisdom  of  the  prudent  (being)  to  understand  his  way."  All  men  have  a 
way  ;  and  the  great  thing  in  "  wisdom  "  is,  that  she  has  made  hers  dis- 
cernible. She  knows  where  she  is  going.  Foil)',  on  the  other  hand,  has 
this  quintessent  folly,  that  she  allows  herself  to  be  wilfully  deceived. 

"  With  pain  she  travails  all  her  days, 
"  To  reap  eternal  woe." 

She  goes  on  to  death  consciously  a  dupe  :  and  then  the  phrase  comes 
in  finely, — "  Sin  makes  a  mock  at  fools."  "  Between  upright  beings 
there  is  favor."  That  is, — People  of  good  intentions  are  kind,  and  mu- 
tually truthful.  But  sin,  after  deluding  us  to  death,  turns  and  mocks  us, 
deriding  the  sorrow  that  she  herself  originates.  The  plural  noun  and 
singular  verb  are  no  longer  jarring  against  each  other  ;  but  the  simple 
unthought-of  step  of  an  inverted  text,  conciliates  the  grammar,  and 
greatly  appreciates  the  sense. 

Our  next  case  is  less  simple  : — 

•  Since  finishing  this  book,  and  while  it  is  going  through  the  press,  we  have  encounter- 
ed, in  reading,  a  translatnn  nearly  like  this;  but  without  a  statement  of  its  author,  and 
with  no  comment. 


CLASS    VIII.  563 

II. — Ch^p.  xx  :  6 


6  Much  of  the  mere  man  one  calls  his  good- 


ness 


but  a  faithful  man,  who  can  find  ? 


6  Most  men  will  proclaim 
every  one  his  own  goodness  ; 
but  a  faithful  man  who  can 
find? 


The  English  Version  finds  its  nominative  in  the  usual  position.  We 
find  ours  after  the  verb.  What  the  former  translates  "  many  men,"  is 
literally  "  much  of  man,"  and  answers  very  well  to  the  phrase  "  much 
that  is  merely  human."  The  verb  means  to  name  much  oftener  and 
more  certainly  than  to  ''proclaim  "  (E.  V.)  or  publish.  And  though  the 
English  Version  is  striking  in  its  sense,  yet  not  so  much  so,  perhaps,  as 
the  teaching,  that  piety  must  be  a  new  principle  of  life  ;  that  much  that 
is  merely  human  men  call  their  goodness,  but  a  true  genuine  fidelity  is  a 
rare  thing  to  be  found. 

Now  one  more  under  this  head  : — 

III. — Chap,  xxviii :  16. 
16  A  prince,  wanting  discernment,  and  of  great  |j6^Th^e^pr^-;hatw^^^^^^^^^^ 
exactions,  oppressor:  iJ/<i  he  that  hateth 

shall  prolong  the  days  of  them  that  hate  rob-  covetousness shall  prolong  A/i 
bery.  '  "^^y^- 

This  might  have  come  under  another  class  (Class  IV.),  of  one  proposi- 
tion  made  out  of  the  two.  But  we  do  not  wish  to  duplicate  expositions. 
Here  it  is  a  clear  case  of  unnoticed  inversion.  "Those  that  hate  rob- 
bery" might  stand  as  a  singular  nominative  with  the  intervention  of 
the  idea  -  each"  (see  3  :  18).  but  in  a  less  forced  way  will  serve  as  we 
have  presented  it.  Moreover,  the  meaning  is  very  rich.  It  needs  no  "  is 
in  the  first  clause,  and  no  ''but"  in  the  second  ;  and,  with  the  treatment 
of  "  them  that  hate"  not  as  a  genitive,  but  as  a  noun  absolute,  we  have 
this  sterling  doctrine,— that  all  criminals;  a  prince,  for  example  ;  while 
themselves  unprincipled,  shall  effect  the  good  of  them  that  abhor  their 
wickedness. 

CLASS   VIII. 
OVERLOOKED    CASES 

WHERE 

SENTENCES  SHOULD  NOT  BE  INVERTED. 

These  cases  are  more  numerous  than  the  former.  They  are  the  cases 
where  the  sense  would  have  been  reached  by  reading  straight  with  the 
words  instead  of  seeking  an  inversion.  They  are  cases,  therefore,  where 
the  ri^ht  seems  to  be  on  the  side  of  our  reading.  They  are  cases,  how- 
ever tnot  unnatural  in  exegesis),  where  the  nearest  sense  is  often  the 
most  likely  to  be  rejected  ;  that  is,  where  the  simplest  flow  of  the  lan- 
guage, when  the  thought  is  somewhat  profound  like  objects  too  near 
fur  vi  ion,  are  less  likely  to  be  seen  than  things  farther  off".  Perhaps  it 
is  not  a  false  canon  for  the  exegete,  that  the  forthright  flow  of  the  speech 
is  the  one  to  be  preferred,  unless  stronger  reasons  (as  in  the  last  class) 
invert  the  sentence. 

I. — Chap,  vii :  22.  t>i        ff         Vi 

22  Starting  after  her  suddenly  as  an  ox  enters  i^^^^^^l^j^^^^g"'^  an^x'^goeth 
to  the  slaughter,  to  the  slaughter,  or  as  a  fool 

and  as  a  chain  for  the  punishment  of  a  fool ;  to  the  correction  of  the  stocks. 


17  The  merciful  man  doeth 
good  to  his  own  soul :  but  he 
that  is  cruel  troubleth  his 
own  flesh. 


564  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

We  shall  resume  this  case  under  the  head  of  Unnoticed  Emblems 
(Class  LI.).  Suffice  it  here  to  observe  that  our  reading  lies  smootli  with 
the  words  of  the  text,  and  that  scholars  have  deprecated  the  opposite 
(Maurer,  De  Wette),  but  have  not  supplied  the  method  to  escape. 

II. — Chap,  xi :  17. 
17  He  who  manages  for  his  own  soul  is  a  man 
of  mercy : 
and  he  who  afflicts  his  own  flesh  is  cruel. 

The  English  Version  inverts  both  clauses.  The  true  version  we  be- 
lieve should  invert  neither.  The  English  Version  means,  that  a  cruel 
man  injures  himself.  The  latter  version  means,  that  he  who  injures 
himself  is  a  cruel  man.  This  latter  is  the  profounder  utterance.  It  is 
not  an  unphilosophical  thought,  that  the  Hebrew  maj'  imply  both.  Its 
nakedness  from  e.\pletives  may  intend  that.  But  still  one  must  have  the 
preference  in  the  reading  ;  and  it  seems  fair  to  claim  it  for  the  one  that 
has  the  order  of  the  text.  The  text,  without  inversion,  means  that  he 
who  is  merciful  to  himself,  is  merciful  to  others  by  all  that  his  own  saved 
soul  can  do  for  his  fellow  men  ;  and  he  that  is  cruel  to  himself,  is  cruel 
to  his  fellow  men,  by  all  that  his  damned  soul  can  do  of  harm  and  mis- 
chief. It  is  the  rule  of  MSS.,  that  that  reading  shall  be  preferred  that  is 
the  more  difficult.  If  that  rule  should  apply  here,  ours  would  carry  the 
day  ;  for  while  it  has  the  simpler  order,  it  has  the  deeper  and  more  no- 
ticeable sense. 

The  next  case  is  a  mixed  one.  The  first  clause  is  inverted  by  the  other 
versions,  and  not  inverted  b}'  ours.  The  second  clause  is  inverted  by 
ours,  and  not  inverted  by  the  other  versions.  We  may  seem  partial  to 
our  own  work  ;  but  we  aver  that  this  very  structure  of  antithetical  Scrip- 
tures, not  only  in  this,  but  in  other  books,  is  more  common  than  any 
other  inverted  form.  The  inversion,  when  it  does  occur,  is  more  apt  for 
poetical  variety,  and  more  emphatic  where  it  ought  to  be,  viz.,  in  the 
close,  when  we  invert,  if  anywhere,  in  the  last  clause  of  the  antithesis. 
The  Proverb,  as  will  be  seen  at  once,  has  been  noticed  separately  under 
another  class  (Class  V.) : — 

III. — Chap,  xiii :  5. 
5  A   deceiving  business  hates   the   righteous 
man, 
but  also  shames  and  disgraces  the  wicked. 

The  next  case  is  precisely  similar :  the  second   clause   inverted  ;  the 

first  clause  translated  as  it  stands.     The  English  Version  might  seem  to 

be  so  also  ;  but  the  English  Version  is   itself  inverted  ;  as  will  be   seen 

on  a  closer  inspection.     "  The   ransom   of  a  man's  life  are  his  riches," 

means,  a  man's  riches  arc  the   ransom  of  his  life.     We  make   the   idea 

quite  the  reverse  of  it.     The  ransom  of  a  man's  life  is  his  wealth  ;  and  he 

who  hears  not  rebuke   is  the  poor  man.     But  let  us  quote  as  usual  : — 

IV.— Chap,  xiii :  8. 

8  The  ransom  of  a  man's  soul  is  his  wealth  ;     (  .  8  The  ransom  of  a  man's 

and  a  poor  man  is  he  who  has  not  listened  L'*^^  'V'^  his  nches:  but  the 

to  rebuke. 


5  A  righteous  7nan  hateth 
lying  :  but  a  wicked  man  is 
loathsome,  and  cometh  to 
shame. 


I  {)oor  heareth  not  rebuke. 


How  much  more  interesting  is  our  version  than  any  other.  "Wealth  is 
the  ransom  of  a  man's  life  in  but  a  slender  way  ;  and  the  poornot  hearing 
rebuke,  is  equivocal,  and  in  neither  sense  that  it  can  have  more  likely 
to  be  true  than  otherwise.  A  good  foundation  for  these  comments  would 
be,  to  entreat  the  reader  to  attempt  a  sense  for  the  old  version,  that  he 


CLASS   VIII. 


565 


may  come  dispassionately  to  see  the  advantages  of  the  new     That  a 
man's  wealth  is  his  redemption,  is  a  poor  truth  ;  that  a  man  s  redemption 
is  his  wealth,  is  a  very  glorious  and  eternal  one. 
The  next  case  is  nearly  the  same  :— 

24^T'he"cTown  o7'the  wise  is  their  wealth  ;  1     ^4  The  crown  of.the^wise/. 

the  folly  of  the  stupid  is  folly. 


their  riches  :  hut  the  foolish- 
ness of  fools  is  folly. 


7  When  a  man's  ways  please 
the  Lord,  he  maketh  even  his 
enemies  to  be  at  peace  with 
him. 


That  a  man's  wealth  is  his  crown  is  a  queer  maxim  for  a  religious 
book  ;  but  that  a  man's  crown  is  his  wealth,  especially  when  the  man  is 
a  saint,  and  when  the  crown  is  that  which  makes  all  things  subject  to 
him,  is  a  splendid  proverb  ;  which,  once  perceived,  should  be  kept  ever 
after  in  a  plain  translation.  How  sad  to  invert  a  passage  in  order  to  ex- 
change this  meaning  for  that  other  !  * 

VI. — Chap,  xvi :  7. 
7  Because  it  pleases  Jehovah,  the  ways  of  a 
man, 
even  of  His  enemies,  He  sets  at  peace  with 
Him. 

We  cannot  do  better  than  simply  to  rehearse  our  rights.  First,  we 
have  the  order  ;  and  second,  we  have  the  sense.  "  When  a  man  s  ways 
please  the  Lord,  he  maketh  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace  with  him 
(E.  v.).  Take  that  idea ;  which,  by  the  way,  is  not  true  in  a  great  multi- 
plicity of  cases  ;  and  compare  it  with  the  sense,  that  when  God  pieases. 
He  brings  even  His  enemies  into  relations  of  peace  ;  and  which  is  more 
worthy  of 'an  inspired  teaching?  One  confuses  Scripture,  as  many  of 
these  more  laboring  versions  do.  The  other  is  the  very  message  of 
Christ.  It  certainly  ought  to  win  favor  to  our  version  that  it  draws  the 
Book  near  to  the  simplicity  of  the  gospel.  • 

VII. — Chap,  xvi :  11. 
II  The  balance  and  scales  of  judgment  are  Je- 
hovah's ; 
His  work  is  all  the  stones  of  the  bag. 

Not  "  all  the  weights  of  the  bag  are  his  work  "  (E.  V.) ;  but,  "  his  work 
is  all  the  weights  of  the  bag."  The  former  inverts  the  Hebrew,  and  tri- 
fles with  the  sense.  The  latter  takes  words  as  they  come,  and  gives  this 
grand  meaning  (it  is  a  Proverb  against  the  caviller) :—' God  h.ates  injust- 
ice How  can  He  be  unjust?  False  weights  are  an  abomination  to  Him. 
His  work  is  not  only  just,  but  justice  itself.  That  is  its  very  object. 
How  can  He  do  wrong  in  the  order  of  the  universe,  when  His  work  is 
not  only  generally  right,  but  is  the  very  stones  of  the  bag  ?' 

VIII.— Chap.  XX :  7.  „     ,   . 

•    7  He  that  takes  his  very  walks  of  pleasure  in  K  7  J^^^^-'^^^'^h^i,^^^^^^ 
his  integrity,  is  a  righteous  man.  |  blessed  after  him. 

Blessed  are  his  children  after  him. 

There  is  not  very  much  difference.     But  the  test  is  put  better  in  the 

*We  notice,  in  review,  that  Maurer  approaches  very  near  our  sense  in  his  translation 
We  would,  therefore,  throw  out  this  version,  as  not  altogether  original,  from  our  li^t  ot 
cases,  wer;  it  not  that  Maurer  fails  of  the  theolog.c  sense  of  the  '.'^«^.  °|.\'^^°" ";  .^^ 
says  "  Sapientia  continenter  sapientum  divitiae."  Wisdom  itself  ts_  wealth  -but  that  is 
not  he  thought  of  this  passage.  "  The  crown  of  the  wise  is  not  wisdom,  but  flV^^empire 
promised  to  it.  The  kingship  of  the  wise,  like  Aladdin's  lamp,  JS  good  for  all  riches.  No 
good  thing  is  withholden  from  the  pious. 


II  A  just  v/eight  and  bal- 
ance are  the  Lord's  ;  all  the 
weights  of  the  bag  an?  his 
work. 


II  The  rich  man  is  wise  in 
his  own  conceit  :  but  the  poor 
that  hath  understanding 
searcheth  him  out. 


566  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

order  in  which  the  Hebrew  has  it.  And  as  it  is  the  order  in  which  the 
Hebrew  has  it,  it  ought  to  appear  worse,  to  induce  us  to  change  it  in  the 
English. 

IX. — Chap,  xxi :  12. 
12  He  who  gives  wisdom   to  the  righteous  man  I     12  The  righteous  w?a«  wise- 
by  means  of  the  house  of  the  wielded,  iLTi'.t.T'i')' V.^^"nv.?' 
-'                         -111                          /•        .1  '"^   wicked:    but   God  over- 

overturns  the  wicked  by  means  of  evil.      _      throweth  the  wicked  iox their 

I  wiclcedness. 

This  might  occur  under  as  many  as  five  classes  ;  (i)  under  the  class  of 
overlooked  Hiphils  (Class  XXH.);  (2)  under  the  class  of  unnoticed 
sense  oi  lamedh  (Class  XXIV.);  (3)  under  unnoticed  instances  of  verbs 
not  requiring  a  preposition  (Class  XXVHI);  (4)  under  unnoticed  cases 
of  the  flow  of  both  clauses  into  one  proposition  (Class  IV.);  and  (5)  un- 
der the  present  class.  Let  us  insert  it  here,  merely  for  inspection,  and 
to  fortify  the  point  Xhs^X,  prima  facie,  there  should  be  the  order  of  the  He- 
brew.    We  shall  look  at  it  more  thoroughly  under  Class  XXII. 

X. — Chap,  xxviii :  11. 
II  He  that  is  wise  in  his  own  eyes  is  a  rich 
man  ; 
but    a    poor   man,   who    can    discriminate, 
searches  him  out. 

If  the  Proverb  be  taken  spiritually,  and  the  "  rich  man  "  means  a 
Christian,  it  is  not  true  that  he  is  "wise  in  his  own  eyes";  and  if  the 
Proverb  be  secular,  it  may  or  may  not  be  true,  as  the  case  may  happen. 
But  take  the  order  as  it  stands,  and  the  meaning  is  complete,  lie  that 
is  wise  in  his  own  eyes,  is  a  rich  man  ;  that  is,  he  feels  rich,  and  is  rich 
in  all  personal  consciousness.  That  is,  a  man  who  in  his  own  eyes  has 
heavenly  wisdom,  feels  gloriously  rich.  Lie  is  the  satisfied  hypocrite, 
with  glory*already  in  his  eye. 

Before  we  dismiss  the  idea  of  a  strict  conformity  with  the  text,  let  us 
look  at  it  in  other  lights  beside  that  of  a  mere  freedom  from  inversion : — 


CLASS  IX. 
UNNOTICED  SIMPLICITY  OF  LANGUAGE. 

I. — Chap,  xiii :  19. 
19  A  desire  that  has  sprung  up,  is  sweet  to  the!     '9  The  desire  accomplished 

Of,..]  .  IS  sweet  to  the  soul  :  but  it  is 
,..',..  ,  .  ,  abomination  to  fools  to  de- 
but It  IS  abomination  to    the    stupid    to   turn  I  part  from  evil. 

away  from  evil. 

To  make  the  passive  of  the  verb  to  be  mean  "  accomplished"  would  be 
going  very  far,  and,  in  fact,  has  hardly  any  authority  but  this  very  Pro- 
verb (see  Gesenius).  The  verb  to  be  might  seem  to  be  all  passive,  and 
therefore  to  have  no  passive  ex  distiticto.  But  the  verb  to  he,  when  express- 
ed, means  nearly  always  to  come  to  he,  or  to  become  ;  and  the  passive  of 
this  would  be,  being  come  to  be,  or  having  become.  That  is  just  the  "sim- 
plicity of  language  "  that  we  can  insist  upon  in  this  passage.  A  ''desire 
accomplislied"  means  a  desire  gratified  and  its  object  readied.  But  a  desire 
that  has  come  to  be,  means  a  desire  that  has  arisen  ;  a  thing  altogether 
short  of  a  wish  "  accomplished."  Our  first  impulse,  therefore,  should  be, 
to  go  no  further  than   the  language  warrants  ;  and,  measuring  that,  we 


CLASS  IX.  567 

are  rewarded  for  just  such  simplicity  by  stumbling  at  once  upon  the 
proper  sense.  A  desire  that  has  sprung  tip,  is  so  sweet,  that  it  seems 
death  to  resist  it.  Sin  is  such  a  desire.  And,  therefore,  it  is  abomina- 
tion to  fools  to  depart  from  iniquity. 

II. — Chap,  xvi :  31. 
31  Grey  hair,  to  be  a  crown  of  glory,  I    31   The  hoary  head   is  3. 

must  be  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness.     FO'T"  of  glory.^y.t  be  found 

'■JO  I  m  the  way  of  righteousness. 

We  cannot  declare  ours  to  be  so  very  much  more  simple  than  the 
English  Version  ;  but  if  Solomon  meant  "  ?y","  why  did  he  not  say  so,  in- 
stead of  leaving  it  to  be  inferred  ?  and  if,  on  the  contrary,  he  meant  with 
us,  how  could  he  express  that,  and  use,  tersely,  and  in  a  dense  way,  any 
very  different  reasonings?  These  are  studied  texts.  That  argument  is 
a  good  one.  Omissions  of  what  could  be  tastefully  supplied,  are  argu- 
ments against  an  interpretation.  And  if  the  antagonist  one  is  simply 
close-hauled  and  curt,  that  is  no  argument  against  it,  if  there  can  be  enoun- 
ced no  kindred  omission.  The  English  Version  cannot  translate  with- 
out Italics.  We  can  ;  as  for  example, — "  A  crown  of  glory  in  the  shape 
of  grey  hairs  must  be  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness."  "  In  the  shape 
of"  is  a  warrantable  prefix  for  nouns  in  apposition. 

III. — Chap.  x.\iii  :  28. 
28  Yea,  she  herself,  like  loot,  lies  temptingly  ;   f    28  She  also  lieth  in  wait  as 
and  increases  the  robbers  among  men.  V^L^f^lx  f  .I'l^n'J'^'^n^  '^'^ 

°  I  transgressors  among  men. 

Notice  again  the  flinching  from  simplicit)'.  The  Englisli  Version  will 
put  in  the  Italic  "for."  Why  did  not  Solomon  put  it  in?  Maurer  brings 
the  verse  nearer  to  the  sense  by  leaving  out  "/br,"  but  making  "prey" 
stand  (poetice)  for  him  70/10  takes  prey,  i.  e.,  the  robber.  But  here  again 
simplicity  has  a  needless  sacrifice.  The  sense  lies  just  as  the  Great 
King  wrote  it ;  not  "  she  also  lieth  in  wait  as  for  a  prey"  (E.  V.),  nor 
"  she  also  lieth  in  wait  as  a  robber"  (Maurer),  but  (far  more  rich  in  sense) 
lieth  in  wait  as  prey,  just  as  the  word  was  written.  She  "  lies  temptingly" 
in  wait,  like  plunder,  or  "  loot ;"  and  thus  "  increases  the  robbers  among 
men."  The  first  clause  is  brightened,  as  looked  at  by  itself;  but  infinite- 
ly more  invigorated  in  alliance  with  the  second. 

IV. — Chap,  xxvi:  26. 

26  Hatred  covers  with  a  deceit  I    26  rr^^oj?  hatred  is  covered 

the  evil  of  which  shall  be  laid  bare  in  the^.y^^r^f.^;;-^,  ^;tt"th= 

great  assembly.  I  whole  congregation. 

It  is  simpler  to  find  the  object  of  a  pronoun  in  a  text,  than  to  invent 
one,  or  make  it  impersonal.  The  masculine,  "  deceit^  has  been  over- 
looked by  commentators  as  furnishing  just  the  reference  for  the  pronoun 
in  the  second  clause.  The  thought  is  an  immense  gainer.  That  a  man 
who  cloaks  his  hatred  under  deceit,  shall  one  day  be  uncovered  in  the 
Great  Assembly,  is  but  a  plain  idea.  But  that  hatred  is  covered  with  de- 
ceit;  i.  e.,  hid  in  its  enormity,  and  unknown  to  its  very  self;  and  that 
deceit  shall  end,  and  the  wickedness  of  that  deceit  be  laid  bare  in  the 
Great  AssembI}-,  is  an  imposing  truth.  Not  only  is  the  hatred  wicked  ; 
but  the  deceit  that  hides  that  fact  is  also  wicked.  It  is  not  speaking  of 
the  wilful  hypocrite  being  unmasked  at  Judgment,  but  of  the  poor  dupe 
being  arraigned  for  the  duping.  Our  very  mistakes  are  wicked.  This  is 
profound  doctrine.  And  it  is  another  instance  of  the  plain  Hebrew 
stumbled  over  at  our  very  feet  to  seize  upon  that  which  is  both  dull  and 
difficult. 


568  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


V. — Chap,  xxvii :  9. 
9  Oil  and  incense  delight  the  heart, 

and  sweetness  its  friend,  from  the  dictate  of 
appetite. 


p  Ointment  and  perfume 
rejoice  the  heart  ;  so  doth  the 
sweetness  of  a  man's  friend 
by  hearty  counsel. 


This  is  another  instance  (see  16:2;  21  :  2)  of  emphatic  words,  bearing 
upon  both  clauses,  being  placed  at  the  close  of  the  verse.  The  meaning 
is, — As  ointment  and  perfume  rejoice  the  heart  from  the  dictate  of  appe- 
tite, so  does  sweetness  its  fellow  from  the  dictate  of  appetite  also.  In 
other  particulars  this  proverb  is  like  the  one  last  treated  (26 ;  26).  In 
the  English  Version  the  pronoun  seeks  its  object  by  calling  in  the  im- 
personal ''man."  In  our  version  we  find  the  object  close  by  in  the  sen- 
tence. "  Oil  and  incense  delight  the  heart;  and  sweetness  its  friend." 
"  Sweetness"  agrees  in  number  and  gender  with  the  pronoun.  "  Oil  and 
incense  delight  the  heart"  naturally,  i.  e.,  "from  the  dictate  of  appetite;" 
so  "  sweetness,  its  friend,"  that  is,  the  being  that  possesses  "  sweetness  " 
of  the  same  nature;  so  holiness  for  example,  its  mate,  i.  e.,  the  being 
that  possesses  holiness;  and  both  by  the  natural  impulse;  that  is,  by 
"  the  dictate  of  appetite."  Simplicity  of  translation,  therefore,  is  that 
which  guides  us  here,  if  this  be  indeed  the  genuine  intent. 

VI. — Chap,  xxix  :  9. 
29  A  wise   man   has  been  in  conflict  with  the 
foolish  man  ; 
and  there  has  been  commotion  and  derision, 
but  no  rest. 


Q  //"a  wise  m.-ui  contendcth 
with  a  foolish  man,  whether 
he  rage  or  laugh,  there  is  no 
rest. 


Here,  again,  scholars  destroy  the  sense  by  adding  to  the  sentence. 
Why  did  not  Solomon  say, — "if"?  The  idea  is  not  contingent.  The 
wise  man  does  contend  with  the  foolish  man.  This  is  his  very  nature. 
"  If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  his  own  "  (Jo.  15  :  19). 
"  I  am  come  to  set  a  man  at  variance  against  his  father"  (Matt,  jo:  35). 
The  very  intention  of  the  Proverb  is  destroyed  by  the  interpolation  of 
that  word, — "  if." 

So,  in  the  next  case.  Not  the  contingent  "  if,"  but.  a  too  artful  inter- 
pretation of  the  predicate,  utterly  covers  up  the  sense.  The  verb  means 
to  cause  to  i^o  out,  or  to  utter  forth  in  any  way,  either  by  acts  or  speeches. 
The  English  Version  says  "  uttereth."  The  influence  is,  that  the  reader 
simply  takes  the  sentence  as  meaning  that  the  fool  is  garrulous.  Where- 
as the  grand  doctrine  proclaimed  by  Solomon  regards  all  sanctification. 
The  fool  gives  loose  to  all  his  spirit.  The  wise  man  denies  and  subdues 
his.  The  saint  is  a  rower.  He  carries  his  boat  upward  by  vigorous 
strokes.  The  sinner  floats  with  the  stream.  Notice  how  this  doctrine  is 
reached.  The  English  Version  hits  the  far  narrower  sense  by  departing 
from  the  simplicity  of  the  meanings.  Our  version  stays  by  the  words; 
and  therein  we  are  conveyed  to  a  broader  and  profounder  signification  : — 

VII. — Chap.  x.xix  :  11. 
II  A  fool  acts  forth  all  his  spirit ;  1    n  A  fool  uttereth  all  his 

but  a  wise  man  subdues  it  back.  ")l"^^--^'^'ii^  V'""  "'V  ''"P' 

I  eth  It  in  till  afterwards. 

So  in  the  next  case.  What  confusion  is  introduced  by  introducing  the 
word  "lay."  Why  did  not  Solomon  say,  "  lay"?  the  artistic  renderings 
which  swerve  from  the  plain  text,  give  us  a  verse  like  this, — "  If  thou 
hast  done  foolishly  in  lifting  up  thyself,  or  if  thou  hast  thought  evil,  lay 
thine  hand  upon  tliy  mouth."  Compare  it  now  with  a  reading  that  takes 
the  text  literally  : — 


CLASS  X. 


569 


VIII. — Chap,  xxx  :  32. 
3.  If  thou  hast  been  withered  down,  by  lifting  i,,3a^ i|;  ^^^g^ ' hyUtr 
thyself  up,  if  thou  hast  thought  evil, /«>' 

and  if  thou  hast  been  meditating  with  a  hand   thine  hand  upon  thy  mouth. 

upon  the  mouth. 
There  is  evolved  thus  a  preface  for  the  text  that  follows ;  a  text  that  we 
are  yet  to  reach  (Class  LIV.);  requiring  just  such  a  key  to  translate  to  us 
its  peculiar  emblem. 

Again  the  next  case.  The  usual  version  complicates  the  Hebrew  to 
simplify  the  sense.  We  simplify  the  Hebrew,  or  take  it  strictly  as  it  is, 
and  then  look  about  for  its  intention  ;  and  what  is  the  result?  Instead 
of  a  simple  warning  to  a  prince  to  avoid  that  which  is  destructive  to  his 
class,  it  is  ready  with  its  Messianic  light  to  go  much  further.  Let  us  lay 
the  two  together  : — 
IX. — Chap,  xxxi :  3. 
3  Give  not  thy  strength  to  women  ;  |  ,„3„^- ."^^UVhy  wayTto 

or  thy  ways  so  as  to  destroy  kings.  ]  ^^^^  which  destroyeth  kings. 

Christ  was  a  progenitor  of  Kings.  The  warning  is,  not  simply  not  to 
destroy  Himself,  but  not  to  destroy  His  race  ;  not  so  to  break  down  in 
His  obedience  as  to  destroy  the  line  that  were  to  trace  back  to  Him  as. 
their  royal  Head. 

X. — Chap,  xxxi  :  30. 
30  Grace  is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain  ; 

a  woman   that  fears  Jehovah,  in    that  shall 
praise  herself. 


30  Favour  is  deceitful,  and 
beauty  is  vain  ;  iiit  a  woman 
thai  feareth  the  Lord,  she 
shall  be  praised. 


This  is  a  slighter  case.  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  the  verb  is  Hith- 
pahel,  and  that  the  Versionists  have  not  noticed  it.  Everything  is  to 
praise  her  :  her  own  works  (v.  31) ;  the  inspired  author  of  the  Proverbs 
(v.  29) ;  by  implication,  therefore,  her  God  ;  her  children  (v.  28) ;  and 
her  husband  (v.  28).  It  is,  therefore,  not  without  point  that  she  is  intro- 
duced as  praising  herself;  and  that,  not  on  account  of  beauty,  or  of 
grace,  or  of  outward  gifts,  but  only  as  Paul  praised  himself  (2  Cor.  il  :  5), 
for  the  measure  of  "fear"  that  he  had  for  the  Almighty. 

CLASS   X. 
UNNOTICED  FORCE 

OF   THE 

EXPRESSED    PRONOUN. 

In  Hebrew  the  form  of  the  verb,  or  other  features  of  the  sentence,  may 
imply  the  pronoun,  without  the  need  of  its  being  expressed.  In  those 
circumstances,  when  it  is  actually  expressed,  it  is  intended  to  be  em- 
phatic. And  this  emphatic,  because  expressed,  pronoun,  in  circum- 
stances where  it  does  not  need  to  be  expressed,  is  one  of  the  clues  that 
has  often  passed  unnoticed  : — 

I. — Chap,  i :  22. 
22  How  long,  ye  simple  ones,  will  ye  love  sim- 
plicity, 
and  scorners  in  their  own   case  delight  in 


scorning,  . 
and  fools  hate  k.iowledge? 


22  How  long,  ye  simple 
one?;,  will  ye  love  simplicitj;? 
and  the  scorners  delight  in 
their  scorning,  and  fools  hate 
knowledge  ? 


S70 


ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


Here  the  pronoun  is  something  more  than  expressed.  It  is  armed 
with  a  preposition  ;  and  is  placed  after  the  verb.  Its  sense  is  very  dis- 
tinctive. It  implies  that  scorners  delight  in  scorning,  not  when  they  see 
it  in  others  ;  for  almost  all  impenitents  deplore  impenitence  when  they 
see  it  in  other  men  :  but  when  they  cherish  it  in  themselves.  The  English 
Version,  as  will  be  seen,  brings  out  no  such  intention  of  the  pronoun. 

II. — Chap,  i :  26. 
26  even  I,  in  the  midst  of  your  destruction,  will  I    =6  I  also  will  laugh  at  your 

laueh  •  I  calamity  ;  I  will   mock  when 

I  win  mock  when  your  fear  enters. 


I  your  fear  cometh  ; 


The  wonder  is,  that  such  a  character  as  Wisdom  should  "  laugh"  at 
anything  so  solemn  as  the  death  of  the  wicked.  The  pronoun,  therefore, 
is  meant  to  express  this.  "  Even  I  ;"  from  whom  any  such  thing  could 
be  so  little  expected.  It  is  meant  to  show  the  terribleness,  and  the  utter 
wilfulness,  and  the  abominable  wickedness,  of  this  neglect  of  our  re- 
demption. 

III.— Chap,  iii :  18. 
18  In  her  very  self  she  is  a  tree  of  life  to  them 
that  lay  hold  upon  her  ; 
and  each  is  led  straight  of  them  that  have 
her  by  the  hand. 

IV. — Chap,  iv  :  13. 
13  Take  fast  hold  of  discipline.     Do  not  let  go. 

Keep  watch  over  her  :  for  she  is  herself  thy|L'°"  v'^'/'^-''  u°',?°-  ''^^P 

,  .'r  '  ■'I  her  ;  for  she  is  thy  life. 

life.  •' 

V. — Chap,  x  :  22.  ' 

22  The  blessing  of  Jehovah  that  itself  makes 

wealth  ; 
and  He  adds  no  sorrow  with  it. 
VI. — Chap,  x  :  24. 
24  What  the  wicked  man  dreads  comes  of  its!.  24  The  fe.ir  of  the  wicked, 

own  nature  upon  him  :  lit  shall  come  upon   him:  but 

__j  „   j„„-  r      •    u»  i_    11    J-  the   desire   of    the  righteous 

and  a  desire  of  righteous  men  shall  he  gra- 1  shall  be  granted. 
tify. 

These  cases  are  all  alike.  In  the  first  of  them  our  English  Version 
makes  wisdom  a  tree  of  life.  The  pronoun  carries  the  idea  further.  She 
is  " //rrj-c//""  a  tree  of  life.  The  idea  is  more  beautiful  in  tlie  next  case 
(4:13).  Not,  "she  is  thy  life  "  (E.  V.) ;  but  "she  "is  herself  \\\y  \\{q"  ; 
that  is,  in  the  ages  to  come,  wisdom  "  herself"  is  to  be  the  life  of  the  true 
believer. 

The  next  cases  are  personal,  and  refer  to  actual  beings,  and  not  to 
character : — 

VII. — Chap.  v:23. 

23  In  his  very  self  he  dies  for  lack  of  discip- 


18  She  is  a  tree  of  life  to 
them  that  lay  hold  upon  her: 
and  happy  is  every  one  that 
retaineth  her. 


13  Take  fast  hold  of  instruc- 


22  The  blessing  of  the 
Lord,  it  maketh  rich,  and  he 
addeth  no  sorrow  with  it. 


line  ; 


23  He  shall  die  without  in-  ' 
struction  ;  and   in  the  sireat- 


1  ,       '1  .  r   !.•     i-  11      ■     1  1      ness  of  his  folly  he  shall  go 

and  by  the  greatness  of  his  folly  is  he  made]  astray. 


VIII.— Chap,  x:  18. 
18   He  that  hides  hatred  with  lying  lips 

but  puts  forth  slander,  is  himself  the  fool. 


I  18  He  that  hideth  hatred 
ivith  lying  lips,  and  he  that 
uttereth  a  slander,  is  a  fool. 


CLASS  X. 


57J 


IX.— Chap.  xi:28. 
28  He  that  trusts  in  his  riches  shall  fall  him- 
self; 
but  like  a  leaf  shall  the  righteous  put  forth. 

X. — Chap,  xxiii :  3. 

3  Long  not  after  His  dainty  meats  ; 
while  He  is  Himself  deceitful  food. 

XI. — Chap,  xxiii :  14. 
14  Thyself  beat  him  with  a  rod, 

and  thou  shalt  snatch  his  soul  from  Sheol. 

XII. — Chap,  xxvi :  4. 

4  Answer  not  a  fool  according  to  his  folly  ; 
lest  thou  be  like  him,  even  thou  thyself. 


28  He  that  trusteth  in  his 
riches  shall  fall :  but  the  right- 
eous shall  flourish  as  a  branch. 


I  3  Be  not  desirous  of  his 
dainties  ;  for  they  are  deceit- 
ful meat. 


I  14  Thou  shalt  beat  him 
with  the  rod,  and  shalt  de- 
liver his  soul  from  hell. 


I  4  Answer  not  a  fool  accord- 
ing to  his  folly,  lest  thou  also 
'  be  like  unto  him. 


The  second  of  the  above  cases  (10  :  18)  will  be  a  type  of  all  of  them. 
The  man  who  has  attempted  to  make  a  fool  of  others,  is  hivisclf  ihe  fool. 
He  who  hides  hatred  under  Haltering  lips,  and  goes  about  circulating 
slanders,  need  not  laugh  at  his  poor  victim  as  the  dupe.  He  is  himself 
the  dupe.  So  in  another  case  (11:  28).  He  that  is  leaning  on  his  wealth, 
may  have  a  dependence  that  may  never  fail  him.  lie  may  die  with  his 
money  in  his  pocket.  The  pronoun,  therefore,  is  a  very  essential  em- 
phasis. The  money  may  stand  up  well  enough,  and  has  stood  in  Eng- 
lish families  a  thousand  years.  But  himself !  there  is  the  question. 
What  becomes  oi  himself  ?  All  that  is  solemn  in  the  text  is  lost  in  the 
English  Version.  "  He,that  trusteth  in  his  riches  {liimself^  shall  fall." 
In  the  next  case  (23  :  3)  the  Almighty  is  the  one  alluded  to.  It  will  be 
considered  under  another  class  (Class  LVII.).  Be  not  desirous  of  His 
dainties,  for  He  is  Himself  ^QC&nlnX  meat. 

The  next  cases  are  those  in  which  himself  is  almost  too  brief  a  render- 
ing ;  where  the  character,  rather  than  the  actual  person  of  the  subject,  is 
referred  to  by  the  pronoun  ;  and  where  "  as  such,"  or  "  as  so  doing,"  or 
"  as  so  being,"  are  the  heretofore  unnoticed,  and,  in  view  of  the  character 
of  the  text,  the  very  proper  translation  of  the  pronoun  : — 

XIII. — Chap,  xix  :  i. 
I   Better  is  a  poor  man  walking  in  his  integrity, 
than  he  that  is  crooked  in  his  speech,  and  as 
such  a  fool. 


I  Better  is  the  poor  that 
walketh  in  his  integrity,  than 
ke  that  IS  perverse  in  his  lips, 
and  is  a  fool. 


XIV. — Chap,  xxi :  13. 
13  He  who  shuts  his  ear  from   the  cry  of  the 
weak  ; 
even,  because  so  doing,  shall  himself  also 
call,  and  shall  not  be  answered. 

XV. — Chap,  xxii  :  9. 
9  The  bountiful  eye,  in  its  very  self,  is  blessed  ; 
because  it  has  given  away  its  own  food  to 

the  faint. 
XVI. — Chap,  xxviii  :  26. 
a6  He  that  trusts  in  his  own  heart,  as  so  doing 
is  a  fool  : 


13  Whoso  stoppeth  his  ears 
at  the  cry  of  the  poor,  he 
also  shall  cry  himself,  but 
shall  not  be  heard. 


9  He  that  hath  a  bountiful 
eye  shall  be  blessed  ;  for  he 
giveth  of  his  bread  to  the 
poor. 


26  He  that  trusteth  in  his 
own  heart  is  a  fool  :  but  whoso 
I  walketh   wisely,   he  shall  be 
though  h^  that  walks  in  wisdom,  as  so  doing  i  delivered, 
is  del  vercd. 


572  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

It  is  better  to  say  (19:1), — "He  that  is  perverse  in  his  lips,  and,  as 
such,  a  fool,"  than,  "  he  that  is  perverse  in  his  lips,  and  himself  a  fool." 
So  (22  :  9),  "  The  bountiful  eye,  as  such,  shall  be  blessed,"  is  better  than, 
"  The  bountiful  eye  itself  shall  be  blessed  "  :  the  meaning  of  the  former 
being  that  it  is  blessed  to  have  a  bountiful  eye  in  itself  considered.  This 
emphasis  will  be  of  special  moment  in  unravelling  other  unnoticed 
Scriptures. 

One  other  case  remains,  not  belonging  to  either  of  the  previous 
groups : — 

XVII. — Chap,  xxiv  :  32. 
32  And  I  looked  for  my  own  sake ;  I  applied]    32  Then  I  saw,a«(/consId- 
mv  heirt  ■  i  ^'^^^  '^  ^^"  '  '  'ool'sd  upon 

T  T  •        .  •  '  '^1  "■"'^  received  instruction. 

1  saw;  1  received  correction. 

"  I,  even  I  myself;"  or  "  I,  even  I  for  myself"  I  was  not  gazing  out 
of  conceit  or  conscious  impression  of  my  own  fidelity,  but  out  of  misgiv- 
ing, as  though  the  vinej'ard  were  my  own.  The  l^i^v*  is  most  dexter- 
ously thrown  in  ;  and  it  will  be  by  a  watchful  observance  of  these 
smaller  elements,  that  many  of  the  confusions  of  the  Hebrew  vv'ill  be  ul- 
timately relieved. 


:lass  XL 

OVERLOOKED    PRONOMINAL  SUFFIXES. 

The  first  case  is  palpable  : — 
I. — Chap,  viii  :  35. 
35  for  he  that  finds  me  has  found  me  life,  I     35  For  whoso  findeth  me 

and  is  bringing  out  favor  from  Jehovah.         |  fovour^f  [he'^LoRD^''"  °'"*'" 

Here,  taking  the  textiis  receptns,  there  has  been  a  positive  omission. 
Why  the  pronominal  suffix  has  never  been  thought  of,  we  cannot  imagine. 
The  sense  is  visibly  improved.  "  Whoso  findeth  me,  findeth  nw  life  ;" 
i.  e.,  as  appeared  under  a  recent  head  (4  :  13),  Wisdom  Herself  \s  the  great 
life  of  the  believer. 

Other  instances  under  this  class  have  been  set  right  by  other  exposi- 
tors. See  Maurer  in  Chap.  23:20.  We  have  ourselves  discovered  an 
omitted  suffix  in  Ps.  113.  The  yodh  paragogic  that  has  been  talked  of 
by  grammarians,  is  here,  we  have  small  doubt,  a  most  important  suffix. 
That,  however,  in  some  future  exposition. 


CLASS    XII. 
OVERLOOKED    INTENTION 

OF   THE 

PRONOMINAL  SUFFIX. 

The  pronominal  suffix  has  one  constant  ambiguity, — that  we  are  not 
able,  except  by  the  sense,  to  determine  whether  it  should  be  used  re- 
flaxivelv.  or  otherwise.     If  the      iilipahel  were  alwa3'S   used   for  the  re- 


CLASS  XII. 


573 


flexive  sense,  we  would  have  the  pronominal  suffix  clear  for  the  other 
reference.  But  the  Hithpahel  is  rarely  used  at  all  ;  and  the  Eng  isli 
Version  often  regards  the  suffix  as  used  in  a  reflexive  sense.  Ihe  di  ti- 
culty  is,  that  there  seems  to  be  no  rule  for  using  it  this  way  ;  and  the 
suffix  is  conceived  either  reflexively,  or  otherwise,  without  the  evidence 
that  existing  versions  have  given  fair  thought  to  the  other  direction  of 
the  pronoun.  This  class,  therefore,  will  divide  into  two  groups  ;  one. 
where  existing  versions  have  understood  reflexively  what  gives  a  better 
meaning  when  read  otherwise  ;  and  the  other,  just  vice  versa,  where  they 
have  overlooked  a  reflexive  sense,  and  taken  for  granted  an  aspect  in 
the  other  direction.     We  will  class  all  under  these  two  groups  :— 

I. — Chap,  ix  :  7. 
7  He  that  disciplines  a  scorner  brings  down 
upon  him  shame; 
and  he  that  reproves  a  wicked  man  his  dis- 
grace. 
II. — Chap,  xiv  :  2. 
a  He  that  walks  in  His  level  track  fears  Je- 
hovah ; 
but  he  that  is  turned  out  of  His  way  despises 
Him. 


7  He  that  reproveth  a  scorn- 
er getteth  to  himself  shame  ; 
and  he  that  rebuketh  a  wick- 
ed »tan  getteth  himself  a  blot. 


2  He  that  walketh  in  his 
uprightness  feareth  the  LoRp  : 
but  he  that  is  perverse  in  his 
ways  despiseth  him. 


III. — Chap,  xiv  :  14. 
14  The  backslider  in   heart  shall  be   satisfied 
with  his  ways  ; 
and  the  good  man  from  him. 

IV. — Ch,\p.  xvi;  26. 
26  The  laboring  soul  labors  for  it ; 
for  its  mouth  imposes  it  upon  him. 


14  The  backslider  in  heart 
shall  be  filled  with  his  own 
ways  ;  and  a  good  man  shall 
be  satisfied  from  himself. 

26  He  that  laboureth,  la- 
boureth  for  himself;  for  his 
mouth  craveth  it  of  him. 


The  first  (9  :  7),  as  read  in  our  Bibles,  has  that  most  glaring  deficiency, 
a  want  of  truth.  The  rebuking  of  scorners  is  the  common  work  of  the 
most  honored  ministries.  But  that  the  rebuking  of  scorners  makes 
them  worse,  and  heaps  upon  them  shame  and  infamy,  is  an  important 
doctrine.  So  in  the  second  case  (14  :  2),  it  is  not  his  own  "  uprightness  " 
(E.  v.),  but  Jehovah's  uprightness,  that  a  man  is  to  walk  in  ;  it  is  crook- 
edness'in  Jehovah's  ways  that  is  marked  in  the  second  clause  asmaking 
us  despise  Him.  So,  in  the  third  case,  it  is  not  from  "  himself"  (E.  V.) 
that  the  good  man  is  to  be  satisfied  ;  but  from  "him,"  that  is,  from  the 
"backslider  in  heart."  The  good  man  is  to  be  fed  by  the  bad  man  in 
most  important  contributions  of  blessing.  In  the  last  case  (16  ;  26),  the 
reflexive  is  again  a  mischief.  He  that  laboreth,  laboreth  for  z//  for  z/j 
mouth  craveth  it  of  him.  The  suffix  points  back  to  "  death"  (v.  25).  'Ihis 
is  in  agreement  with  another  Scripture  (Ec.  6:6,  7V  In  that,  as  well  as 
in  this,  the  finer  meaning  is  lost  by  the  same  error  of  the  suffix. 


V. — Chap,  xiv  :  10. 
10  A  knowing  heart  is  a  bitterness  to  itself; 
but  with  its  joy  it  does  not  hold  intercourse 

as  an  enemy. 
VI. — Chap,  xxi :  20. 
20  Treasure  to  be  desired,  and   oil,  are  in  the 
lodging-place  otthe  wise  man  ; 
but  a  fool  of  a  man  devours  himself. 


10  The  heart  knoweth  his 
own  bitterness  ;  and  a  stran- 
ger doth  not  intermeddle  with 
his  joy. 


20  There  is  treasure  to  be 
desired,  and  oil  in  the  dwell- 
ing of  the  wise  :  but  a  foolish 
man  spendeth  it  up. 


574  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

Here,  as  we  explained  above,  the  error  is  just  the  opposite.  Transla- 
tors have  seemed  to  lose  the  very  thought  of  a  reflexive  bearing  ;  and 
yet,  pardonably,  perhaps,  for  the  verses  are  very  complex.  "The  heart 
knoweth  his  own  bitterness"  (E.  V.)  we  have  expounded  above  (see 
Commentary,  14  :  10)  as  meaning, — The  "  knowing  heart  is  a  bitterness  to 
itself."  Here,  the  reflexive  is  very  properly  selected.  But  in  the  second 
clause  the  "  stranger  "  is  not  the  nominative,  but  in  apposition  at  the  end 
(see  Class  XIV.);  and  the  suffix  is  still  in  place  as  used  reflexiveiy.  So,  in 
the  remaining  case  (21  :  20),  the  grand  strength  of  the  text  depends  upon 
a  reflexive  suffix.  Not,  "  Treasure  is  in  the  dwelling  of  the  wise,  but  a 
foolish  man  spendeth  it  up"  ;  but  crescendo,  as  is  the  role  of  Solomon. 
The  wise  man  builds  up  eternal  treasures ;  the  fool  man  devours  even 
himself. 


CLASS   XIII. 
OVERLOOKED  CASES  OF   NOUNS  ABSOLUTE. 

To  this  class  belong  the  two  very  remarkable  passages  already'con- 
sidered  (Class  IV.):— 


I. — Chap,  xvi  :  2. 


2  As  to  all  the  ways  of  a  man,  pure  in  His  own 


2  All   the  ways   of  a  maa 


are  clean  in  his  own  eyes . 
but  the  Lord  weigheth  the 
spirits. 


2  Every  way  of  a  man  ii 
right  in  his  own  eyes:  but 
the  Lord  pondereth  the 
hearts. 


eyes, 
while  yet  He  weighs  out  spirits,  is  Jehovah, 
n. — Chap,  xjti  :  2. 
2  As  to  the  whole  way  of  a  man,  right  in  His 
own  eyes, 
and  weighing  out  hearts,  is  Jehovah. 

The  nouns  absolute  are  "  ways,"  in  one  case,  and  "  way"  in  the  other. 
The  depth  of  these  sentences  has  been  utterly  overlooked.  The  gram- 
matical recommendation  is  obvious  ;  as,  in  the  first  case  (16  :  2),  all  other 
versions  connect  the  plural  "  ways"  with  the  singular  "  clean  ;"  and  that, 
when  the  former  does  not  come  after  the  latter  (see  Green  Gr.  g  275,  i). 
The  common  Proverb  is  not  altogether  true;  this  new  one  is  profoundly 
and  particularly  so. 

in. — Chap,  xxiv  :  23. 
23  Even  as  to  These,  for  the  wise  1    23  These  M/?/^.o  also  <Jf/o»^ 

to  be  partial  in  judgment  is  not  good.  V°  f''^  '''"•    ^^  9  "°'  ^°°^ 

°  to  have  respect  of  persons  m 

'  judgment. 

Here  the  word  taken  absolutely  is  a  pronoun.  It  has  been  referred  to 
the  beginning  of  a  section  (E.  V.).  It  refers,  in  our  belief,  to  certain  as- 
pects of  God.     We  consider  it  under  another  class  (Class  LVIL). 

IV. — Chap,  xxiv  :  31. 
31  and  lo!   it  was  all  grown  up  with  nettles  ; 
brambles  covered  its  face  ; 
and  the  wall,  as  to  its  stones,  was  pulled 
down. 


31  And,  lo,  it  was  all  grown 
over  with  thorns,  a»a' nettles 
had  covered  the  face  thereof, 
and  the  stone-wall  thereof  was 
broken  down. 


The  English  Version  itself  employs  the  absolute  in  the  first  clause. 
"  It  was  all  grown  over  with  thorns  ;"  which  is  a  good  idiomatic  equiva- 
lent for  "  «j /(?  thorns."     The  version   is  both  just  and  beautiful.     Why 


CLASS  XIV.  575 

not  also  in  the  second  ?  The  thorns  and  the  stones  are  in  the  same  gram- 
matical relations.    Grown  up  as  to  thorns  and  pulled  down  as  to  its  stones 
are  to  be  parsed  under  the  same  construction. 
So  a  more  precarious  instance  : — 
V. — Chap,  xxviii  ;  i. 
.    I  As  to  the  wicked  man,  even  when  he  is  not  I     i  The  wicked  flee  when  no 
pursuing,  the  righteous  have  taken  flight.  ^^^J^  P;'-b"oYd  as  a"L'n.' "^'''' 
but  as  to  the  righteous  a  man  may  be  as  con- 1 
fident  as  a  lion. 

This  case  rather  needs  than  gives  support.  Such  is  the  use  of  our 
classification.  Stronger  cases  shed  their  light  on  weaker  ones.  And  as 
the  noun  absolute  has  been  in  some  instances  unperceived,  it  lends  in- 
fluence to  our  rendering,  to  associate  it  with  more  obvious  interpreta- 
tions. 


CLASS   XIV. 
UNNOTICED  CASES 

OF 

NOUNS    IN   APPOSITION. 

The  apposition  is  sometimes  syntactical  ;  i.  e.,  of  a  noun  with  a  whole 
member  of  a  sentence.  "  As  the  chiefest  thing  in  wisdom,  get  wisdom." 
But  let  us  present  the  whole  case  : — 

I. — Chap,  iv  :  7. 
7  As  the  height  of  wisdom  get  wisdom  ; 

and  b}'  means  of  all  thy  getting  get  discern- 
ment. 


7  Wisdom  is  the  principal 
thing  j  therefor e^^x.  wisdom  : 
and  with  all  thy  getting  get 
understanding. 

What  a  waking  up  of  thought  !  That  "wisdom  is  the  principal  thing" 
(E.  V.)  is  indeed  very  obvious  ;  and  that,  with  all  our  getting,  we  are  to 
get  discernment.;  but  how  much  more  grand  that  in  all  time  the  chief 
wise  act  was,  to  get  wisdom  in  the  beginning  ;  and  that  by  means  of  all 
our  gettings  (not  simply  as  along  with  them)  we  are  to  get  discernment. 
In  heaven  the  grandest  day's  work  in  eternity  will  seem  the  day  we  be- 
lieved ;  and  the  good  of  all  our  gettings,  to  be,  the  bearing  that  they  had 
to  increase  discernment.  So  much,  then,  for  one  of  the  handsomest  cases 
of  the  noun  in  apposition. 

The  next  is  an  apposition  with  a  pronoun  : — 

II. — Chap,  v  :  22. 


22  His  very  iniquities  trap  him,  if  he  be  a  wick- 


22  His  own  iniquities  shall 


take  the  wicked  himself,  and 
he  shall  be  holden  with  the 
cords  of  his  sins. 


ed  man  : 
and  he  is  holden  by  the  cords  of  his  sin. 

All  scholars  would,  perhaps,  parse  in  the  same  way  ;  and  yet  the  Eng- 
lish Version  fails  of  the  point  that  must  have  caused  the  noun  to  be  appos- 
ed. "  His  own  iniquities  shall  take  the  wicked  himself,"  is  a  sentence  that 
might  have  been  written  in  Hebrew  in  other  and  in  less  special  ways. 
The  naked  language  is: — "His  iniquities"  (referring  plainly  to  the 
"  man  "  who  is  spoken  of  in  the  previous  Proverb,  v.  aij  "  shall  take 
him  "  (or  trap  him)  "  as  a  wicked  man  "  (or,  be  he  a  wicked  man) ;  the 


576  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

necessity  of  this  distinction  being  found  in  the  fact,  that,  in  the  previous 
verse,  all  men  are  spoken  of.  The  ways  of  a  man  are  directly  in  God's 
sight;  and  all  his  paths  He  levels  down.  Now,  if  he  be  a  wicked  man, 
his  iniquities  trap  him.  God  levels  down  his  paths  ;  and,  if  he  be  a 
wicked  man,  he  easily  gets  on  in  them.  'J  hat  is  the  point  of  the  distinc- 
tion. The  saint  has  his  way  levelled,  and  the  sinner  equally  his  way 
levelled  ;  but  what  saves  the  one,  is  a  trap  and  ruin  to  the  other.  This 
distinction  is  utterly  concealed  by  all  the  other  versions. 

III. — Chap,  viii  :  22. 

22  Jehovah  got  possession  of  me  as  the  first  of  1.  22  The  Lord  possessed  me 

\^-               .  in  the  beginning  0:  his  way, 

rilS  way  ,  I  before  his  works  of  old. 
before  His  works  of  old. 

This  will  reappear  under  another  class  (Class  XVI.). 

IV. — Chap,  xii  :  27. 

27  One  cannot  roast  laziness  as  something  he  1     27  The  slothful  man  roast- 

,         .    I  •      .u     „i  „„„  .  .  eth  not  that  which  he  took  in 

has  taken  in  the  chase  :  hunting:  but  the  substance 

but  a  precious  treasure  of  a  man  is  a  diligent  |  of  a  diligent  man  iV  precious. 

one. 

The  apposition  here  is  of  slothfulness  with  the  prey  taken  in  hunting. 
Our  reading  is  very  bold  ;  but  to  atone  for  that,  is  the  grammar,  which 
is  without  a  flaw,  and  the  difficulties  of  the  baldest  sort  in  any  version 
that  may  oppose  it.  An  abstract  may  stand  for  a  concrete ;  as  slothful- 
ness for  the  sluggard  (E.  V.);  but  hardly  with  quite  the  wrong  gender, 
and  never  with  no  sense.  The  subject  is  the  intrinsic  excellence  of  piet}'. 
Under  the  form  of  slothfulness  you  cannot  roast  sin  as  you  would  veni- 
son ;  but,  the  indication  is,  you  can  roast  diligence.  The  diligent  man, 
himself,  is  an. unfailing  treasure. 

V. — Chap,  xiv  :  10. 
10  A  knowing  heart  is  a  bitterness  to  itself; 
but  with  its  joy  it  does  not  hold  intercourse 
as  an  enemy. 


10  The  heart  knoweth  his 
own  bitterness  ;  and  a  stran- 
ger doth  not  intermeddle  with 
his  joy. 


Here,  the  apposition  is  of  the  nouns  "  joy"  and  "  enemy."  "  The  know- 
ing heart  is  a  bitterness  to  itself;  but  with  its  joy  it  does  not  hold  inter- 
course as  with  an  enemy."  "  Whom  the  Lord  loveth,  he  chasteneth." 
"  lie  that  would  follow  Christ  must  deny  himself."  But  with  all  these 
penitentiary  pains,  there  is  one  blessing; — that,  when  we  have  joys,  they, 
are  real,  'i'he  sinner's  joys  blight  him.  With  the  Christian's  joys  we 
need  not  hold  intercourse  as  with  an  enem}'. 

Three  of  the  remaining  cases  have  been  noticed  elsewhere  (Classes  V., 
II.  and  IX.) ;  the  rest  will  speak  for  themselves.  We  are  careful  to  array 
them  in  the  class,  for  what  mutual  support  they  can  receive  as  new  in- 
terpretations : — 

VI. — Chap,  xvi  :  3 
3  Roll  thy  doings  in  the  direction  of  Jehovah  ;|     3  Commit  thy  works  unto 
and  they  shall  have  success  according  to  thy|  ^{;=,/^i,°J*^^'^^2{|^;;^J/>^°"«'^" 
plans. 

VII. — Chap,  xvi  :  31. 
31  Grey  hair,  to  be  a  crown  of  glory,  I    31   The  hoary  head   ;>  a 

must  be  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness.    1?--^  :^f,?V-(»,b,:„t""' 


CLASS  XV. 


S11 


VIII. — Chap,  xviii :  17. 
17    He  who   is  righteous  as   first  in   his   own  I    17  f^e  that  is  first  in  his 

quarrel  own  cause  seemeth  just ;  but 

Shall  have  his  neighbor  come  and   search  I I'iLcS^ him.  '°'"'"'   ''"'^ 
him. 

IX. — Ch.\p.  xviii  :  20. 
20-  From  the  gains  of  a  man's  mouth  his  belly 
is  satisfied  ; 
as  it  is  the  product  of  his  own  lips,  he  is 
satisfied  himself. 


20  A  man's  belly  shall  be 
satisfied  with  the  fruit  of  his 
mouth  ;  a«(^with  the  increase 
of  his  lips  shall  he  be  filled. 


X. — Ch.^p.  xxii :  11.       , 
1 1  The  king,  loving  purity  of  heart,  I     n  He  that  loveth  pureness 

has  graciousness  of  his  lips  as  his  near  com-  8'^'^^^,''''  /??- the  grace  of  his 
nan  inn  ''P*  '^«   •'"'S   •''*«^^   be   his 

P^"'°"-  friend. 


CLASS   XV. 


OVERLOOKED  INSTANCES 


NOUNS  USED  ADVERBIALLY. 

I. — Chap,  v:  :  23. 

23  For  the  commandment  is  a  lamp,  and  vvhatl  .  =3  For  the  commandment 
is  directed  is  a  light  •  UV  a  lamp;    and   the   law   is 

and  in   the  way  of  life  is  admonitory  disci- Illlll'i^AtTafoftr^"'^- 
pane. 

The  point^e  wish  to  make  is,  that  "way"  was  meant  adverbially 
VV  e  say  m  English,  '  Sunday,'  for  *  on  Sunday ;'  '  home,'  for  '  at  home  ;'  '  an 
hour  or  '  a  day '  or  '  a  year,'  for  during  these  periods  of  time.  We  find 
in  Hebrew  plenty  of  substantives  employed  in  this  very  manner.  Other 
than  as  adverbial  this  noun  would  ruin  the  metaphor.  "  The  command- 
ment is  a  lamp!"  Very  well.  That  is  very  good.  It  suggests  at  once 
a  path,  and  a  lamp  to  light  it.  But  when  in  the  second  clause  reproofs 
are  called  that  path  (E.  V.),  the  figure  fails.  Allow  us  to  suppose  that  by 
"  way  "  IS  meant,  as  in  many  another  instance,  "  in  the  way  "  and  all 
comes  back  into  its  place :— "  The  commandment  is  a  lamp,  and  the  law 
a  light,  and  reproofs  (like  lanterns  hung  upon  the  trees)  are  in  the  way 
of  life."  I  could  not  confirm  this  more  strikingly  than  by  showing,  that 
m  chap.  10:17  the  mistake  of  the  English  Version  is  just  reversed. 
I  here,  "way  "  stands  without  a  preposition,  and  ought  to  stand  so.  It 
ruins  everything  to  take  it  adverbially  ;  but  then,  fatally,  the  English 
Version  puts  the  Italics  in.  The  idea  meant  is,  that  a  good  man  is  a 
path  ;  that  men  travel  him  as  they  would  a  high-road  ;  i.  e.,  that,  as  an 
avenue  opens  and  leads  on  it  people  that  travel  through,  so  the  good  man 
is  a  conducting  way  to  the  Celestial  City.  This  is  made  entirely  com- 
plete by  the  closing  clause;  where  the  Hiphil  also  is  unnoticed  (E.  V.) ; 
but  where  (that  supplied)  the  bad  man  is  represented  as  not  being  a 
path  ;  that  is,  as  doing  the  contrary  service,  and  leading  people  astray. 
We  quote  this  opposite  case,  as  showing  that  the  adverbial  use  has  not 

25 


578  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

been  unrecognized  by  scholars,  and,  even  in  this  very  word,  has  been 
suggested,  and  that  on  unwarranted  occasions. 

But  now,  again.  It  would  be  a  very  mixed  metaphor  to  say,  "  Her 
house  is  the  way  to  hell  ; "  but  if  we  make  "  house"  adverbial,  as  it  often 
is  (Gen.  24  :  23  ;  38:11),  the  figure  is  complete.  Moreover  "  ways"  no 
longer  puzzles  us  by  being  in  the  plural ;  and  the  "  house"  is  no  longer 
unpoetically  mixed  by  being  pictured  as  "  going  down  "  (as  a  way)  to 
Sheol  : — 

II. — Chap,  vii :  27. 
27  The  ways  to  Sheol  are  at  her  house  l ,  =7  Her  house  is  the  way  to 

d,.         .      .1       „u„.„i .,  „f  J i\,  hell,  eoing  down  to  the  cham- 

escending  to  the  chambers  of  death.  |  ters  of  death. 

The  next  case  is  in  the  twin  picture.  It  is  intended,  doubtless,  as  a 
corresponding  illustration  : — 

III. — Chap,  viii :  2. 
2  At  high  points  in  the  road  1     =  S^^  standeth  in  the  top 

she  stands ;  at  home  among  the  paths.  I  "h^^fi^ee's' oTthe  ^'hs."''  '" 

The  thought  is  beautiful.  Not  vaguely  and  clumsily  "  in  the  places  of 
the  paths"  (E.  V.),  but  simpl}',  as  in  the  other  picture,  "  at  home."  Where 
the  paths  are  of  human  travel,  there  Wisdom  is.  She  confronts  the  trav- 
eler on  any  wild  mission.  The  simple  adverbial  form  relieves  the  figure 
in  both  these  beautiful  descriptions. 

Very  justly,  too  ;  for  the  English  Version  elsewhere  has  been  on  the 
watch  for  adverbs,  and  has  made  them  unduly  at  times,  without  noticing 
a  more  simple  rendering  : — 


CLASS  XVI. 
OVERLOOKED  CASES  WHERE  ADVERBIAL  USE 

■WAS 

NOT  REALLY   INTENDED. 


I. — Chap,  viii :  22. 


32  The  Lord  possessed  me 
in  the  beginning  of  his  way, 
before  his  works  of  old. 


22  Jehovah  got  possession  of  me  as  the  first  of 
His  way ; 
before  His  works  of  old.  * 

"  In  the  beginning,"  if  one  word  by  itself,  would  be  to  all  intents  an 
adverb.  That,  being  a  noun,  it  is  a  noun  in  the  construct  state,  is  not 
our  responsibilitity,  but  is  to  be  explained  by  those  who  give  it  the 
adverbial  use.  But  make  "  beginning"  to  be  in  apposition  (see  Class  XIV.) 
with  "  me,"  that  is,  with  Wisdom,  and  it  is  easily  constructed  with  the 
genitive.  Then  the  meaning  is  beautiful.  Jehovah  possessed  me,  not 
"  in  the  beginning  of  his  way,"  but  "as  the  beginning."  And,  making 
"possessed"  more  active,  as  the  word  really  requires,  we  have  this 
bright  thought ;— "  Jehotah  got  possession  of  me  as  the  very  beginning 
ofHisway."  That  is, — In  Hiseverlasting  journey,  wisdom  was  His  very 
first  active  life.  He  marched  no  stage  without  her.  She  goes  back  to 
the  very  opening  of  time  ;  and  no  motion  of  His  thought  occurred  till  He 


CLASS  XVII.  579 

got  her  in  His  possession.  Here,  then,  is  an  instance  of  a  noun,  not 
adverbial,  whose  unadverbial  character  has  not  been  noticed.* 

A  kindred  intrusion  of  the  adverb  occurs  in  the  sixteenth  chapter.  It 
seemed  not  exactly  an  adverb  either,  but  a  preposition  and  pronoun  with 
an  adverbial  effect.  A  certain  expression  was  supposed  to  mean  "for 
himself"  (E.  V.).  A  like  expression,  except  for  a  little  difference,  does 
mean  "  for  himself"  in  man}^  another  passage.  Our  Versionists,  there- 
fore, were  easily  misled.  But  that  slight  difference,  consisting  in  the 
presence  of  an  article,  restores  a  noun  in  piiro  ;  and  God  is  represented, 
not  then  as  making  everything  for  Himself  (which  has  but  a  narrow 
truth),  but  as  making  everything  for  His  Decree  ;  the  noun  meaning,  that 
utterance  of  the  voice  (15  :  23)  which  makes  answer,  or  commits  a  being 
to  an  exigent  design.     The  case  is  important.     Let  us  quote  it: — 

II. — Chap,  xvi :  4. 


4  The  Lord  hath  made  all 
things  for  himself:  yea,  even 
the  wicked  for  the  day  of  evil. 


4  Jehovah  has  made  everything  for  His   de- 
cree ; 
)'ea,  even  the  wicked  man  for  the  day  of  evil. 

The  noun  is  made  much  of  in  another  connection  (15  :  23  ;  16  :  i).  A 
man  is  said  to  be  ruined  by  the  decree  of  his  mouth.  God  is  pictured  as 
having  one  great  decree.  Before  all  time  He  uttered  plans  that  will 
never  be  added  to  (Ec.  3  :  14).  God  does  everything  for  this  decree. 
And  as  it  is  unspeakably  wise,  it  is  but  another  form  of  saying,  that 
God's  Wisdom  is  a  unit  like  Himself;  and  that  for  that  grand  unitary 
scheme  everything  that  He  has  made  has  been  from  the  very  first  devoted. 


CLASS   XVII. 
OVERLOOKED  FORCE  OF  THE  GENITIVE. 

The  twenty-ninth  chapter  is  one  where  a  genitive  occurs  seven  times, 
with  every  probability  of  the  same  bearing.  The  chance  for  a  different 
bearing  is  that  it  might  imply  a  passive  ;  as  for  example  in  the  thirteenth 
verse,  "men  of  oppressions,"  might  mean  "men  oppressed;"  or,  in  the 
twenty-seventh  verse,  "  a  man  of  wrong  "  might  mean,  "a  man  suffering 
wrongfull)'."  The  fact  that  five  of  the  cases  eschew  this  passive  sense  ;  and 
that  (i)  "  men  of  scorn"  (v.  8),  (2)  "  men  of  blood"  (v.  10),  (3)  "  a  man  of  op- 
pressions "  (v.  13),  (4)  "  a  man  of  anger"  (v.  29),  and  (5)  "a  man  of  wrong" 
(v.  27),  all  mean,  men  who  obtrude  these  attributes,  rather  than  those  who 
suffer  under  them  from  others,  very  justly  may  excite  the  wonder  that 
the  two  remaining  instances  were  not  thought  of  under  the  same  rela- 
tion : — 

I. — Chap.  x.\Lx  :  i. 

,1  A  man  given  to  reproving,  who  hardens  the]     i  He  that  being  often  re- 
K.  proved,  hardeneth  his  neck, 

,     ,,         •  ,     ,       ,       ,  ,      ,  .,  shall  suddenly  be  destroyed, 

Shall  suddenly  be  broken,  and  that  without  I  and  that  without  remedy, 
remedy, 

*  We  discover  that  several  scholars  nearly  translate  as  we  do.  The  new  volume  of 
Zockler  places  the  noun  in  apposition.  But  strangely  enough  ;  with  this  right,  about  the 
noun  ;  he  alters  the  whole  sentence  bodily  ;  giving  anew  meaning  to  the  verb  ;  and  making 
the  whole  sense  to  be,  to  create^  instead  of  to  acquire  or  get  possession.  We  see  no  reason 
why  the  noun  cannot  be  confronted  in  its  apposed  or  downright  significance,  and  yet  the 
idea  oi possession  be  retained  in  the  meaning  of  the  verb. 


4  The  king  by  judgment 
establisheth  the  land  :  but  he 
that  receiveth  gifts  overthrow- 
eth  it. 


580  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

II. — Chap,  xxix :  4. 
4  A   king  by  judgment  gives   stability   to  a 
land  ; 
but  a  man,  free  in  his  bestowals,  pulls  it 
down. 

Look  first  at  tjie  very  first  sentence.  "  He  that  being  often  reproved"  is 
the  English  Version.  "  A  man  of  reproofs  "  is  the  literal  Hebrew.  "  A 
man  of  reproofs,"  if  taken  like  those  other  genitives,  would  be  "a  re- 
proving man  ;"  just  as,  in  verse  thirteenth,  "  an  oppressing  man."  That 
reproving  others,  when  oneself  a  hypocrite,  must  be  terribly  hardening 
and  fatal,  is  a  strong,  good  doctrine.  The  sense,  therefore,  and  the  con- 
text, both  favor  the  rendering  as  above  presented.  The  fourth  verse  has 
the  same  arrangement ;  "a  man  of  gifts."  Hence  the  translation,  a  man 
who  takes  gifts  ;  or,  as  our  English  has  it,  "  he  who  receiveth  gifts."  As 
that  would  be  passive,  though,  and  against  the  usage  of  the  chapter, 
why  ought  we  not  to  think  of  the  bestowing  of  gifts,  or  of  a  lax  indul- 
gent ruler,  as  the  more  likely  sense?  The  thought  is  altogether  more  in 
place  (see  the  Commentary);  and  the  form,  if  this  seventh  instance  is 
allowed,  will  then  be  alike  over  all  the  chapter. 

The  next  instance  is  where  a  genitive  is  quite  ignored.  A  certain 
Hiphil  is  turned  into  an  accusative  agreeing  with  a  noun,  instead  of  a 
genitive  with  which  that  noun  is  in  the  construct  state  : — 

III. — Chap,  xvii  :  2. 

2  A  wise  servant  shall  have   rule  over  the  son      2  A  wise  servant  shall  have 
/•  u  I     „  rule  over  a  son   that  causeth 

Ofone.who  causes    shame,  ..    shame,  and  shall  have  part  of 

the   inheritance    among    the 
brethren. 


and  in  the  very  midst  of  the  brethren  shall 
share  the  inheritance. 


Here  a  personage  of  tlie  verse  is  metamorphosed.  In  the  English  Ver- 
sion it  is  a  son,  in  ours  it  is  a  father,  that  agrees  with  the  Hipliil  parti- 
ciple, and,  as  a  hinging  point  in  the  verse,  is  represented  as  causing 
shame.  Which  is  the  more  natural?  If  a  son  causes  shame,  the  other 
brethren  have  no  reason  to  call  in  a  servant  as  a  coheritor  in  a  well-kept 
estate:  but  if  a  father  causes  shame,  any  possible  chaos  rnay  arise;  a 
servant,  diligent  to  fill  his  place,  may  deserve  a  part,  and  may,  from  ob- 
vious causes,  share,  as  Eliezer  might,  a  portion  of  the  heritage. 

IV. — Chap,  xx:  29. 
29   Glory  with  young  men  is  their  strength  ; 
and  beauty  with  old  men  is  grey  hair. 


29  The  glory  of  young  men 
is  their  strength  ;  and  the 
beauty  of  old  men  is  the  grey 
head. 


This  case  is  not  so  serious.  It  is  a  genitive  of  thought  or  estimate, 
lost  sight  of  in  mere  possession.  The  beauty  of  old  men  is  not  gray  hair  ; 
but  they  think  it  is  ;  that  is  the  meaning.  The  good  man  of  King  Charles 
was  a  rascal  like  himself  The  point  of  the  Proverb  is,  tliat  glory  with 
young  men  is  strength,  and  beauty  with  old  men  is  a  gray  head  ;  and, 
therefore,  men  are  not  able  to  appreciate  those  higher  and  other  gifts' 
which  they  at  the  time  do  not  happen  to  get  hold  of  as  their  own. 

Tliere  remain  a  class  of  instances  whicii  we  have  on)}'  been  aroused  to 
consider  as  redeeming  one  or  two  of  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon  from  utter 
and  unmanageable  commonplace.  We  may  as  well  quote  all,  that  we 
may  be  looking  at  the  whole  family  together,  and  may  make  them  share 
their  mutual  lights.  One  is  12;  17.  "A  false  witness  shows  forth  deceit." 
What  could  have  been  meant  by  that?  And  still  a  yet  balder  truism  : — 
"  A  faithful  witness  will  not  lie  :  but  a  false  witness  will  utter  lies " 


CLASS  XVII. 


581 


f  14  •  O  If  that  were  found  in  a  book  of  uninspired  philosophy  !  think  of 
t '  Really.are  such  things  reverent  ?  Were  a  man  to  hack  all  to  pieces 
the  pages  o  the  most  honored  version,  could  he  be  thought  so  profane  as 
when  he  attached  such  a  meaning  to  the  thought  of  the  Holy  Ghost? 
But  let  us  group  cases  as  we  said  :— 


A     false    witness    that 


v.— Chap,  vi :  19. 
19  a  deceived  witness  whose  breath  is  lies  ;         Lp'e^ke'th  "lies,  and  him  that 
and  he  that  puts  grounds  of  quarrel  among Uoweth  discord  among  breth- 
brethren.  l"^^"- 


I  17  He  that  speaketh  truth 
sheweth  forth  righteousness: 
I  but  a  false  witness  deceit. 


5  A  faithful  witness  will  not 
lie  :  but  a  false  witness  will 
utter  lies. 


VI. — Chap,  xii :  17. 
17  He  that  breathes  forth  truth,  publishes  right- 
eousness: 
but  the  deceived  witness,  delusion. 

VII.— Chap,  xiv  :  5. 
5  He  who  witnesses  things  correctly,  does  not 

lie  ;  ,         1    • 

but,  of  a  deceived  witness,  the  very  breath  is 
lies. 

VIII.— Chap,  xix :  5.  .  ,--,•.  i,  11  „„f 

1     11        1  ~«  ,,«r^.,n;cl^f>l-^  •!      ■;  A  false  witness  snail  not 

5  A  deceived  witness  shall  not  go  unpunished,!   ^5^^^^^.^^^^  _^_^^^^^^^^^^ 

and  he  whose  breath  is  lies  shall  not  escape,  j^pg^j^g^lj  Ug^  shall  not  escape. 

1    IX.— Chap,  xix :  9.  .   r  1        •  i,  n     „» 

.     ,         .        1      •  1     11  „^t  r,-^  .inrMinicliPfl  -I      Q  A  false  witness  shall  not 

9  A  deceived  Witness  shall  not  go  unpunishea,  I    J?^^p^^.^^^^.  ^^^  j^^  ^^^^^ 

and  he  whose  breath  is  lies  shall  be  lost.       I  speaketh  lies  shall  perish. 


X. — Chap,  xxi :  28. 
28  A  deceived  witness  perishes  ; 

but  a  man  that  hearkens  speaks  forever. 


I  28  A  false  witness  shall  per- 
ish :  but  the  man  that  hear- 
'  eth  speaketh  constantly. 


XI.-Chap.  XXV  :  18.  ,  ,     ,  .,rn  nrrow  I      ^8  A  man  that  beareth  false 

18  A  club  and  a  sword  and  a  sharp  arrow  |  ^^.^^^^^  ^^^.^^^  ^-^^  neighbour 

is  a  man  making  answer  for  his  neighbor  as  ^^  ^  m^u\,  and  a  sword,  and  a 
a  deceived  witness.  I  sharp  arrow. 

There  is  scarce  any  word  about  which  lexicographers  seem  so  much 
at  sea  as  the  root  of  the  verb  to  tvitness.  Gesenius  insists  that  it  means 
ToZol'X^tn\o  repeat;  and  hence,  to  say  again  and  a  gam,  to  Ust^Jy. 
Fuerst  delTres,  as  though  it  were  the  burial  of  Moses,  that  no  man  know- 
eth  where  this  root  lies  to  this  day.  He  conjectures,  however,  that  it 
Seainto  l%v«  ;  that  the  Pihel  meant  to  ,nakc  Jinn  ;  and  that,  hence,  by 
^asv  sta°es  we  arrive  at  the  idea  of  witnessing,  or  in  our  own  minds  hold- 
g'/n^tlf; Truth  of  any  idea.  Admitting  this  theory  o^  F--^' °;-'- 
that  7«V/^"/^/- has  (llebraice)  a  mere  conjectural  origin  a  witness  of  lies 
rnav  be  e  the  of  two  things  /either  a  man  who  speaks  lies  ;  or  one  who 
S  Hes  thatTs  a  man  wh^  confirms  things  in  his  mind  in  a  alse  and 
mistak:.;  relatio'n.  Now  all  the  indications  of  sense  favor  his  la  te 
meaning.  Those  gaunt  truisms,-how  quick  ^hey  he^^^^^^'^^l^.'^us 
selves  !  "  A  faithful  witness  will  not  he  (14  5),  '^J^'^s'^s  to  otl  e  s 
text,  when  the  faithful  witness  is  no  longer  o"«/hat  witnesses  to  o  hers, 
but  one  beholding  and  confirming  for  himse  f.  H^^^^^=^,'^f  "°7?,  ''  „^^ 
really  will  not  deceive.     If  a  man  deceives,  it  is  a  sign  \h=^^^   ^J   '  '^r  "«' 

himself  the  deepest  knowledge,     t^^^^- ^^^^ ^,rs^^^^^^^ 
ledge,  he  certainly  will  deceive,      ihese  are  an    bpicim.va 


5 82  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

they  go  down  to  the  v&xy  bottom  of  the  gospel.  All  sin  is,  at  its  root, 
delusion.  If  a  man  is  not  deluded,  he  cannot  sin.  If  a  man  is  spiritually 
deluded,  he  will  lie,  and  wilfully  deceive.  Hence  all  these  Proverbs  require 
the  light  of  a  reflexive  explanation.  "^  false  witness"  (E.  V.)  stands 
literall)'  as  a  witness  of  falsehood.  A  witness  of  falsehood  may  be  either 
one  who  speaks  it,  or  one  who  thinks  it.  It  cannot  be  one  who  speaks 
it  in  this  catalogue  of  texts,  because  it  would  amount  to  this, — He  who 
speaks  falsehood,  speaks  falsehood;  and,  therefore,  over  all  this  Book, 
we  must  weed  out  these  truisms,  and  bring  out  this  profoundest  truth ; — 
that  he  who  thinks  falsehood,  will  necessarily  speak  it;  and  that  no  man 
can  tell  lies  to  others,  who  has  not  first  of  all  been  a  con/trmer  of  lies  for 
himself.  Chap.  19  :  5  and  chap.  19  :  9  might  seem  to  stand  differently  ; 
but  a  little  reflection  will  bring  these  in  also.  "  He  who  speaketh  lies  " 
(E.  V.)  is,  literally,  "  he  who  breatheth  lies  ;"  the  sentiment  is  still  more 
complete.  He  who  sees  false,  breathes  out  falsehood  as  his  daily  breath. 
As,  for  example,  the  impenitent !  He  lives  in  the  very  atmosphere  of  de- 
ceit. And  though  it  seems  a  hard  thing  to  teach  ;  yet,  he  who  is  so  ut- 
terly deceived,  must  utterly  perish.  (See  Commentary  21 :  28  for  a 
variety  of  the  thought).  Then  (25  :  18),  a  man  who,  under  this  false  light, 
speaks,  as  he  must  do  (14  :  5),  so  as  to  deceive  his  neighbor,  is  a  noxious 
pest.  This  is  what  is  forbidden  in  the  ninth  commandment.  All  sinners 
trespass  here  most  mortally.  All  sinners  are  deceived  ;  all,  deceived, 
deceive  others  ;  all  that  deceive  others,  are  murderous  pests  ;  or,  as  the 
Wise  Man  gives  the  language  (25:18),  "a  maul  and  a  sword  and  a 
sharp  arrow." 


CLASS  XVIIL 
UNNOTICED    SIMPLICITY 

OF  THE 

CONJUNCTION  VAV. 

Hebrew  is  a  more  unfurnished  language  than  ours;  and,  therefore, 
many  parts  of  speech  have  to  do  more  than  like  forms  among  ourselves. 
This  is  eminently  the  case  with  the  Conjunction  Vav.  It  is  illative 
(Gen.  13:9),  and  contingent  (Job  29:  12),  and  almost  everything  else. 
Hence,  in  that  strange  impulse  to  forget  what  is  before  us  in  our  search 
beyond,  we  often  lose  sight  of  it  as  a  plain  conjunction,  in  our  fancy  of 
its  more  farfetched  sense.  For  example  ;  the  meaning  has  been  lost  by 
not  noticing  the  simplicity  oi  vav  in  the  following  instances: — 

I. — Chap,  iii :  12. 
12  For  whom  Jehovah  loves  He  corrects, 

and,  as  a  father,  does  the  son  a  favor. 


12  For  whom  the  Lord  lov- 
eth  he  correcteth,  even  as  a 
father  the  son  in  whom  he 
delighteth. 

The  Straightforward  "and"  of  simple  conjunction  is  the  only  word  that 
gives  the  rendering  as  we  have  already  displayed  it  (Class  VI.);  not, 
"whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  correcteth,  even  as  a  Father  the  son  in  whom 
he  delighteth  ;"  but,  "whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  favoreth 
as  a  father  does  a  son." 


CLASS  XIX. 


583 


II. — Chap,  ix  :  16. 

16  Whoso  is  simple  let  him  turn  in  hither  ; 
yea,  he  who  lacks  sense.    And  she  says  to 
him  : — 


16  Whoso  is  simple,  let  him 
turn  in  hither:  and  as  for 
him  that  wan  teth  understand- 
ing, she  saith  to  him, 


This  may  not  be  an  important  instance.  Without  it,  the  closing  words 
would  belong  only  to  the  second  clause.  With  it,  the  whole  united  sen- 
tence arrives  at  a  conclusion.  It  is  an  interesting  case  of  the  correctness  of 
making  every  word  count.  "Whoso  is  simple  let  him  turn  in  hither,  and 
he  that  is  destitute  of  heart."  And,  now,  as  though  it  were  all  one  per- 
son, the  conjunction  vav  comes  in  as  the  simple  copulate,  and  tells  us 
what  was  her  whole  address.  Chap.  3  :  2S  is  another  instance,  but  has 
been  noticed  by  other  commentators.  We  are  ready,  therefore,  for  a 
further  class  that  shall  consist  of  instances  just  the  opposite  :— 


CLASS   XIX. 
UNNOTICED  INSTANCES 

OF 

VAV  AS   NOT   A   SIMPLE   COPULATE. 


^^  Murthey  no}  err  that  devise  evil,  ^.-  Do^they^not  e^rr^that  de- 

seeing  that  Mercy  and  Truth  devise  good  ?      t^mj,  ^f^^n  ^^  £„  them  that 

devise  good. 

"  Do  they  not  err  that  devise  evil  ?"  What  real  force  is  there  in  such  a 
question?  Give  vav,  however,  a  causal  force,  and  connect  the  first  clause 
with  the  second,  and  there  comes  out  a  very  satisfactory  idea.  "Do  they 
not  err  that  devise  evil,  seeing  that,  etc."  The  clause,  which  is  very  jejune 
taken  by  itself,  has  a  chance  for  much  more  richness  when  leaning  upon 
another.  "  Seeing  that  mercy  and  truth  devise  good  ;"  not  God  ;  not 
Gabriel  ;  not  any  imperfect  saint ;  but  unchallengeable  impersonal  excel- 
lence of  character  :  seeing  that  mercy  and  truth,  the  two  lights  of  the 
two  tables  of  the  law;  seeing  that  these,  devise  good  ;  must  they  not  ne- 
cessarily err,  that  undertake  to  devise  evil?  the  doctrine  of  the  passage 
being,  the  insanity  of  those  that  kick  at  intrinsic  excellence. 

II. — Chap,  xx  :  ii. 
II  Even  by  his  common  doings  a  child  shall 
make  himself  known. 
Is  he  pure?  is  just  also  this, — Is  his  work 
right  ? 

This  has  been  discussed  under  another  class  (Class  VI.).  The  vay  is 
a  most  pregnant  one.  To  treat  it  merely  as  a  copulate,  makes  a  child's 
doings  show  whether  his  work  is  right ;  which,  in  diiTerent  speech,  means 
that  his  work  shows  his  work.  To  get  out  of  this  truism,  the  second 
clause  must  be  independent  of  the  first:  and  to  be  so,  the  vav  must  be 
ambidextrous  ;  it  must  mean  a  great  deal  more  than  can  be  translated 
into  the  simple  copulate. 


II  Even  a  child  is  known 
by  his  doings,  whether  his 
work  be  pure,  and  whether  it 
be  right. 


584  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


CLASS  XX. 
OVERLOOKED   BEARING 

OF  THE 

ABSENCE  OF  THE  CONJUNCTION  VAV. 

If  positively  no  reason  appears  for  the  absence  or  presence  of  a  word, 
we  may  then  innocently  think  of  the  liberty  of  supplying  it,  or  taking  it 
away;  but  with  much  the  same  reserve  with  which  a  man  may  criticise  a 
plant,  or  think  that  that  bone  or  this  bone  might  be  out,  and  make  a 
better  bod}'.  Surely  he  has  a  strong  position  who  has  stood  looking  at 
the  absent  copulate  till  a  most  important  and  most  intelligible  reason  for 
its  absence  begins  to  dawn  upon  his  mind. 

I. — Chap,  xxii :  5. 

5  Thorns  are  snares  in  the  way  of  the  crooked  (.  5  Thoms  aW  srrares  arc 

•'  ■"  in  the  way  of  the  froward  ;  he 

^^•^^  that  doth  keep  his  soul  shall 

He  that  guards  his  soul  shall  get  far  from  i  be  far  from  them. 
them. 

Maurer,  in  enforcing  the  reading,— "  Thorns  and  snares,  etc."  (E.  V.), 
or,  as  he  more  deferentially  reads  it, — "Thorns, — snares  are  in  the  way  of 
the  froward  "  (as  thongh  there  were  some  rhetorical  beauty  in  omitting 
the  "  and  "  (E.  V.),  though  retaining  the  copulate  sense),  finds,  very  pro- 
videntially, a  like  omitted  "and"  in  the  Proverb  just  before.  These 
shall  be  our  only  cases.  It  is  remarkable  that  they  should  be  found  to- 
gether. We  claim  that  the  admission  of  vav  utterly  mars  and  dissi- 
pates the  sense.  That  thorns  and  snares  beset  the  perverse  man's  path 
(E.  v.),  is  a  very  common  idea  ;  that  thorns  are  snares  is  a  very  rich  one. 
We  are  to  plant  thorns  against  the  child  (v.  6),  to  hedge  him  upon  his 
duty.  We  are  to  employ  humiliation  to  make  us  better  (v.  4).  But  what 
is  so  happy  for  the  good  of  the  saint,  is  wretched  in  its  effect  upon  the 
sinner.  "  Thorns  are  snares  in  the  way  of  the  froward  ;"  and  his  direst 
sorrows  will  tempt  him  away  from  spiritual  good.  So  with  Maurer's 
quotation  : — 

II. — Ch.\p.  xxii  :  4. 

4  The  end  of  a  humiliation  which  is  the  fear  of  I    4  By  humility  a«^  the  fear 
T    u         u  of  the  Lord  are  nches,  and 

Jehovah  I  honour,  and  life. 

is  wealth  and  honor  and  life. 

We  seize,  what  all  men  seem  to  have  shrunk  from,  an  instance  of  sim- 
ple apposition.  Not,  "  humility  and  the  fear  of  the  Lord  "  (E.  V.) ;  not, 
"  humility  is  the  fear  of  the  Lord  "  (Umbreit) ;  but  "  humility  as  the  fear 
of  the  Lord."  There  is  a  humility  which  is  mere  dejection.  There  is  a 
humility  which  is  mere  brute  penance  :  nay,  one  that  is  merely  "volun- 
tary "  (Col.  2:18);  that  is,  I  take  it,  ritualistic,  or  mere  asceticism.  And, 
therefore,  anything  rather  than  ''and"  (E.  V.)  was  in  the  mind  of  Solo- 
mon, when  he  wished  to  characterize  a  humility  answering  to  the  fear  of 
Jehovah  ;  a  lowly  piety,  or,  rather,  a  pious  lowliness,  which  he  could  not 
belter  describe  than  by  these  substantives  apposed  without  the  copulate. 
See,  therefore,  our  reasoning: — The  text  is  ours;  and  we  have  a  right  to 


CLASS  XXI. 


585 


claim  it.  The  sense  is  ours  ;  because  it  is  a  great  deal  richer  than  the 
other.  And  this  ought  to  be  our  principle  in  all  our  comments  : — to 
stand  firmly  to  the  text,  and  expect  as  our  reward  a  deeper  and  more 
graphic  meaning. 


CLASS   XXI. 


OVERLOOKED   PRETERITES. 


The  usual  tense  of  the  Proverbs  is  the  future.  We  translate  it  nearly 
alwa)'s  as  the  present.  The  present  is  but  a  dot  of  time  ;  and  it  is,  per- 
haps, philosophical  in  the  East  to  moralize  in  a  tense  which  is  the  pre- 
sent reaching  on  in  to  the  future.  But  when  the  past  is  introduced  ;  that 
is,  when  there  is  employed  a  perfect ;  unless  it  have  7'av  eoiivcrsive,  and 
thus  become  a  certain  peculiar  future  ;  it  is  very  like  that  it  is  intended 
as  emphatic,  and,  in  that  case,  to  be  a  key  to  the  whole  intention  of  the 
text  where  it  is  found.  An  expressed  pronoun  (Class  X.)  is  no  more 
likely  to  have  a  peculiar  force,  than  a  preterite;  especially  in  the  writ- 
ings of  this  particular  inspired  man. 

I. — Chap,  xi :  7. 

7  By  the  death  of  a  wicked  man  hope  is  lost ;   I  ,  7  When  a  wicked  man  dieth, 
J  ^.  .    ^.  c  •  „  •„  1    „t   A/J' expectation  shall  perish; 

and  the  expectation  of  sorrowing  ones  is  lostl  nd  the  hope  of  unjust  men 
already.  Iperisheth. 

"  The  world  passeth  away,  and  the  desires  thereof"  (i  Jo.  2;  17).  The 
ambitious  man  has  no  ambitions  beyond  the  grave.  "  Shrouds  have  no 
pockets."  The  first  clause,  therefore,  is  very  simple.  But  by  a  dexter- 
ous use  of  the  preterite,  the  second  clause  goes  further.  Flushed  hope 
may  keep  up  heart  till  death  ;  but  the  sorrowing  ;  and  with  this  in  He- 
brew  there  is  an  idea  of  exhaustion  (see  Gesenius),  as  well  as  suffering, — 
die  earlier.  Scores  of  men  in  the  -very  middle  of  life  are  dead  alread)'. 
All  of  earth  fades  at  death  ;  but  much  of  earth  ;  viz.,  that  which  belongs 
to  the  sorrowing, — has  perished  out  and  died  beforehand.  The  preterite, 
therefore,  can  be  as  pregnant  as  any  of  the  other  idiosyncrasies  of  Solo- 
mon. 

II. — Chap,  xiii :  i. 
I  A  wise  son  has  listened  to  a  father's  discip-l 


line : 
but  a  scorner  to  no  rebuke. 


I  A  wise  son  heareth  his 
father's  instruction  :  but  a 
scorner  heareth  not  rebuke. 


"A  wise  son  heareth  his  father's  instruction"  (E.  V.),  is  a  very  hum- 
drum and  obvious  idea.  "  A  wise  son  has  heard  a  father's  instruction," 
is  a  very  pregnant  one.  As  the  Hebrew  justifies  the  last,  it  gives  us,  as 
in  other  instances,  both  sense  and  grammar.  '  A  leper  comes  in  contact 
with  lepers.'  '  A  leper  has  come  in  contact  with  lepers.'  This  is  but  a 
change  into  the  past ;  and,  yet,  how  totally  different  the  force  of  the  two 
passages  when  compared  together. 

So,  in  directly  contrasted  clauses  : — 

III.— Chap,  xxi  :  22. 
22  A  wise  man  has  scaled  the  city  of  the  mighty,!  .22  A  wise  man  scaleth  the 
and  is  bringing  down  the  strength  of  its  place  ^.IflwnTetr'eVh  ofThc" 


of  confidence 

25^ 


I  confidence  thereof. 


27  Prepare  thy  work  with- 
out, and  make  it  fit  for  thy- 
self in  the  field  ;  and  after- 
wards build  thine  house. 


586  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

A  wise  man  "  Aas  scaled."  That  is  conversion.  And  "  casis  down." 
That  is  sanctification.  He  seizes  the  city  at  a  rush.  He  fights  down  its 
citadel  through  his  life-time  afterward.  There  are  many  such  discrepan- 
cies between  Proverbial  clauses. 

IV. — Chap,  xxxi :  17. 

17  She  has  girded  her  loins  with  strength,  I    .17   She  girdeth   her  loins 

and  strengthens  her  arms.  I  rn'eth'heTfrms.'""^  strength- 

She  /las  girded  her  loins.     She  did  it  in  each  saint  as  he  first  repented. 

She  tied  on  "  the  girdle  of  truth  "  (Ephes.  6 :  14) ;  but  she  was  busy  ever 

afterward  in  the  strengthening  of  her  arms. 
Then  there  are  just  opposite  cases.     In  the  two  just  explained  a  work 

once  for  all,  began  and  continued  another  work.    In  that  which  follows, 

another  work  begun  and  continued,  has  effected  a  higher  work  once  for 

all:— 

V. — Chap,  xxiv  :  27. 
a7  Do  up  thy  work  without ; 

and  adjust  it  for  thyself  in  the  field. 

Then  thou  hast  also  already  built  thy  house. 

Do  certain  careful  drudging;  toil,  under  certain  horrid  difficulties; 
work,  afar  off  from  what  may  seem  thy  rest ;  and  thou  /ujst  already 
achieved  thy  good.  The  passage  is  a  very  strong  one  ;  and  depends 
wholly  upon  this  noticed  preterite.  "House"  stands  for  all  interests 
(see  I  Sam.  25  :  28).  Do  the  hard  work  of  the  heart.  Cut  up  the  weeds 
of  error.  Work,  a  far  distance  away  from  anything  that  may  seem  rest 
or  plenty ;  and  thou  hast  already  achieved  thy  heritage.  The  house  that 
thou  wouldst  build,  thou  wilt  find  to  have  been  built  before  thee.  Even 
when,  as  in  the  case  above  this,  the  form  might  partake  of  *.he  nature  of 
the  vav  conversive,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  vav  conversive  has  this 
very  effect ;  not  to  make  a  dead  perfect  of  the  verb ;  else  why  not  the 
perfect  a  I' ordinaire?  but  to  make  a  future  starting  from  the  perfect  past ; 
that  is,  to  make  the  strengthening  of  the  arms  (31  :  17)  start,  in  the  order 
of  its  sequence,  from  the  girding  of  the  loins  with  strength  (see  Green's 
Grammar,  on  the  Vav  Conversive). 


CLASS  XXII. 
OVERLOOKED   HIPHILS. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  Holy  Ghost  never  selects  a  Iliphil 
without  a  distinct  causative  design.  We  ought  to  stand  long  upon  a 
text,  before  we  read  as  Kal,  what  is  distinctly  written  as  a  Iliphil  form. 
There  are  cases  where  a  word  is  only  used  in  the  Hiphil ;  and,  there,  by 
long  adoption  into  speech,  it  seems  to  wear  into  a  word  that  has  only  a 
Kal  significance.  And  yet,  when  we  trace  it  back,  we  find  it  has  not 
abated  a  jot  of  its  causative  idea.  For  example  the  word  to  reprove 
(t\~\'\).  It  is  used  so  commonly  that  we  lose  all  causative  trace;  and  yet, 
its  root,  the  moment  that  is  disclosed  to  view,  explains  entirely  how  it  came 
to  be  a  Hiphil  form.  Reproi'e,  may  seem  in-causative  enough  ;  but  when 
we  trace  back  to  a  Kal,  and  find  that  that  means  to  be  right ;  and,  then, 


CLASS  XXII. 


587 


make  a  Hiphil  of  that,  and  find  that  that  would  mean  to  cause  to  be  right ; 
and  then  inspect  the  Hiphil  (see  Gesenius)  which  means  to  set  7-ight,  to 
judge,  io  justify,  and,  finally,  to  admonish  and  reprove, — we  see  clearly  how 
it  became  a  Hiphil  ;  and  now  one  secret  of  mistake  has  been,  a  not  suf- 
ficient insisting  upon  a  Hiphil  use  of  all  the  distinctly  written  Hiphil 
expressions.  For  example  ;  chap.  10  :  17  has  been  already  noticed  under 
another  class  (Class  XV.).  Not, — "  He  is  in  the  way  of  life  that  keepeth 
instruction  ;"  but,  without  the  Italics,  "  He  is  a  way  of  life  ;"  and  then,  as 
a  balancing  idea, — not,  "  He  that  refuseth  reproof,  erreth  ;"  but  as  it  is 
found  in  the  margin,  (Hiphil)  "causeth  to  err."  A  good  man  is  a  path  in 
which  others  may  follow  ;  a  bad  man  is  not  a  path;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
"causeth  to  err." 

Now  for  other  cases  of  unnoticed  Hiphil : — 

I. — Chap,  xiv :  18. 
18  The  simple  have  inherited  folly :  |     18  The  simple  inherit  folly : 

but  the  subtle  make  a  crown  of  knowledge,    j  ^hh  knowledge- ^""^  crowned 

Here  the  Hiphil  has  absolutely  been  turned  into  a  passive  (E.  V.).  To 
remed}'  this,  Maurer  turns  it  into  a  reflexive.  Hermeneutics  will  certain- 
ly be  improved  when  such  liberties  with  the  text  are  positively  forbidden. 
Underneath,  all  this  time,  lay  a  grand  meaning  of  the  proper  Hiphil. 
And  as  a  reward  that  we  mav  ahva3'S  expect  for  this. honoring  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  it  is  a  meaning  far  in  advance  of  other  comments,  and  that  could 
only  be  evolved  from  a  proper  causative  formation.  Men  are  lost.  When 
they  believe,  they  are  that  moment  saved.  When  they  are  saved,  it  is  the 
fruit  of  a  faith  that  consists  only  in  knowledge  (Ps.  9:10).  When  they 
are  kings,  all  things  heavenlj^  and  earthl)'  are  subject  to  them  Know- 
ledge, therefore,  is  a  crown.  And  the  emblem  is  most  rigid  in  its  strict- 
ness. A  crown  does  not  buy  a  kingdom  ;  but  is  a  sign  of  it.  So  know- 
ledge does  not  buy  a  kingdom.  The  glory  of  the  saints  is  anything  but 
the  fruit  of  their  imperfect  knowledge.  But  knowledge  is  the  sign  of 
the  kingdom.  It  is  the  badge,  imperfect  as  it  is,  of  our  eternal  kingship. 
Nay,  it  is  more.  The  Christian  seizes  it  as  a  crown.  He  that  gets  hold 
of  faith,  makes  a  crown  of  knowledge;  and  none  but  the  Hiphil  form 
could  make  the  verb  at  all  available  to  express  the  meaning. 

So,  in  the  next  case : — 

II. — Chap,  xxi  :  12. 
12  He  who  gives  wisdom  to  the  righteous  man      12  The  righteous ;««« wise- 
by  means  of  the  house  of  the  wicked,  '^  cons.dereth  the  house  of 
-'              ,           .    ,      J  ,                          r        -1  f^he   wicked  :    out  God  over- 
overturns  the  wicked  by  means  of  evil.  throweth  the  wicked  iox  their 

wickedness. 

The  two  clauses  of  the  verse  have  each  a  Hiphil.  One  means  to  make 
wise.  The  other  means  to  make  slide.  Of  course  we  do  not  subvert  the 
Hiphil  when  we  translate  mofe  neatly,  to  teach,  and  to  overthro-w.  Most 
strangely,  however,  the  Hiphil  is  seized  in  the  second  clause,  but  all  the 
commentators  quite  ignore  it  in  the  first.  Maurer  translates,  rt/Ztv/a'j/ 
and  sees  the  wisdom  of  understanding  God  in  both  the  clauses  ;  but  all 
the  more  strange  is  it,  that  he  does  not  seize  the  Hiphil.  The  Kal,  pri- 
marily, is  to  see ;  the  Hiphil,  primarih',  to  cause  to  see.  Right  then  before 
our  face,  is  the  naked  reading  that  brings  out  all  the  beauty  of  the  pas- 
sage. "  He  that  causes  a  rigliteous  man  to  see  by  a  view  of  the  house  of 
the  wicked,  causes  a  wicked  man  to  slide  hy  a  view  of  evil."  1  he  doc- 
trine is  complete.  The  same  evil  that  teaches  a  righteous  man,  subverts 
and  corrupts  the  wicked. 


7  Whoso  keepeth  the  law 
IS  a  wise  son  :  but  he  that  is  a 
companion  of  riotous  men 
shameth  his  father. 


588-  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

III. — Chap,  xxviii :  7. 
7  He  that  observes  direction  is  a  son  that  gives 
instruction  ; 
but  he  that  keeps  company  with  the  base 
does  even  his  father  harm. 

An  utter  commonplace  must  be  an  erroneous  translation.  The  first 
clause  in  the  English  Version  is  an  utter  commonplace.  Why  may  not 
this  be  enthroned  as  a  ma.xim  for  the  exegete?  Solomon  was  naturally 
a  wise  man  (2  Sam.  12:24).  Solomon  was  supernaturally  a  wise  man 
(i  Ki.  3:  12).  Solomon  was  positively  inspired.  Moreover,  he  dealt  in 
Proverbs.  It  is  impossible  to  believe  that  a  Proverb  (which  is  a  terse 
form  of  speech);  and  a  proverb  ot  a  son  of  David  ;  and  a  proverb  of  one 
supernaturally  wise  ;  and,  moreover,  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  inspiring  this 
naturally  shrewd  and  supernaturally  sagacious  king  ;  should  flatten  out 
into  an  expression  like  this  : — "  Whoso  keepeth  the  law  is  a  wise  son" 
(E.  v.).  We  ought  to  think  of  this  more  in  all  the  commonplaces  of  our 
versions.  For  now,  when  we  come  to  rebel,  and  stand,  and  insist  that 
there  shall  be  some  more  sagacious  utterance,  we  see  anomalies  of  form, 
that  at  least  lie  clumsily  under  the  common  rendering.  Among  these  is 
a  Hiphil.  The  mere  adhesion  to  it  deepens  and  improves  the  sense. 
Not,  "  Whoso  keepeth  the  law  is  a  wise  son  ;"  but, "  Whoso  keepeth,  etc., 
is  a  son  that  makes  wise."  The  meaning  is,  that  even  an  inferior,  if  a 
Christian,  is  tiolens  vokns  an  effective  instructor  of  others ;  but,  if  im- 
penitent, does  even  his  superiors  harm. 

Some  of  these  Iliphils  have  been  restored  and  illustrated  by  other 
commentators. 


CLASS   XXIIL 
OVERLOOKED   IMPERATIVES. 

We  confess  that  the  first  case  that  we  shall  give  has  nothing  to  decide 
it  but  the  sense.  In  fact,  an  ambidextrous  significance,  that  includes 
both  imperative  and  indicative,  is  one  that  one  could  not  easily  denounce. 
We  are  ready  to  translate  imperatively,  because  the  grammar  yields  it  ; 
and  because  the  imperative  sense  is  altogether  more  gravid  than  the  in- 
dicative. That  a  wise  son  will  make  a  glad  father,  is  stupid,  except  where 
it  is  notoriously  untrue.  But  that  a  wise  son  should  make  a  glad  father 
is  very  important  teaching.  It  meets  a  weakness  of  men.  They  rejoice 
in  money,  or  in  talent,  or  in  promotion,  for  their  sons,  far  more  than  they 
do  in  piety.  The  texts  that  follow  seem  to  be  arguing  this  fault.  And  it 
is  a  fine  and  a  very  timely  counsel,  that  if  parents  catch  sight  of  piety  in 
those  they  love,  they  ought  to  rejoice  in  it  more  than  in  any  other  wealth 
• — nay,  that  they  should  welcoiric  this  as  the  only  talent  to  be  glad  about 
at  all.  'Ihis  first  case,  therefore,  is  for  the  sense,  rather  than  for  the  form, 
which  might  answer  in  either  fashion  : — 

I. — Chap,  x  :  i. 

I  Proverbs  of  Solomon.  I    '  The  Proverbs  of  Solo- 

T     ,  •  1  ^y„A    r„.i,„,  .  mon.     A  wise  son   maketh  a 

Let  a  wise  son  make  a  glad  father  ,  Li^j  ^^^^^^.  ^^^  ^  f^^u^^  ^^^ 

and    let   a   foolish    son    be    the  grief  of  his  n- the  heaviness  of  his  moth- 
mother.  '«'■• 


CLASS  XXIII.  589 

The  second  case  claims  the  form  as  well  as  the  sense : — 
II. — Chap,  xii  :25. 

2?  Is  there  anxiety  in  the  heart  of  a  man,  let  I   /5  Heaviness  in  the  heart 
-"  ,  .  ,  J        -^.  of  man  maketh  it  stoop:  but 

him  subdue  it:  |  a  good  word  maketh  it  glad. 

and  let  a  good  word  cheer  it  away. 

Umbreit  came  very  near  this  rendering,  but  fails  of  it  in  the  second 
clause.  Both  clauses  have  imperatives.  As  indicatives  the  sense  is  ;//// 
for  who  needs  to  be  informed  that  heaviness  in  a  heart  makes  a  heart 
heavy?  llow  possibly  could  we  have  tolerated  so  long  such  inanities? 
Moreover,  the  grammar  is  awry.  "  Heaviness  "  is  feminine  ;  "  maketh 
stoop"  (E.  v.),  is  masculine,  without  the  apology,  for  disagreement,  of  a 
verb  before  a  noun  (see  Green,  Gr.  §  275,  i  ;  also  20  :  18).  Read  impera- 
tively, the  sense  is  strong.  Heaviness  in  the  heart  of  a  man  is  a  crime, 
as  our  Saviour  taught  us  (Luke  24  :  38).  If  we  find  it  there,  we  are  to 
subdue  it.  And  instead  of  lazily  lying  under  it,  as  we  usually  do,  we  are 
to  call  up  the  good  words  of  life,  that  are  to  scatter  it  totally  awa)'. 

III.— Chap,  xx  :  18. 

18   Do  thou  be  fixed  in  plans  by  counsel  ;  1.  18  ^i/^ry  purpose  is  estab- 

1  u     u    1  u-  1  Iished  by  counsel:  and  with 

and  by  helmsmanship  make  war.  )g„„d  ^^4^  „^ke  war. 

We  quote  this  formally,  not  for  any  great  importance  of  the  case,  but 
to  multiply  the  proof,  and  to  show  how  such  a  reading  can  pass  entirely 
unnoticed.  There  are  grammatical  difficulties  in  the  verse  ;  but  no  great- 
er under  one  form  than  the  other, 

IV. — Chap,  xxlii :  25. 

2S  Let  thy  father  rejoice,  and  thy  mother;  I  ,=5  Thy  father  and  thymo- 

j,-;,         ^\     ^  L  »u        uij  ther  shall   be  glad,   and   she 

and  let  her  that  bare  thee  be  glad.  |  ^^at  bare  thee  shall  rejoice. 

The  value  of  these  imperatives  is,  inter  alia,  to  prevent  repetition. 
Read  indicatively,  this  twenty-fifth  verse  is  a  mere  repetition  of  the  twen- 
ty-fourth. Such  repetition  will  answer  in  anything  better  than  in  formal 
proverbs, 

V. — Chap,  xxx  :  31. 

31    a  grey-hound,  or  a  he-goat,  I      3^  A   grey-hound;  an   he- 

J  i^  •         I      T-»  *    .1  «  ,    „*„„J    „~„;„,-f  Koat,  also  :  and  a  king,  against 

and  a  King!     Do   not  thou  stand  ^g^^^^^,%^oh,there  isx,or\S^nix,^. 
Him. 

The  passage  has  been  very  much  perplexed.  The  very  look  of  the 
commentaries  shows  pause  and  doubt ;  and  that  desperate  resource,  the 
knife,  in  this  spiritual  surgery,  has  been  repeatedly  proposed,  to  mend 
the  difficulties  of  the  expression.  The  imperative  ought  earlier  to  have 
been  thought  of,  because  this  negative  is  that  which  belongs  to  it.  The  rule 
is  a  very  rigid  one.  ^■^^(5>*)  is  not  used  with  indicative  verbs.  And 
we  have  looked  with  much  fear  whether  we  were  not  forgetting  some 
point  ;  it  seemed  so  incomprehensible  that  an  imperative  which  unlock- 
ed a  riddle,  and  gave  a  most  perfect  sense  to  a  most  puzzled  passage, 
was  not  detected  by  this  very  ^jj^^  which  la}%  like  the  tag  of  a  merchant, 
distinctly  to  give  the  direction  of  the  parable. 


590  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

CLASS  XXIV. 
UNNOTICED   FORCE 

OF  THE 

PREPOSITION   LAMEDH. 


I. — Chap,  xiv  :  33. 
35  The  kindness  of  a  king  is  a  wise  servant ; 
but    his    wrath    becomes    one   that   brings 
shame. 


35  The  king's  favour  is  to- 
ward a  wise  servant  :  but  his 
wrath  is  agaittst  him  that 
causeth  shame. 


We  say  in  English,  '  I  take  that  for  an  ofTence  ;'  or,  '  I  ran  for  govern- 
or ;'  or,  '  I  used  that  for  a  signal.'  Such,  unnoticed,  is  the  force  of  this 
instance  of  lamedh.  It  is  not, — "  The  king's  favor  is  toward  a  wise  ser- 
vant :"  what,  of  a  useful  description,  would  that  aphorism  particularly 
teach?  It  is, — "The  king's  favor,"  in  the  sense  of  kindness  ;  the  kind 
character  and  habits  of  a  king, — are  a  wise  servant  (literally,  are  fo7\  or, 
serve  for,  such  a  servant) ;  a  king's  kindness  of  heart  is  his  best  servant; 
but  his  anger  ;  that  is,  a  morose  and  tyrannic  life, — is  a  dangerous  ser- 
vant ;  and  one,  as  the  Proverb  expresses  it,  that  must  sooner  or  later,  be 
a  "  cause  of  shame."  The  very  same  unnoticed  meaning  occurs  again  in 
the  nineteenth  chapter: — 

II. — Chap,  xix  :  23. 
23  The  fear  of  Jehovah  serves  as  a  life  ;  23  The  fear  of  the  Lord 

and  he  that  is  satisfied  with  it  has  a  dwell-  tS ,lrall'Uid"e'sadsfied1 
ing ;  he  shall  not  be  visited  as  an  evil.        he  shall  not  be  visited  with 

evil. 

"  The  fear  of  the  Lord  tendeth  to  life,"  is  a  very  worn  idea.  Little, 
fresh,  can  be  made  of  it.  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  for  a  life,  or  answers  for 
one  ;  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  itself  a  life  ;  that  meets  all  the  necessities  of 
our  being ;  "  the  fear  of  the  Lord  serves  as  a  life  ;  and  he  that  is  satisfied 
with  it  has  a  dwelling  ;"  this  is  a  truth  that  is  worthy  of  the  formal  enun- 
ciation. 

But  now  a  different  case  : — 


III. — Chap,  xix  :  27. 


27  Cease,  my  son,  to  hear 
the  instruction  ikat  causeth 
to  err  from  the  words  of  know- 
ledge. 


27  Cease,  my  son,  to  hear  admonition, 

with  the  result  of  wandering  further  from  the 
words  of  knowledge. 

We  say  in  English, — '  He  worked  just  to  kill  himself.'  We  mean  by 
this, — He  worked,  not  in  order  to  kill  himself,  but  with  that  result.  The 
Hebrew  has  the  same  idiomatic  lanicdh.  "  Cease,  my  son,  to  hear  instruc- 
tion with  the  result  of  wandering  from  the  words  of  knowledge."  Like 
many  another  proverb,  it  lies  deep.  It  does  not  mean  lying  instruction, 
"  which  causeth  to  err  "  (E.  V.)  ;  it  does  not  mean  flattering  instruction, 
in  order  to  wander  away  ;  but  it  means  pious  instruction  ;  and  points  to 
the  fact,  that  the  very  holiest  truth  hardens  and  stupifies  the  sinner.  Do 
not  hear  instruction  with  the  result  of  mischief.  So  versatile  is  lamedh^ 
that  we  must  detect  all  that  it  intends. 

For  example,  this  other  case  ; — 


CLASS  XXV.  591 


IV. — Chap,  xxi :  31. 


2  As  the  bird  by  wander- 
ing, as  the  swallow  by  flying  ; 
so    the   curse    causeless  shall 


31  A  horse  is  made  ready  against  a  day  of  bat-l     31  The  horse  is  prepared 

•*               I     .                                  J      a  J                     against  the  day  of  battle:  but 

''^  '  I  safety  zV  of  the  Lord. 
and  salvation  against  Jehovah. 

We  say  in  English,  '  Set  that  to  the  interest  account.'  Such  would  be 
a  use  oi  lamed  h  very  near  the  interpretation  of  the  text.  "The  horse  is 
prepared  to  the  day  of  battle."  The  English  version  very  properly 
changes  it,  and  supplies  "against"  as  much  neater  in  our  English  idiom. 
But  what  right  has  it  to  say  "  against"  in  the  first  clause,  and  to  translate 
it  "  ('/"  (though  it  be  the  very  same  preposition),  in  the  second.  It  ought 
to  be  a  strong  motive,  that  shall  divert  the  same  lamedh,  in  the  same  text, 
and  in  the  same  antithetical  situation  in  the  text,  when  the  same  verb, 
and  the  same  general  sense,  would  lead  us  most  necessarily  to  look  for 
the  same  signification.  The  Wise  Man  has  been  arguing  that  we  can- 
not outwit  the  Almight}';  and  then  succeeds  this  very  plain  idea, — that 
a  horse  is  prepared  against  a  day  of  battle,  but  salvation  against  Jeiiovah. 
That  the  sa.me /anwd/i  could  mean  "<?/""  Jehovah  in  another  Scripture 
(Ps.  3.  8),  is  no  overwhelming  difficulty.  We  are  speaking  of  the  same 
verse.  In  the  same  verse  the  antithetical  thoughts  ought  to  assimilate 
the  same  prepositions. 

Again : — 

V. — Chap,  xxvi :  2. 
2  Like  a  bird,  as  to  roaming,  like  a  swallow  as 
to  flight, 
so  a  curse  to  no  purpose  does  not  come. 

Here  the  English  is  no  parallel.  We  do  not  say, — '  As  the  bird  ta  wan- 
dering, as  the  swallow  to  flying;'  but  we  do  speak  that  way  in  Hebrew, 
(i  Ki.  10:  23  ;  Job  32  : 4).  The  best  circumlocution  in  the  English  is,  as 
to,  or  in  i-espect  to.  Solomon  wishes  to  illustrate  that  a  curse  does  not 
come  without  a  purpose.  He  impresses  the  greater  thing,  therefore,  by 
the  less.  If  the  meanest  movement  of  a  bird  is  not  without  a  purpose  ; 
if  each  skim  of  a  swallow  has  some  meaning  in  it  even  to  his  feeble 
mind, — of  course,  then,  there  is  a  meaning  to  a  curse.  This  is  the  exact 
significance.  "  Like  a  bird,  as  to  roaming,  like  a  swallow,  as  to  flight, 
so  a  curse  purposeless  does  not  come." 


CLASS   XXV. 
UNNOTICED  FORCE 

OF 

PREPOSITIONS   OTHER  THAN   LAMEDH. 

For  example,  V^  ; — 
I. — Chap,  xxv  :  20. 
20  One  tricking  out  a  garment  on  a  cold  day; 
vinegar  upon  natron  ; 
and  a  singer  of  songs  upon  an  evil  heart. 


20  As  he  that  taketh  away 
a  garment  in  cold  weather, 
and  as  vinegar  upon  nitre,  so 
is  he  that  singeth  songs  to  an 
heavy  heart. 


The  natural  meaning  of  ^^  is  itpon.     If  a  sense  is  suggested  that  gives 


592  .  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

^2?  its  natural  meaning,  c^rUris paridus  that  sense  has  the  chiefest  rights. 
We  say  in  English, — 'This  grief  came  t{/>on  an  empty  fisc  ;'  or,  'that 
blow  struck  me  tipon  a  wearied  condition  of  spirit."  Make  "  heavy"  (E. 
v.),  "  evil"  (and  that  is  the  simple  Hebrew),  and  how  much  better,  "  songs 
oti  an  evil  heart,"  than  songs  to  an  evil  heart."  "  Songs  to  a  heavy  heart" 
(E.  V.)are  about  the  best  things  we  can  employ  ;  but  "  songs  on  an  evil 
heart"  show  a  mad  delusion.  As  "one  tricking  out  a  garment  on  a  cold 
day,"  when  the  main  thing  is  to  have  the  garment  on,  and  not  to  have  it 
beautiful ;  so  is  he  that  singeth  songs  upon  an  evil  heart,  that  is,  ivith 
one  ;  a  man  rejoicing  in  life,  when,  at  the  moment,  he  is  at  the  gates  of 
death. 

Now  take  two  instances  of  "i^  ; — 

II. — Chap,  xxvi  :  12. 
12  Seest  thou  a  man  wise  in  his  own  eyes?         [    12  Seest  thou  a  manwisein 
Hope  for  a  fool  must  be  outside  of  him.  ^'^  T"   conceit?   there  is 

more  hope  01  a  fool  than  of 
TTT      ^  ■  \nva.. 

111. — Chap,  xxix  :  20. 

20  Seest  thou  a  man  hasty  in  his  words  ?  I     20  Seest  thou  a  man  that 

hope  for  a  fool  is  outside  of  him.  '?  hasty  in   his  words  1  there 

IS  more  hope  of  a  fool  than  of 
I  him. 

Each  of  these  characters  is  the  worst  sort  of  "  fool ;"  and,  therefore,  as 
a  comparison  how  awkward  !  It  is  like  saying,  '  Seest  thou  a  man  knock 
another  on  the  head  ?  there  is  more  hope  of  a  murderer  than  of  him.'  It 
would  not  be  easy,  either,  to  parse  just  this  Hebrew,  if  it  be  made  compara- 
tive. But  the  noun,  and  the  lamedh  before  another  noun,  and  the  "j^  fixed 
just  as  this  one  is  before  a  pronominal  suffix,  would  hold  with' a  sense 
of  T)3,  which  the  Lexicons  elsewhere  have  actually  given.    For  example, 

Gescniiis,  Prov.  20  :  3, — "To  sit  outside  ('/strife."  Num.  15  :  24, — "  Aiuay 
from  the  eyes  of  the  congregation."  Imagining  a  character  within  a 
character,  so  to  speak,  hope  for  a  fool  is  represented  as  outside  ^V"  either 
of  two  parts  of  him,  or  special  characters.  One  of  these  is  the  self  wise 
part  (26  :  12) ;  and  the  other  the  ready-tofromisc  ;  that  is,  the  hasty  speak- 
ing (29  :  20) ;  or,  well-intentioned ;  and  hence,  as  the  result,  the  selfconfi- 
dent,  part  or  character  of  the  unbelieving  sinner. 

A  still  more  covert  mistake  has  been  in  the  instance  of  ^  ; 

IV. — Chap,  xxix  :  2. 
2  By  the  righteous  being  made  great,  the  peo- 
ple are  made  glad  ; 
but  by  the  wicked  man  bearing  rule,  a  peo- 
ple are  made  to  mourn. 

The  preposition  ^  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  means  by  rather  than 
when.  The  Scriptures  generally  would  be  improved  by  weeding  out  the 
A-w/cra/ signification.  We  know  it  is  a  circumlocution,  and  intended  to 
stand  for  in,  and  occurs  only  before  the  infinitive  ;  but  in,  in  many  cases, 
is  not  the  force  of  it ;  but  it  is  distinctly  a  causal,—/';'.  What  we  mean  to 
affirm  is,  that  the  preposition  ^l,  in  a  vast  majority  of  cases,  means  l>y 
means  of,  when  our  Version  reads  it  "  when."  A  case  to  sliow  this  is  in 
the  text  that  follows  : — 

V. — Chap,  xxix  :  16. 
16  By  the  wicked  being  made  great  sin  is  made|     16  When  the  wicked  are 

gl-(;jl(  .  I  multiplied,   transgression*  in- 

b„,  ,K„     •    1  .  I  ,        \     ■     r  ,,  creaseth  :    but   the   riiihteous 

ut  the  righteous  see  clearer  by  their  fall.       |  shall  see  their  fall. 


2  When  the  righteous  are 
in  authority,  the  people  re- 
joice :  but  when  the  wicked 
beareth  rule,  the  people 
mourn. 


CLASS  XXV.  593 

A  safe  venture,  beyond  a  doubt,  is  the  translation  of  the  same  word  in 
the  same  way,  except  for  very  peculiar  causes,  in  the  same  sentence.  We 
have  a  right  to  suppose  a  similarity.  It  cannot  but  be  intended  ;  and  it 
may  be  the  very  thing  rhetorically  significant.  To  translate  as  the  Eng- 
lish Version  does, — "are  7)iultiplied /'  which  is  but  one  meaning  of  the 
word  ;  and, — "  increaseth  ;"  which  is  manifestly  vnoiher  ;  and  bj'  that,  I 
mean,  in  the  same  clauses  and  in  the  same  aciive  intransitive  form  ;  ought, 
to  say  the  least,  to  have  the  very  strongest  reasons  for  its  excuse;  for 
such  things  are  the  very  likest  to  hide  the  very  gem  of  an  intended  rela- 
tion. The  verb  means,  in  its  naked  significance,  simply  to  grow  grc-at. 
This  fits  each  end  of  the  clause.  Translate, — "by,"  now,  instead  of 
"  wht'ji  "  (E.  v.),  for  the  preposition  ;  and  we  have  this  thought ; — "  By 
the  wicked  being  made  great  sin  is  made  great ;"  which  means  that  sin 
grows  laii/i  the  sinner  ;  that  the  sin  of  a  rustic  is  less  than  the  sin  of  a 
sage  ;  that  the  sin  of  some  poor  child  is  less  than  the  sin  of  Satan  ;  and 
that  souls  grow  in  trespass  (being  given  up  to  it  because  they  grow  in 
guilt),  as  they  exceed,  one  man  or  one  angel  the  rest,  in  the  breadth  or 
in  the  strength  of  their  soul's  intelligence.  All  this  is  covered  over  in 
King  James  by  the  want  of  sameness  in  the  verb,  and  by  the  feebler  hand- 
ling of  the  preposition.  But  again  ;  the  verb  to  see  is  sometimes  thought 
to  employ  the  preposition  simply  to  express  the  act  of  seeing.  We  greatly 
doubt  it ;  and  are  inclined  to  the  belief,  that  it  always  employs  it  to  ex- 
press seeing  brighter  />y  a  thing  ;  i.  e.,  being  awaked  to  vision  dy  the 
thing  that  finds  itself  thus  connected.  When  the  Night,  under  the  ex- 
ecration of  Job,  is  not  to  see  /'v  the  eyelids  of  the  Morning  (Job  3:9);  or 
when  the  hypocrite  is  not  to  see  dy  the  rivers,  the  brooks  of  honey  and 
butter  (Job  20  :  17);  or  when  even  God  is  said  to  see  by  the  affliction  of 
Leah  (Gen.  29:31),  who  shall  say  that  it  does  not  mean  more  than  seeing 
without  the  preposition  ;  that  it  does  not  interpose  the  idea  of  being 
made  to  see  by,  and  that  even  God  is  poetically  said  to  be  waked  up  to 
see  by  the  affliction  of  Leah,  just  as  we  apply  to  Him  the  passions  and 
the  acts,  and  even  the  jealousies  and  repentances  that  we  ascribe  to 
man?  However  that  may  be,  this  Proverb  peremptorily  requires  such  a 
treatment.  By  the  wicked  being  made  great  sin  is  made  great ;  yet  what 
matter  !  When  all  seems  to  be  hurrying  to  death,  all  is  overruled. 
Stupendous  sufferings  are  to  result  from  stupendous  sinnings  ;  but  what 
then?  All  is  to  be  a  lesson  to  the  universe;  more  definitively  to  the 
righteous  part  of  the  universe  ;  or,  as  the  second  clause  expresses  it, 
"  the  righteous  shall  see  by  their  fall." 

Now  once  again  : — 

VI. — Chap,  xxx  :  6. 
6  Add  tltou  not  unto  His  words  ;  1    6  Add  thou  not  unto  his 

lest  He  use  thee  for  purposes  of  reproof,  and  [-"f/jJ^^tfoirdTlL^^^^^^^^ 
thou  be  shown  up  as  false. 

Gesenius  treats  ^  as  merging  in  the  verb  to  see,  with  some  likelihood, 
for  he  can  quote  many  examples  ;  but  after  the  verb  to  reprove  he  has  but 
one,  and  this  instantly  breeds  suspicion.  A  good  clue  to  discovery  would 
be  to  mark  those  dicta  in  a  lexicon  which  quote  for  themselves  but  a 
single  passage.  Why,  if  reprove  never  takes  a  preposition,  should  it  be 
conceived  as  doing  so  in  this  single  sentence?  And  why  not  probe  the 
sentence,  and  find,  just  as  we  have  been  glad  to  do,  that  the  meaning 
needs  the  preposition,  without  tacking  it  to  the  verb — that  God  reproves 
by  a  man,  as  well  as  reproves  a  man  directly  ;  and  that  reproving  by  any 
one  is  a  much  more  solemn  thing  than  his  being  reproved  himself,  be- 


594  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS 

cause  it  seems  to  .mply  tliat  the  victim  personally  has  passeJ  the  possi- 
biht}'  of  obtaining  benefit?  This  will  suffice  tiien  for  peculiarities  of 
beth  (^),  except  as  they  occur  in'a  class  that  follows. 


CLASS  XXVI. 
UNNOTICED   CASES   OF   BETH    (3)    ESSENTL-E. 

We  say  in  English,* — '  Pay  in  doubloons,'  or, — '  They  came  in  swarms,' 
or, — '  It  was  in  the  deep  villain  that  he  appeared  on  that  stage.'  In 
French*  it  is  still  more  common.  ^ Agir  en  honn'te  /lomme,'  means  to 
play  the  part  of  an  honest  man.  This  is  the  b,'tk  (^)  essentite  of  the  He- 
brews.    (See  for  a  confessed  instance  chap.  3  :  26). 

I. — Chap,  xiii  :  17. 
17  A  wicked  messenger  falls  as  being  an  evil  ;   1     17  A  wicked  messenger  fall- 
but  a  faithful  errand-man  is  health.  \f}  '"\°  mischief :  but  a  faith- 

J  ful  ambassador  ts  health. 

II. — Chap,  xvii ;  20. 

20  The  crooked  in  heart  cannot  find  good  ;  f    20  He  that  hath  a  froward 

and  he  that  is  subversive  in  his  tongue,  must  t'^T,'  ^."l^T^  "°  ^"""^  '  """^ 
r  11  ,     .  .,  o       >  he  that  hath  a  perverse  ton- 

fall  as  being  an  evil.  )  gue  falleth  into  mischief. 

III. — Chap,  xxiv  :  16. 
16  For  the  righteous  man  shall  fall  seven  times,  I     16  For  a  just  ;«a«  falleth 
and  rise  again  ;  I  ^^^?"  times,  and   riseth    up 

1  M      .u         •    1      J      1     11  1  1  I  again  :    but  the  wicked  sha  I 

while  the  wicked  shall  be  overthrown  as  an  |  fall  into  mischief. 
evil. 

IV. — Chap,  xxviii :  14, 
14  Blessed  is  the  man  who  fears  continually  ;       (     14  Happy  /s  the  man  that 

but  he  that  hardens  his  heart  shall  fall  as   If^'"!'^  ^^Z^y':  ^"'  ^^/!}=^' 
u„-    „  „„  „,.;i  hardeneth  his  heart  shall  fall 

being  an  evil.  I  i„to  mischief. 

These  four  are  all  alike.  The  b't/i  (^)  cssrnfi\c  has  been  quite  unob- 
served. The  translation  "into"  (E.  V.),  which  has  befallen  all  of  them, 
has  left  them  flattened  wretchedly  into  such  language  as  this,—"  A  wick- 
ed messenger  falleth  into  mischief"  (13  :  17).  "  A  perverse  tongue  fall- 
eth into  mischief "  (17  :  20).  "But  the  wicked  shall  fall  into  jnischief" 
(24:  16).  "iJe  that  hardeneth  his  heart  shall  fall  into  mischief"  (2S  :  14). 
The  noun  in  each  of  the  four  is  ^J-j,  or  J-[3?"l,  which  mean  simply  ^'j'zY. 
But  bring  in  the  b'th  f  |r^)  t-ssentiu^  as  has  been  done  in  this  version,  and 
commonplace  immediately  disappears  ;  we  have,  then,  one  bold  thought, 
viz.,  that  these  characters  are  rfn  evil.  If  commonplace  were  more  dis- 
tinctly tabooed  in  Scripture,  men  would  go  searching  with  more  keen 
avidity  after  a  fresher  sense  ;  and,  instead  of  such  tritenesses  as  that  bad 
men  shall  fall  into  mischief,  we  would  have  such  deeper  senses  as  this; 
— that  the  "  wicked  messenger,"  and  the  "  perverse  tongue,"  and  the 
hardener  of  his  own  heart,  are  evils;  i.  e.,  are  plague-spots'in  the  intelli- 

*  And  these  very  expressions,— '  in  French,'  and,  'in  English,'  are  of  a  like  character. 
'  Let  us  speak  in  French.'     '  The  book  appeared  first  in  English.' 


CLASS  XXVI. 


595 


30  The  bluenessof  awound 
cleanseth  away  evil  ;  so  do 
stripes  the  inward  parts  of  the 
belly. 


gent  universe  ;  and,  as  such,  cannot  complain  of  their  fate  ;  because,  as 
a  necessity  for  the  rest,  they  must  fall  as  evils.  A  fifth  text  (19  :  23)  might 
seem  to  be  similar.  It  is  without  the  bUh,  however.  The  mistake  has 
been  the  same  ;  and  the  reading  has  to  be  equivalent.  "The  fear  of  Je- 
hovah is  a  life  "  (see  Class  XXIV) ;  and  he  that  is  satisfied  with  it  shall 
have  a  dwelling.     He  shall  not  be  visited  as  an  evil!' 

V. — Chap,  xx  :  30. 
30  The  welts  of  a  wound  cleanse  though  as  an 
evil ; 
so  do  stripes  the  very  chambers  of  the  belly, 

Here  the  same  b'dh  (^)  and  the  same  noun  or  adjective  used  substan- 
tively, viz.,  ^-|^  fall  into  the  same  state,  though  in  a  deeper  and  more 
varied  Proverb.  The  value  of  chastisement  is  the  thing  to  be  consider- 
ed I  in  fact  the  gain,  by  suffering,  to  the  whole  intelligent  creation.  The 
world's  sufferings  are  a  monstrous  "  evil."  Therefore,  the  texture  of  the 
Proverb.  "  The  blueness  of  a  wound  "  (E.  V.) ;  more  literally,  "  the  welts 
of  a  wound,'' — "cleanse  in  an  evil  ;"  {b'th  essentia: ;  "  (7j  an  evil")  ;  that  is, 
the  black  swelling  seems  an  unmitigated  mischief,  just  like  life's  suffer- 
ings to  the  complaining  sinner;  but  the  swollen  tumor  is  discharging 
the  sore,  just  as  stripes,  the  inner  chamber  of  our  corruption.  Tliis  b  tk 
will  play  an  important  part  with  future  expositors.  We  give  a  double 
case : — 

VI.— Chap,  xxv  :  8. 
8  Go  not  forth  hastily  to  strive  ;  8  Go  not  forth  hastily  to 

lest  what  thou  doest.  in  its  after  consequence,  ^J^T'to'do  in'the  e'rdThe';:. 
be  thy  neighbor  putting  thee  to  shame.  of,  when  thy  neighbour  hath 

put  thee  to  shame. 

"  What  thou  do  in  the  end  thereof."  is  here,  "  What  thou  do  as  the  end 
thereof;"  and  then,  not  "  ivhen  thy  neighbor"  (E.  V.),  but  " /«  thy  neigh- 
bor," or  {l^th  essentia;')  "  as  thy  neighbor ;"  creating  the  idea,  "  lest  what 
thou  effectest  as  the  end  thereof  be  as  thy  neighbor,"  or  (expressing  the 
whole  more  neatly)  "be  thy  neighbor  putting  thee  to  shame." 

Other  newly-detected  cases  are  sufficiently  similar  to  be  merely  ap- 
pended in  a  list : — 

VII. — Chap,  v  :  14. 
14  I  soon  became  like  any  wicked  man  ].  14  I  was  almost  in  all  evil 

in  the  midst  of  the  congregation  and  assem-  [^^J^^^^-^'^^^'^VlJ' '°"^"^" 
bly. 

VIII. — Chap,  xiii  :  23. 
23  Much  to  eat  is  the  light  of  the  poor ; 

but  there  is  that  is  swept  away  as  not  judg- 
ment. 


23  Much  food  is  in  the  till- 
age of  the  poor:  but  there  is 
that  is  destroyed  for  want  of 
judgment. 


IX. — Chap,  xiv  :  3. 
3  In  the  mouth  of  a  fool  is  a  sceptre  of  pride, 
but  the  lips  of  the  wise  shall  guard  them. 


j  3  In  the  mouth  of  the  fool- 
ish is  a  rod  of  pride  :  but  the 
lips  of  the  wise  shall  presen'c 

I  them. 


596  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


CLASS   XXVII. 

UNNOTICED   CASES   OF  VERBS   REQUIRING 
A  PREPOSITION. 

Singularly  enough  the  only  case  we  shall  quote  recognizes  (E.  V.)  the 
need  of  a  preposition  under  the  first  clause,  and  drops  it  off,  though  it 
stands  all  ready  in  its  place,  and  devotes  it  to  something  else  in  the 
second.  Let  us  explain.  There  are  certain  verbs  that  require  a  prepo- 
sition after  them,  either  always  or  sometimes,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  carry 
their  meaning  to  the  noun.  For  example  in  English  ;  I  can  sa)-,  '  I  watch 
ozer  a  post ;'  and  the  preposition  crvv-  stands  exactly  related  as  the  prep- 
osition now  alluded  to  does  in  the  Hebrew  text.  The  unnoticed  case  I 
am  to  mention  is,  where  this  proper  preposition  is  forgotten,  and  wan- 
ders ofl"  from  the  verb,  and  gets  into  the  wheels,  so  as  to  obstruct  the 
sentence : — 

I. — Chap,  xvii :  12. 
12  Let  a  bear  robbed  of  her  cubs  meet  a  man  ;    I     '2  Let  a  bear  robbed  of  her 

but  not  a  fool  his  folly.  whelps   meet   a    m.-jn,   rather 

-'  '  than  a  fool  in  his  folly. 

"  Let  a  bear  robbed  of  her  cubs  meet  a  man."  Here  was  a  start  in 
every  respect  complete.  The  verb  to  tiicct  takes  with  it  in  the  first  clause 
a  preposition  (^  (^(^M)  which  appears  before  the  noun  " ///«/•/, "  just  as  it 
does  after  other  verbs  of  like  import.  We  say  in  English,  meet  zvith,  and 
the  force  of  the  bkh  is,  therefore,  in  the  first  clause,  undoubted.  Wliy  is 
it  not  to  be  retained  in  the  second  V  The  verb  being  understood  in  the 
second  clause,  and  the  preposition  being  there  in  place  all  ready  for  it, 
how  strange  to  forget  that  it  can  have  any  such  connection,  and  to  ruin  the 
sense  by  giving  it  an  independent  meaning.  Read, — "  Let  a  bear  robbed 
of  her  cubs  meet  a  man  rather  than  a  fool  in  his  folly"  (E.  V.),  and  we 
have  no  very  thoughtful  picture.  Read, — "  Let  a  bear  robbed  of  her  cubs 
meet  a  man  rather  than  a  fool  his  folly,"  and  we  have  most  stirringly 
the  remorse  and  gnashing  of  teeth  and  horrible  self-accusation  that  he  is 
to  find  hereafter.  The  difference  is  immense,  considering  the  slender 
change  that  is  all  that  is  apparent. 

Now  sometimes  the  mistake  is  just  the  opposite  : — 


CLASS  XXVIII. 
UNNOTICED   CASES  OF   VERBS 

NOT 

REQUIRING   A   PREPOSITION. 

The  verb  see  does  not  require  a  preposition  : — 
I. — CiiAi'.  xxix  :  16. 
16  By  the  wicked  being  made  great  sin  is  made      16  When   the  wicked  ruo 

„j.g.,*  .  multiplied,   transgression   in- 

.       ",   '     '  1^        1     •     r  II  crcaseth  :    but   the   righteous 

but  the  righteous  see  clearer  by  their  fall.        shall  see  their  fall. 


CLASS  XXIX.  597 


The  verb  reprove  does  not  require  a  preposition 


II.— Chap,  xxx  :  6.  .  ,  ,    ,  ■■ 

-     .   ,  .    .  •        .„  Ti:c  ,„^rrlo  •  1     6   Add  thou  not   unto   his 

6   Add  thou  not  unto  1 1  is  words  ,  -Lords,   lest  he  reprove  thee, 

lest  He  use  thee  for  purposes  of  reproot,  ana  l^^^j  ti^o„be  found  a  liar, 
thou  be  shown  up  as  false. 

The  verb  io punish  does  not  require  one: — 


26  Also  to  punish  the  just 
is  not  good,  nor  to  strike 
princes  for  equity. 


III.— Chap,  xvii  :  26. 
26  Even  deserved  punishment  to  the  righteous 
does  not  seem  good 
when  designed  to  chasten  the  willing  with  a 
view  to  holiness. 

These  cases  have  all  been  considered  previously  (Classes  XXV.,  IV.). 
Two  of  the  three  (17  :  26  ;  3°  ■  f*)  are  quoted  by  Gcsenius  as  his  sole  au- 
thorities. The  last  instance  has  been  very  carefully  commented  upon  ; 
and  we  beg  the  reader  to  refer  to  its  most  recent  exposition  (Class  iV.). 

IV. — Chap,  xxi :  12. 
,.  He  who  gives  wisdom  to  the  righteous  t^an]     -  The  n.hteous,«.«^^^^^^^^ 
by  means  of  the  house  of  the  wicked,  ^^e  wicked  :  but  God  over- 

overturns  the  wicked  by  means  of  evil.  throweth  the  wicked  iox  their 

I  wickedness. 

We  do  not  intend  to  recapitulate  here  (see  Class  IV.),  but  glance  hasti- 
ly at  a  former  suggestion  (17  :  i^-)-  When  the  same  word,  in  the  same 
shape  and  in  the  tame  text,  and  standing  similarly  in  each  of  the  claiises, 
is  capable,  without  any  distortion  of  sense.^f  the  very  same  translation, 
it  seems  a  marvel  of  mistake  to  equip  it  with  any  other.  Such  is  pre- 
cisely the  condition  oi  lamedh  as  the  preposition  in  the  casel)efore  us. 


CLASS  XXIX. 
UNNOTICED   CASES   OF   RETURN 

TO 

A   PRIMARY   SENSE. 

Of  course,  to  a  Hebrew  eye,  when   a  verb  to  be  level,  or  a  verb  to  be 
strai'^ht  or  a  verb  to  be  whole,  comes  to  mean   something  moral,  and  is 

rluslaLd  to  be  just  or  upright,  the  primary  meaning  is  "ot  forgo,  en  bu^ 
i3  there  gleaming  out  under  the  bottom  of  the  heap.  A  Hebrew  eye 
never  loses  it  bu7  sees  it  whenever  it  comes  upon  the  page,  and  is  ready 
roldc"  stand  the  author,  whenever,  with  whatsoever  -^d---',  -  -" 
<;nrts  to  it  as  a  nrimarv  again.     Our  own  vigilance  ought  to  be  in  this  di- 

e"  fo"  Thc^LtTwe^  give  are  where  we  have  --^^\^^^y :^^:^  ^^^ 
vernacular;  because  an  un-l!ebrew  eye,  accustomed  to  an  abstiac  use, 
Tils  to  be  ready  when  the  writer  sufldenly  returns  to  an  original  signifi- 
cation. 

For  example : — 


598.  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

I. — Chap,  xiii :  14. 
14  The  direction  of  a  wise  man  is  a  burrovvingl    '4  Thelawof  the  wise  j>  a 

^  ,  ri-r  fountain  01  lite,  to  depart  irom 

out  place  of  hie,  |  the  snares  of  death. 

for  getting  away  out  of  the  snares  of  death. 

II. — Chap,  xiv  :  27. 

27  The  fear  of  Jehovah   is  where  life  burrows  1    27  The  fear  of  the  Lord  zV 
•'  a  fountain  of  life,  to   depart 

^^•^  I  from  the  snares  of  death. 

in  getting  away  out  of  the  snares  of  death. 

"  Fountain  "  (E.  V.)  is  a  very  frequent  word,  and  occurs  so  uniformly 
as  almost  to  hide  its  old  derivation.  To  a  Hebrew  eye  its  derivation  is 
not  lost,  but  is  always  visible,  like  a  pebble  at  the  bottom.  A  verb  to  dig 
and  a  substantive  form  of  it,  and  a  form  preceded  by  y^,  which  means 
ground  ox  place,  would  all  serve  up  before  him  the  idea  of  a  dug  place,  or 
a  dug  out  place.  And  if  at  any  time  a  writer  returned  to  this  original  sig- 
nificance, the  Jew  would  not  be  as  helpless  as  we  are,  to  understand  his 
meaning.  Now  "a  fountain  of  life"(E.  V.)  confounds  both  these  sen- 
tences. '^  A  fountain''  is  no  way  to  "depart ;"  and,  were  it  not^our  fault 
to  bow  too  much  to  unmeaning  expressions,  and  to  impute  to  the  Holy 
Ghost  what,  in  Uteris,  we  would  have  rebelled  against  in  our  fellow  men, 
we  would  have  battled  long  ago  for  some  simile  not  so  desperately  mix- 
ed. This  stopping  would  have  brought  out  the  key.  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  not  a  fountain  of  life  (E.  V.) ;  for  what  sort  of  imagery  is  that,  foi 
departing  from  the  snares  of  death?  But,  radice  revisitata,  it  is  a  place 
dugout.  As  the  snare  lies  upon  the  ground,  it  is  the  hole  whence  we 
may  burrow  and  escape.  Such  a  hole  is  made  by  a  "fountain."  But 
such  a  hole  is  made  by  many  other  things.  We  get  the  clue  b)' going 
back  :  and  this  instance  will  be  of  royal  use  in  strengthening  our  convic- 
tions as  to  other  innovating  renderings  that  are  yet  to  toUow. 

III. — Chap,  xiii  :  12. 
12  Protracted  delay  enfeebles  the  heart ; 
but  the  desire  arrived  at  is  a  tree  of  life. 


12  Hope  deferred  maketh 
the  heart  sick  :  but  ivhen  the 
desire  coraeth,  it  is  a  tree  of 


A  secondary  meaning  of  |^^n  '^'  ^°  '''''  ^^'^^-  ^^  earlier  meaning  is,  to 
he  7ueak.  A  secondary  meaning  of  the  Hiphil  is,  to  i>ia/ce  sick,  and  an 
earlier  meaning,  to  7)iake  weak.  A  secondary  meaning  of  Jl^m?!  '^ 
hope  ;  a  primary  meaning  is  delay.  The  root  out  of  which  it  comes  means 
primarily,  to  7uait,  and  secondaril}',  or  artificially,  to  hope  or  to  expect. 
This  all  would  naturally  appear  before  a  Hebrew  eye.  But  to  tlie  Version- 
ists,  accustomed  to  see  the  secondary  senses,  these  take  the  eminence  ; 
and  hence  the  versions  in  their  different  Books.  The  inspired  Solomon, 
however,  is  wielding  a  vernacular.  The  "  heart  "  is  that  susceptibility 
of  heart,  which  the  Spirit  uses  in  renewing  it  by  grace.  "  Delay  "  is  the 
delay  of  the  sinner  The  dictum  is  that  striking  one,  that  all  delay  weak- 
ens the  heart  ;  and  then,  to  make  the  second  clause  more  intense,  in- 
stead of  saying, — All  promptness  strengthens  the  heart,  he  brings  for- 
ward a  much  more  exhilarating  idea.  The  desire  accomplished  ;  that  is, 
the  wish  to  have  religion  ours,  once  attended  to,  and  accomplished  in 
our  nature  ;  not  only  elevates,  but  saves  us.  It  is  a  triumph  once  for  all. 
It  is  "  a  tree  of  life."  And  as  that  mystic  plant  saved  by  one  morsel  of 
its  fruit  ;  so,  one  act  of  attention  to  our  longing  saves  for  the  unnumber- 
ed ages.  There  may  be  afterward  $  most  agonizing  fight ;  but  that  first 
obedience  sealed  our  deliverance  forever. 

The  next  instance  is  somewhat  akin  : — 


24  A  man  that  ftath^ricnAs 
must  show  himself  friendly  ; 
and  there  is  a  friend  that 
sticketh  closer  than  a  brother. 


CLASS  XXIX.  599 

IV. — Chap,  xiii :  15. 
IS  Good  intelligence  gives  grace;  |  eti^^  f2v°o°urrbtThf wf/ of 

but  the  way  of  the  faithless  is  perpetual.         1^^^  transgressors  is  hard. 

Good  intelligence  ;  that  is,  light ;  and  spintnal  light,  which  is  of  course 
good,— yields  grace.  It  promotes  the  grace  of  the  Christian  ;  and  pro- 
motes it  steadily,  and  all  the  time.  But  the  way  of  the  sinner  has  not 
even  a  vicissitude  of  light.  It  is  '' perpetual !'  ''Hard"  (E.  V.),  in  this 
case,  has  not  even  the  rights  of  a  secondary  usage.  The  great  central 
thought  of  the  root  is  a  perennial  state  (Num.  24  :  ^O-  Light  upon  the 
Christian's  mind  is  bringing  him  affluxes  of  more  grace  ;  but  the  sinner, 
knowing  no  change  for  the  better,  is  locked  in  upon  a  path  in  its  own 
nature  "-perpetual" 

V. — Chap,  xviii :  24. 
24  A  man  of  friends  is  apt  to  be  broken  all  to 
pieces  ; 
but  there  is  that  loves  cleaving  closer  than  a 
brother. 

The  time  will  come  when  a  translation  will  be  overthrown  simply  by 
the  first  glance  at  its  commonplace.  Men  will  become  jealous  for  the 
pithiness  of  Scripture.  Now  for  two  reasons  ;  first,  that  it  has  no  sense 
in  the  context  ;  and  second,  that  it  has  but  little  in  itself,— the  first  clause 
of  this  verse  in  other  translations  ought  to  be  put  upon  a  better  base. 
This  we  can  be  helped  to  by  the  main  root  of  the  verb.  Some  of  the 
commentators  come  near  to  that.  But  we  see  no  reason  why  we  should 
not  adopt  it  squarely.  The  main  root  is  to  break.  This  is  the  llithpahel. 
We  see  no  reason  why  we  should  not  translate  by  the  reflexive  of  break. 
"  A  man  of  friends  is  apt  to  break  himself;  but  there  is  that  loves,  cleav- 
ing closer  than  a  brother." 

This  need  of  remembering  what  words  primarily  implied  occurs  some- 
times with  the  verb  meaning  to  be  open  :— 

VI. — Chap,  i :  10. 
10  My  son,  if  sinners  would  make  a  door  of  thy  |  ^^xo  My^-,  if -^^^^^^^ 
simplicity, 
afford  thou  no  entrance.     • 

To  translate  here  simply  to  '' entice"  {^.  V.),  would  miss  the  beauty. 
There  is  a  balancing  with  the  verb  rendered  "  consent"  (E  V  ),  which  also 
on  its  part  needs  the  rendering  as  from  the  root  to  enter. 

So  in  the  next  case,  the  word  "  taste;'  must  not  drift  away  from  its  own 
original.  To  translate  it  "  reason "  (E.  V.),  which  it  does  sometimes 
mean  ruins  everything.  The  Wise  Man  has  been  speaking  of  the  dish. 
He  has  been  representing  the  impenitent  as  too  indolently  benumbed  to 
lift  salvation,  when  his  hand  is  in  the  very'*<&/^."  And  then  follows 
this  Proverb,  which  is  not  adequately  understood  unless  the  taste  is 
the  thing  contemplated  ;  that  is,  the  "  tasted  as  reported  back  by  some 
man  who  has  actually  partaken  of  salvation  :— 

VII. — Chap,  xxvi  :  16.  ,  j  .      •       • 

16  The  sluggard  is  wiser  in  his  own  eyes  |hi^'o?n%t?fu' "an^'^e"." 

than  seven  men  who  report  back  the  taste.      |  j^^g^  th^t  can  render  a  reason. 

Again  the  verb  in  the  following  verse  : — 


6oo  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

VIII. — Chap,  xxvii  :  8. 
8   As  a  bird  Is  shaken  from  its  nest  ;  i     8  As  a  bird  that  wandereth 

so  a  man  is  shaken  from  his  place.  f'/""  ^"^""lv'°  '^^  ,'"^" 

r  )  that  wandereth  from  his  place. 

What  is  the  emblem  of  a  bird  wandering  from  her  nest  ?  What  does  a 
bird  want  with  a  nest  ?  and  what  relation  has  a  nest  to  any  human  refuge  ? 
or,  at  all,  as  an  asylum  or  dwelling  for  the  bird?  It  is  only  when  the 
verb  goes  back  to  its  original  that  we  arrive  at  any  exquisite  sense.  The 
verb  means,  to  be  shaken.  All  other  meanings  are  derivative.  The  very 
sight  of  that  sense  flashes  out  at  once  the  genuine  significance.  "As  a 
bird  is  shaken  from  her  nest."  That  is  ;  as  the  young  fledgling  loathes 
to  get  out  from  its  support,  and  is  afraid  to  take  to  the  air,  so  a  man 
has  to  be  shaken  from  his  place  ;  so  the  poor  impenitent  has  to  be  driven 
from  the  spot  where  is  all  that  he  has  ever  stood  upon,  and  whence  he 
shrinks  from  setting  forth.  Quote  the  verb  in  its  root,  and  the  picture 
breaks  upon  our  vision.  Give  it  any  of  its  secondary  sense,  and  a  thick 
haze  is  drawn  at  once  over  all  that  it  intends. 

IX. — Chap,  xx  :  22. 
22  Say  not,  I  will  make  the  evil  good  ;  22  Say  not  thou,  I  will  re- 

wait  on  Jehovah,  and  let  Him  help  thee.  compense  evil-  ^wi'  wait  on 

•'  K  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  save 

thee. 

Few  words  have  established  a  more  frequent  secondary  meaning  than 
the  Pihel  in  the  first  clause  in  the  sense  of  "  recompense  "  (E.  V.).  The 
Kal  means,  to  6e  to  hole  ;  but  the  Pihel  has  meant,  to  make  -whole,  in  the 
sense  o{ paying,  in  almost  every  instance  ;  suddenly,  however,  there  may 
be  returns  to  the  primary  (Ez.  33:  15),  and  this,  as  one  of  them,  has  con- 
founded everything  by  not  being  noticed.  The  Wise  Man  has  been 
speaking  of  hasty  gettings  (v.  21)  ;  of  grappling  after  wealth,  and  waiting 
for  that  to  be  gotten,  to  get  leisure  for  salvation.  He  denounces  plans 
like  this  ;  and  then  says,—"  Say  not  I  will  make  whole  the  evil."  That 
is, — Do  not  let  religion  drift  for  a  while,  under  the  intention  of  making 
good  the  wickedness.  No  counsel  could  be  more  graphic.  Men  grasp 
after  competence  with  the  very  thought  to  get  this  episode  over  that  they 
may  go  after  Christ.  The  text  has  been  lost  in  its  significance.  That 
natural  thought  of  getting  aside  our  cares,  and  thus  preparing  to  be 
righteous,  is  here  condemned  as  being  an  attempt  to  make  good  an  evil. 

X. — Chap,  xxvii  :  i. 
1   Praise  not  thyself  in  the  morrow  ;  1    i  Boast  not  thyself  of  to- 

for  thou  knowest  not  what  a  dav  mav  brine  ™u"°'^J  *^°''"^°'i-"*."',"°' 

r     .1  -'  ^  °  I  what  a  day  may  bring  forth. 

Instead  of  the  more  secondary  "Boast  thyself"  (E.  V.),  translate  here,— 
"  Praise  thyself,"  and  we  have  two  immediate  results;  first,  we  throw  the 
verse  into  better  relation  with  the  next,  in  which  the  verb  "  praise  "  also 
occurs  ;  and  second,  we  picture  best  the  impenitent.  He  not  only  boasts 
cf  the  morrow,  but  \\c  praises  himself  in  it ;  that  is,  he  admires  a  wisdom 
which  he  has  cherished,  not  for  this  day,  but  the  next. 

Most  signal  of  all  is  the  next  case  : — 

XI. — Chap,  xxviii  :  12. 

12  In  the  exulting  of  the  righteous  there  is  great  }-.  When  righteous  men  do 

beauty  ;  rejoice,  there  is  jjreat  nlory: 

b..*        I     '     ^1           .    1       1     .                                         ,.  but  when   the  wicked  rise,  a 

ut,  when  the  wicked  rise,  a  man  must  dig  man  is  hidden, 
deep  to  understand  it. 


CLASS  XXIX.  6oi 


28  When  the  wicked  rise, 
men  hide  themselves :  but 
when  they  perish,  the  right- 
eous increase. 


XII. — Chap,  xxvlii  :  28. 
28  By  the  wicked  rising  a  man  is  puzzled  ; 
but,   by   their   perishing,   the    righteous   are 
made  great. 

Here  the  primaries  have  lain  entirely  hid.  "What  is  literal,  however, 
does  not  appear  till  we  take  the  forms  as  furnished  by  the  grammar.  In 
the  twelfth  verse  the  verb  in  the  second  clause  is  peculiar.  It  is  a  Puhal. 
The  Kal  means  to  dig.  The  Puhal  seems  a  kind  of  causative  passive. 
No  other  form  seems  to  give  sense  in  Psalm  sixty-fourth  (v.  6).  "  When 
the  wicked  rise,  a  man  is  hidden  "  (E.  V.),  is  a  clause  of  no  very  settled 
sense.  But,  "  When  the  wicked  rise,  a  man  is  made  to  dig," — is  very 
significant.  The  rising  of  the  wicked  is  a  great  mystery.  The  rising  of 
the  righteous  (first  clause)  is  easily  understood.  So  managed,  the  text 
becomes  complete.  "  In  the  exulting  of  the  righteous  there  is  great 
beauty ;  but  by  the  rising  of  the  wicked  men  are  made  to  dig."  Then,  in 
the  twenty-eighth  verse,  another  verb  is  substituted, — viz.,  "men  are 
veiled,"  meaning, — men  are  perplexed  or  puzzled ;  the  statement  being 
that,  when  the  righteous  prosper,  it  is  all  clear  and  right ;  but,  when  the 
wicked  prosper,  it  is  no  doubt  all  right,  too  ;  but  men  have  to  search  and 
be  perplexed. 

XIII.— Chap,  xxix  :  18. 
18  Through  there  being  no  vision  a  people  are!    18  Where  ^/«?^^?V  no  vision, 

let  free  •  the  people  perish  :  but  he  that 

*  I  l^ppnpfh  thp  law    hannv  ?_c  }ip. 

but  blessed  is  he  who  observes  a  direction. 


I  keepeth  the  law,  happy  ij  he. 


"  Where  there  is  no  vision  the  people  perish  "  (E.  V.).  That  seems 
like  an  important  Proverb.  As  meaning,  that  where  the  gospel  is  not 
distinctly  preached,  the  people  are  children  of  perdition  ;  it  is  no  doubt 
true  and  very  important.  But  if  we  screw  the  whole  sentence  up,  and 
make  it  rigid,  as  certainly  we  ought  to  do,  its  whole  soundness  would 
instantly  disappear.  "  Vision,"  understood  in  its  widest  sense  would  in- 
clude all  vision.  All  vision  kept  from  the  soul  would  leave  it  not  only 
uncondemned,  but  absolutely  free.  This  ^vould  be  the  opposite  idea  to 
the  English  Version.  When  we  trace  the  original  verb,  it  does  not  mean 
to/mj-/;  (E.  V.) ;  it  does  not  mean, — "  ?V  is  made  naked"  as  appears  in 
the  margin  (E.  V) ;  but  it  means  to  let  go  loose  :  in  the  Niphal  to  be  let 
loose,  or  to  be  set  free.  Simply  a  primary,  therefore,  gives  a  sense  that  we 
can  seize  upon  at  once.  It  changes  all  the  passage.  It  reverses  the  Eng- 
lish Version.  And  it  gives  a  capital  sense.  "  By  there  being  no  vision 
a  people  are  set  free ;  but  he  that  watches  a  direction,  happy  is  he."* 

Now  another  primary  ; — 

XIV. — Chap,  xxx  :  10. 
10  Give  not  tongue  service,  as  a  servant  to  his 
master, 
lest  He  curse  thee,  and  thou  be  held  guilty. 

There  is  a  common  word  "tongue"  (Hebraice).  There  is  a  very  un- 
common verb,  which  may  be  supposed  to  originate  it.  It  means  to  lick 
or,  more  nakedlj^  to  tongiie.  It  occurs  but  twice  in  the  Bible.  In  the 
Psalms  it  is  translated  "  slandereth  "  (Ps.   loi :  5,  E.  V.).     Therein  a  fine 

*  This  does  not  mean  that  such  case  is  ever  realized.  It  were  impossible.  An  intelli- 
gence with  no  intelligence, — what  would  that  be?  But,  ^r/raa?  hoc  light  makes  our  only 
responsibility.  No  light,  no  sin  ;  and  no  sin,  no  punishment.  And  yet  Solomon  teaches 
that  if  such  a  thing  were  possible,  still  having  the  light,  and  patiently  observing  it,  is  to  be 
preferred  as  infinitely  better. 

26 


10  Accuse  not  a  servant  un- 
to his  master,  lest  he  curse 
thee,  and  thou  be  found  guil- 
ty. 


6o2  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

sentence  is  spoiled.  Trying  our  fertile  expedient  of  supposing  a  more 
germinal  sense  to  be  retained,  we  have, — "  he  that  tongues,"  that  is,  "  he 
that  uses  his  tongue  ;"  and  not  necessarily  slanderousl}',  or  flatteringly, 
or  in  any  other  single  way  at  all.  There  has  been  averred  a  yodh  para- 
gogic.  We  descry  instead  a  suffix.  And  thus  equipped,  we  come  to  this 
sense  : — "  He  that  tongues  me  ;"  that  is,  "  He  that  does  me  a  mere  tongue 
service."  The  Psalm  is  Messianic.  "  He  that  tongues  me,  in  secret,  as 
his  friend,  him  will  I  cut  off:"  the  meaning  being,  that  that  light-appear- 
ing crime,  a  mere  tongue  service, — is  one  that  the  Messiah  will  fore- 
doom as  of  the  head-tide  of  all  that  is  corrupt ;  and  as  an  inception  for 
every  wickedness.  Such  precisely  is  the  repetition  here.  "Tongue  not, 
as  a  servant  his  master."  The  implication  is,  that  it  is  at  the  head  of  a 
decline.  A  family  begins  by  tonguing  God.  It  is  a  terrible  text.  It  is 
so  graphic  as  a  commencement  of  degeneracy.  A  family  falls  into 
tongue-offerings  of  prayer  and  piety.  The  Wise  Man  wishes  to  mark 
it  as  at  the  inception  of  decay.  In  one  generation  (v.  ii)  the  children 
are  loose  from  such  control.  In  two  generations  (v.  12)  they  are  loose 
from  any.  In  three  (v.  13)  they  are  utterly  proud  and  worldly.  In  four 
(v.  14)  they  are  utterly  malicious.  The  whole  gives  a  terrible  warning 
of  that  commonest  of  all  mistakes,  a  habit  of  mere  tongue  or  babbling 
devotion.  ,, 

In  another  text,  a  word  often  connected  with  barrenness  (Gen.  16:2) 
occurs  suddenly  in  its  mere  primary  sense,  and  furnishes  us  another  in- 
stance : — 

XV. — Chap,  xxx  :  16. 
16  Sheol  ;  and  the  enclosure  of  the  womb  ;  16  The  grave  ;  and  thebar- 

the  earth,  which  has  never  filled  with  water;   ""  ^n"".^'-'!?^  earth //^«/  is 

,£,.,,  .,„  ,  not  nlled  with  water ;  and  the 

and  nre,  which  has  never  said, — Enough.  fire   that   saith    not     It   is 

enough. 

Again,  in  the  same  chapter,  the  locusts  (v.  16)  require  a  primary  meaning 
in  the  verb,  and,  failing  of  it  (E.  V.),  make  no  show  as  an  emblem  : — 

XVI.— Chap,  xxx  :  27. 
27  There  is  no  king  for  the  locust,  ]    27   The  locusts   have    no 

yet  he  goes  forth  making  fair  division  of  all.  IJ^^^^^  ^^'^^^^ey  forth  all  of 

The  point  is  their  harmony.  The  verb  means  to  divide.  The  wondef 
is,  that  such  rapacious  things  divide.  They  sweep  into  a  line  like  a 
mowing  machine,  and  cut,  each  one  before  him.  They  illustrate  the  har- 
mony of  the  saints  when  they  be  such  sinners.  The  more  artificial  sense 
(E.  V.)  states  a  false  thing  in  nature,  and,  moreover,  no  true  thing  in 
grace  By  its  baldest  germ  the  verb  satisfies  the  emblem,  while  all  the 
scholars  are  wandering  off"  after  some  distant  sense. 

So  in  one  more  case  : —  ^ 

XVII. — Chap,  xxxi :  8. 

8  Open  thy  mouth  for  the  dumb  man,  1     8  Open  thy  mouth  for  the 

to  plead   the  cause  of  all   the  children  of  al'^"'"'' '" '''*^-""f^  ^'"i"  ^"'='^ 
^  ,  as  are  appointed  to  destruc- 

change.  |  tion. 

"  Open  thy  mouth  for  the  dumb  !"  This  is  a  direct  appeal  to  Christ  to 
work  as  our  Mediator.  ^  e  are  dumb.  Let  Him  speak.  But  for  whom 
is  He  to  speak?  Undoubtedly  for  all;  but,  in  a  much  more  special 
sense,  for  His  peculiar  people.  Who  ^re  His  peculiar  people?  Not, 
"  All  the  sons  of  affliction  "  (E.  V.,  margin);  nor,  all  "such  as  are  ap- 
pointed to  destruction  "  (E.  V.) ;  but,  from   this  stumbling  search,  those 


CLASS  XXX.  603 

that  would  be  uncovered  by  coming  simply  to  the  root.  The  root  means 
to  chan^-e.  The  infinitive  would  be,  a  changing  or  "  a  change.  __  Chil- 
dren "  in  such  a  connection,  would  mean,  'Children  of  a  change.  And 
"  children  of  a  change  "  is  of  all  other  Hebraisms  a  term  for  samts.  By 
simply  descending  toward  the  root  we  arrive  gmdatim  at  a  gospel  ex- 
planation. .  .  -n  1  »  xu-.. 
Our  cases  multiply,  however;  and,  to  give  variety,  we  will  let  this 
stand  for  the  miscellaneous  group,  and  class  together  words  that  occur 
more  than  once  as  unnoticed  primaries. 


GLASS  XXX. 
UNNOTICED   CASES 

OF 

fi^t:n  (TO  MISS) 

T     T 

IN   ITS 

PRIMARY   MEANING. 

The  commonest  word  for  .fm«/;;^^  means  originally,  to  w/xj  (either  a 
mark,  or  a  step  in  walking).  The  Inspired  Writers  sometimes  suddenly 
return,  and  intend  this  original  sense  ;  and  their  intention  has  passed 
unnoticed.  A  fine  instance  of  this  return,  one  or  two  scholars  have  found 
in  Prov  8-36  "  Whoso  findeth  me  "  (E.  V.)  has  been  the  expression  of 
the  previous  verse.  "  Whoso  misses  me  "  would  neatly  balance  it.  "  He 
that  sinneth  against  me"  (E.  V.)  has,  therefore,  been  condemned.  De 
Wette  and  other  scholars  have  detected  the  more  obsolete  sense,  bo  in 
Prov  ig-  2  See  Maurer.  The  thought  is  not,  "  He  that  hasteth  with 
his  foot  sinneth"  (E.  V.) ;  but.  He  that  is  hasty  with  his  foot  nnsses,  or  t7ips. 

In  other  cases  the  concealment  has  continued  :— 


I. — CuAr.  XX  :  2. 
a  The  roar  as  of  a  young  lion  is  the  terrible- 
ness  of  a  king. 
lie  that  throws  himself  upon  him,  loses  his 
life. 


2  TJie  fear  of  a  king  is  as 
the  roaring  of  a  lion  ;  ivhoso 
provoketh  him  to  anger  sin- 
eth  against  his  own  soul. 


Not  "  whoso  provoketh  him  to  anger  sinneth  against  his  own  soul 
rE  V  )  •  but  "  whoso  provokes  (or  pushes  himself  upon)  him,  misses  his 
own  soul,"  or  loses  it.     The  other  translation  is  not  only  less  express,  but 
the  English  "  against "  is  not  very  well  supplied  by  the  nature  of  the  He- 
brew. 

II.— Chap.  xiv:2i.  ...      .        j      •    .1,   t,- 

21  He  who  despises  his  neighbor,  blunders  ;       ,  „,^^hb"o:r":inne'hrbu'j   ho 

but  he  who  pities  the  poor,  blessed  is  he  1         (j,^^  i,ath  mercy  on  the  poor, 

I  happy  is  he. 

If  "  misses  "  were  a  forced  translation,  we  would  not  think  this  render- 
ing probable;  but  recollect,-" /^^m.'^  "  is  the  original  sense;  misses  was 
before  the  eye  of  the  Jew  as  the  word's  real  meaning.  Moreover,  the 
translation  sins  could  hardly  have  been  at  all   exclusive  in  Solomons 


6o4  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

time;  for,  as  translated  " sinueth"  in  the  English  Version,  it  occurs  but 
four  times  in  this  Book,  and  those  four  cases  have  all  now  been  noticed 
in  the  few  preceding  sentences  (8  :  36  ;  14:21;  19:2;  20:2).  "He  that 
despises  his  neighbor  misses;"  i.  e.,  makes  a  mistake,  or  defeats  his 
whole  aim  in  life  ;  a  meaning  in  itself  more  rich  than  the  other,  and  more 
in  accordance  with  the  second  clause  ;  which  does  not  say, — He  that  hath 
mercy  on  the  poor,  does  right ;  but  (more  the  reverse  of  i?iissing); — "He 
that  hath  mercy  on  the  poor,  /iaj)j>y  is  he." 


CLASS  XXXI. 
UNNOTICED  CASES 

Of 

^i3?    (TO   MOVE  UP) 

-     T 

IK   ITS 

PRIMARY   MEANING. 

The  better  comment,  perhaps,  would  be,  that  this  word  never  does 
mean/aj-j-  by,  with  the  directness  in  which  it  so  often  appears  in  our  Eng- 
lish Version.  It  means  to  pass  up,  or  rush  up,  as  waves,  or  as  soldiers 
storming  a  garrison.  If  a  "  way  "  is  mentioned,  it  is  not  so  much  a  pass- 
ing by  it,  quoad  a  dweller  at  its  side,  as  a  passing  over  or  through  it, 
quoad  3.  man  one  would  overtake.  Cases  that  we  quote,  will  not  only  be 
where  the  whole  primarj'  idea  has  been  overlaid  by  what  is  secondary, 
but  where  this  idea  oi  icp  to,  instead  oi  by,  will  make  a  discriminate  and 
important  difference. 


I. — Chap,  xxvi :  17. 


17  He  that  passeth  by,  and 
meddletli  with  strife  belong- 
ing not  to  him,  is  lilce  one 
that  taketh  a  dog  hy  the  ears. 


17  He  takes  a  dog  by  the  ears, 

who,  going  up,  gets  himself  roused  about  a 
quarrel  not  his  own. 

Not  "  he  that  passeth  by"  (E.  V.),  but  "he  that  passes  up;"  he  who 
sees  the  commotion  and  pushes  in.  So  in  Ps.  48  :  4.  Not, — "The  .Kings 
passed  b}'  together;"  but  "  passed  up  -"passing  by  would  have  been  no- 
thing formidable.  Isaiah  says, — "He  shall  overflow  and  go  over"  (Is. 
8:8);  not  meaning  by  this  last  \sox<}k,  passing,  hvkX  rushing  up,  as  the 
waters  of  a  "  river  strong  and  many  "  (v.  7).  This  thought  of  rushing  up 
is  often  neglected  for  some  weak  derivative. 

For  example  : — 

II. — Chap,  xxi  :  24. 
24  Proud,  haught}',  scornful  is  his  name,  I     24  Proud  and   haughty 

who  acts  with  the  headlong  gait  of  pride.        |  Xin^^oud  wrath."'''  ''^- 

"  Wrath"  is  but  a  rare  occurrence.  A  rushing  along  heedlessly  is  the 
very  essence  of  impenitency.  It  is  this  that  the  Wise  Man  marks  as 
"proud  "  and  "scornful."  A  sinner  could  not  rush  on  to  judgment,  un- 
less he  had  contempt  of  God,  and  confidence  in  self,  that  may  be  set 
down  as  proud  and  scornful. 

So  our  remaining  case  :— ^ 


CLASS  XXXII.  6ox 


III. — Chap,  xxii  :  8. 


8  He  that  sows  iniquity,  reaps  worthlessness  ;  [    8  He  that  soweth  iniquity 
and  the  rod  of  his  career  shall  fail.  j  S/hTunger'slklUaU.  '"^ 

A  bold  push  is  an  element  of  worldly  success.  The  "  tvd"  of  such' 
boldness  is  its  sceptre,  or  the  control  it  gets  over  worldl)^  affairs.  The 
^' rod  of  \one' &\  anger"  (E.  V.)  is  nearly  meaningless.  The  "?-(?(/ o/ [one's] 
career''  means,  the  sceptre  of  his  energy,  the  kingship  of  his  headlong 
zeal.  The  Proverb  means  that  success  must  be  righteous  ;  and,  how- 
ever grandly  the  impenitent  may  rush-along  his  work,  yet  its  sceptre 
must  necessarily  be  broken,  and  the  sower  of  iniquity  reap  what  shall  be 
utterly  in  vain. 


CLASS    XXXII. 
UNNOTICED   CASES 


ObS  (TO  LEVEL) 


PRIMARY   MEANING 


There  is  another  word  that  has  the  idea  of  levelness.  In  its  Kal  it 
means  to  be  level ;  in  its  derivatives,  level  and  levelness.  As  a  metaphor 
it  came  to  be  applied'  to  virtue  ;  as  ive  begin  to  speak  of  level  as  applied  to 
the  head,  and  meaning  intelligence.  It  grew  to  mean  to  be  upright  so  com- 
monly, that  it  lost,  except  to  Hebrews,  the  idea  of  being  level,  and  our  many 
versions  suffer  for  lack  of  that  balanced  emblem  which  verses  show  if  the 
original  is  retained.  For  example  :  (4  :  11),  "  I  have  directed  thee  in  the 
way  of  wisdom  ;  I  have  guided  thee  in  level  paths,"  is  more  metaphor- 
ically a  unit  than, — "  I  have  taught  thee  in  the  way  of  wisdom  ;  I  have  led 
thee  in  right  paths"  (E.  V.) ;  a  superiority  which  is  the  more  striking,  be- 
cause the  levelness  answers  in  the  next  verse  (v.  12)  to  the  idea  of  never 
stumbling.  Of  course  the  beauty  is  robbed  when  any  version  hazes  over 
all  the  edges  of  the  figure.  The  eighth  verse  of  the  eighth  chapter,  speak- 
ing of  there  being  nothing  "  twisted  or  crooked  "  in  the  words  of  wis- 
dom, makes  it  more  expressive  in  the  ninth  to  sa)', — "  They  are  all  plain 
to  him  that  can  give  a  meaning,  and  level  to  them  that  find  knowledge." 
Chap.  21,  verse  8,  quite  turns  round,  and  ruins  its  meaning  (E.  V.),  by 
not  noticing  the  primary  ideas.  "  The  way  of  man  is  froward  and  strange  ; 
but  as  for  the  pure  his  work  is  right "  (E.  V.).  Think  how  inconceivable 
the  jumble  !  The  first  clause  is  untrue.  The  second  clause  is  a  truism. 
Both  clauses  are  dead  to  any  connection,  and  blind  to  any  unitary  type. 
Go  back  simply  to  the  Hebrew  primaries.  Twisting  about  is  said  always 
to  put  a  man  further  off,  and  piety  to  cause  him  not  to  twist,  but  to  go 
on  straight  or  level.  "  A  level  walker  beats  his  path  ;"  i.  e.,  makes  it 
firm  or  hard.  It  would  seem  almost  impossible  to  bury  all  semblance 
of  this  in  the  twenty-ninth  verse.  In  other  books  of  inspiration  a  vigil- 
ant watch  -of  this  word  as  meaning  to  be  level  before  it  was  so  univers- 
ally  used  for  uprightness,  will  give  freshness  and  point  to  many  an  intima- 


6  Lest  thou  shouldest  pon- 
der the  path  of  life,  her  ways 
are  moveable,  that  thou  canst 
not  know  them. 


606  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

Aon.     To  level,  Q^tt,  however,  a  transitive  and  very  different  word,  has 
been  the  subject  of  graver  error ;  for  mistake  here,  not  only  hides  a  fig- 
ure, but  substitutes  another,  which  quite  upsets  the  text.    To  level,  53*r)> 
•has  been  thought  to  mean,  to  weigh  (Ps.  58  :  2),*  as  balances  are  levelled  in 
order  to  effect   their  use.     But  this  secondary  meaning  has  strangely 
tripped  up  the  original,  and  in  many  Scriptures  quite  destroyed  the  sense. 
How  incongruous  io  fonder  a  way  I     How  natural  to  level  owq.     And  yet 
the  bad  figure  has  stolen  the  place  of  the  good  ;  and  the  secondary,  quite 
hid  the  primary  : — 
I. — Chap,  v  :  6. 
6  Lest  she  should  lay  smooth  the  path  of  life, 
her  tracks  are  shifting.     She  does  not  get  to 
know. 

The  false  idiom  has  stolen  into  our  very  English  ;  though,  as  an  eye 
fits  itself  to  a  stereoscope,  and  gets  the  picture  straight,  even  though  the 
glass  is  crooked,  we  seize  upon  the  word  \.o ponder,  and  make  English  of 
it,  even  though  weighing  a  path  is  quite  out  of  the  reach  of  being  con- 
ceived. 

II. — Chap,  v  :  21. 
21  For  directly  in  God's  sight  are  the  ways  of  al    2/  For  the  ways  of  man  arc 

•^  before  the  eyes  of  the  Lord, 

'^^'^  '  TT     1         1       1  land  he  pondereth  all  his  go- 

and  all  his  paths  He  levels  down.  lings. 

Gesenius  straightens  a  third  case  (4  :  26).  So  does  De  Wette.  But  the 
two  cases  above,  no  one  seems  to  have  set  right.  If  this  (4  :  26),  as  given 
by  De  Wette,  means,  "  Make  level  the  path  of  thy  feet,"  how  possibly  can 
we  deny  it  to  the  other?  That  God  ponders  (5  :  21)  the  path  of  our  feet 
sounds  well,  but  is  a  very  queer  emblem.  That  he  Azv/j-  our  path  is  very 
familiar  in  case  of  the  saints  ;  but  in  case  of  the  wicked,  as  the  next  verse 
explains  it,  is  a  very  fresh  thought.  He  does  not  hedge  a  man  wlien  he 
begins  to  sin  ;  but  helps  him  in  all  those  un-moral  ways  in  which  he 
gives  him  life  and  energy  (see  29  :  13).  He  gives  taste  to  the  drunkard, 
and  rapture  to  the  debauchee  ;  talent  to  the  victim  of  ambition,  and 
sharpness  to  the  avaricious  soul  ;  and  in  all  these  ways  levels  their  path 
of  life,  and  that  often  with  special  Providences  beside,  tiiat  facilitate  their 
greedy  labors.  This  word  to  ponder,  therefore,  should  have  been  kept, 
in  these  two  cases  at  least,  to  its  original  significance. 

*  We  very  much  doubt  whether  it  ever  does.  It  occurs  but  half-a-dozen  times  in  the 
Bible.     Ps.  58  :  2  is  not  really  conclusive.     And  though  the  noun  — >«]  ft  certainly  means  a 

balance  (16  :  11),  we  doubt  whether  the  verb  ever  means,  to  weigh.    Let  the  reader  search 
svery  case : — Ps.  58  :  2  ;  78  :  so ;  Prov.  4  :  26 ;  5  :  6,  21  ;  Is.  26  :  7.     These  are  all  of  them. 


CLASS  XXXIII.  607 

CLASS  XXXIII. 
UNNOTICED   CASES 

OF 

t3)pT  (TO  DEVISE) 

IN    ITS 

•   PRIMARY    MEANING. 

Here  the  more  artificial  usage  is  more  imagined  than  real.  When 
Gesenius  says  that  to  sin  or  to  devise  in  a  bad  sense  is  the  more  frequent 
significance,  he  does  indeed  agree  with  all  the  versions,  but  not  with  the 
abounding  evidence  of  use,  as  in  previous  expressions.  There  are  one 
or  two  cases  where  bad  device  seems  to  be  implied  (Ps.  37  :  12) ;  but  it  is 
exceedingly  rare  that  the  badness  may  not  be  left  to  be  inferred,  and  the 
bare  designing,  as  the  meaning  of  the  verb,  may  not  be  sufficient  in  the 
passage. 

I. — Chap,  x  :  23.       ^ 
Z3  As  a  jest  to  a  fool  is  the  execution  of  a  Pur-Lj=3^^^'^^--,P-^;„°^-/°^^^^^^ 

pose  ;  I  derstanding  hath  wisdom. 

but  it  is  wisdom  to  a  discerning  man. 

The  text  is  a  fine  instance  of  the  headlong  cliaracter  of  these  presump- 
tions. All  scholars  have  been  deceived.  The  verb  certainly  means  origin- 
ally to  plan.  It  perhaps  may  mean  sometimes  io plan  evil  (Lev.  i8  :  17). 
With  a  proclivity  to  the  less  original  sense  these  cases  have  been  multi- 
plied, till  they  have  become  the  preferred  understanding  of  the  expres- 
sion.' Men  a're  then  prepared  to  seize  it  as  the  more  likely  use,  and  not 
to  have,  strongly  suggested,  anything  else  even  in  the  more  difficult 
texts.  Hence,  though  wisdom's  being  sport  to  a  man  is  but  a  poor  expres- 
sion for  its  being  pleasant,  this  has  been  the  thought  conceived  (see 
Maurer,  ZOckler,  etc.).  "  The  doing  of  mischief  is  as  sport  to  a  fool  ;  and 
wisdom  (is  as  sport)  to  the  discerning  man."  Displace  now  the  secon 
dary  idea,  and,  instead  of  a  bad  plan  or  mischief,  let  the  main  word  re- 
turn to  its  bare  sense  as  a  plan  or  a  purpose,  and  a  better  order  and  a 
much  better  sense  at  once  supervene  :—"  As  laughter  to  a  fool,  is  the 
carrying  out  of  a  purpose  ;  but,  wisdom  to  a  discerning  man."     That  is  ; 

Life  work  is  a  jest  to  the  impenitent,  but  all  that  is  wise,  to  a  believer. 

To  one,  life  plans  are  trifles  ;  to  the  other,  eternal  blessednesses. 

II. — Chap,  xxiv  :  8,  0. 

8  Though  he  thinks  to  do  evil,  f    8  He  that  devjseth  to  do 
men  might  call  him  a  very  master  of  devices.  eviUhaU  be  called  a  m.schiev- 

9  The  design  of  folly  is  the  Sm-Offermg  ;        .9  The  thought  of  foolish- 
and  the  abomination,  in  the  case  of  man,  is  ness  is  sin  ;  and  the  scorner 

the  scorner.  '  "  ^"  abomination  to  men. 

This  is  a  grand  unriddling.  If  it  is  right,  it  is  a  most  pregnant  case  ; 
for  it  not  only  takes  two  cases  of  this  misunderstood  word,  and  transfers 
them  from  the  wrong  side  to  the  right  (making  the  difference  of  foiir) ; 
but  it  greatly  signalizes  the  importance  of  so  domg.  Under  the  head  ot 
the  Sin-Offering  (Class  XLIII.)  we  will  say  most  in  respect  to  these  texts; 


6o8  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

but  we  will  view  them  here  under  the  light  of  these  primaries.  If  de- 
signiiii^,  in  Hebrew,  means  sinister  designing  about  as  often  as  it  does  in 
English;  and  if  also  it  has  transitive  and  intransitive  use,  subjected  to 
the  plaj'  of  the  same  liberty  to  judge, — then  there  can  be  no  doubt  about 
either  of  these  texts.  Verse  seventh  means, — "  Wisdoms  that  concern 
the  fool  are  perfect  jewels,  though  he  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate." 
Then,  further,  verse  eighth  ; — "  Planning  to  do  evil,  he  shall  be  called  a 
perfect  master  of  plans:"  meaning, — The  fool,  viz.,  an  impenitent  man, 
though  he  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate  ;  that  is,  though  he  is  incon- 
testibly  a  fool, — has  a  wisdom  concerned  about  him,  meaning  the  gospel, 
which  is  a  perfect  jewel  in  its  forth-issuing  light.  Though  he  thinks  to 
do  evil,  he  shall  be  made  the  instrument  of  splendid  benefit ;  like  Judas, 
thinking  to  do  evil,  but  made  a  perfect  master  of  devices,  because  filling 
a  part,  and  with  wicked  hands  acting  in  the  Lord's  atonement.  With  the 
primary  meaning  of  the  words  no  other  sense  can  come  out.  Now  finish 
with  the  ninth  verse, — "  The  design  or  purpose  of  foolishness  is  the  Sin- 
Offering  ;"  making  "design  "  this  time  intransitive  ;  and  we  have  a  grand 
entry  of  some  of  the  profoundest  doctrines  of  Christ,  and  in  the  midst  of 
Proverbs  where  we  have  looked  for  no  such  revelations. 


III. — Chap,  xxi  :  27. 


27  The  sacrifice  of  the  wick- 
ed z>  abomination  :  how  much 
more,  luhen  he  bringeth  it 
with^  wicked  mind  ? 


27  The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomina- 
tion ; 
because,  also,  he  brings  it  for  a  calculated 
purpose. 

"  Wickedness"  (E.  V.,  tnarg.),  if  ever  meant  by  this  word,  might  seem  to 
be  its  meaning  here  ;  and  yet,  logically,  it  cannot  be  ;  as  we  learn  when 
we  reflect  closely.  A  certain  thing  is  a  sin  ;  how  much  more  when  we 
bring  it  with  a  wicked  mind.  Now,  pray, — how  can  it  be  a  sin  at  all, 
unless  we  bring  it  with  a  wicked  mind  ?  Throw  out  that  extreme  word 
"wickedness  ;"  and  just  say  "  piiipose"  as  the  primary  sense  ;  and,  instead 
of  "  how  much  more  "  (E.  V).,  say, — "  because  also  "  (see  Class  XLI V. ), — 
and  the  whole  settles  toward  its  natural  sense.  "  The  sacrifice  of  the 
wicked  is  abomination  ;"  this,  on  general  principles,  because  he  is  wick- 
ed ;  and  because,  out  of  Christ,  nothing  is  acceptable  ;  but  then,  "  because 
also"  he  brings  it  with  a  purpose  j  that  is,  not  out  of  service  to  God,  but 
out  of  scheming  guard  for  his  own  salvation. 


CLASS  XXXIV. 
UNNOTICED  CASES 

OF 

lj^5p   (TO   BE   EXCITED) 


PRIMARY    MEANING. 

This  verb  means,  to  be  red,  in  its  absolute  sense.  Its  first  straying  off 
into  the  abstract  would  naturally  be  toward  that  which  makes  a  man  red, 
or  excitement  of  any  kind.  The  word  often  seemed  to  \m^\y  Jea/ottsy  ;  and, 
therefore,  far  too  often  was  XQndiQXGd  Jealousy,  from  this  tendency  to  a  se- 


CLASS  XXXV.  609 

condary  sense.  Most  legitimately  it  means,  to  be  excited ;  and  the  cases 
we  shall  mention  are  those  that  have  lost  sight  of  that,  and  where  we 
have  been  robbed  of  the  Scripture  by  burying  it  under  this  secondary 
signification :  — 

I. — Chap,  xxiii :  17. 

17  Let  not  thine  heart  be  aglow  in  sins,  |  .  17  Let  not  thine  heart  envy 

1      i  ■      .1       ( c  T„u„      u  „n    .Un  A„„  sinners:  but  be  thou   in   the 

but  in  the  fear  of  Jehovah  all  the  day.  L^^^  ^^^^^  Lord  all  the  day 

'long. 

In  the  first  place,  the  words,  "  Be  thou"  (in  Italics,  E.  V.),  are  not  in  the 
text.  In  the  second  place,  there  is  a  preposition  before  "  sinners."  In 
the  third  place,  "  sinners  "  answers  to  a  Hebrew  not  impossibly  translated 
"sins."  In  the  fourth  place,  the  first  clause,  English  Version,  has  no 
bold  aggressive  meaning;  and  in  the  fifth  place,  the  second  clause  has 
less.  Now,  put  "  be  excited  "  instead  of  "  envy  "  (E.  V.) ;  give  a  sense  to 
the  preposition  ;  and  put  "  sins  "  instead  of  "  sinners ;"  and  we  have  this 
very  significant  advice  : — "  Let  not  thine  heart  be  excited  in  sins;"  i.  e., 
let  not  that  warm  glow  which  is  natural  to  the  human  heart;  which  red- 
dens the  face  in  our  pursuits;  and  which  is  such  an  element  of  success 
and  power :  let  not  that  red  excitement  be  on  fire  in  sins  ;  but  in  the  fear 
of  Jehovah  all  the  day. 

II. — Chap,  xxiv  :  i. 

I  Do  not  thou  get  excited  about  evil  men  ;        I     i.  Be  not    thou   envious 

J    ,      .  .  .     u         -.u  .1 aerainst  evil  men,  neither  de- 

and  desire  not  to  be  with  them.  I  ^^^  ^^  ^e  with  them : 

We  may  be  envious  of  evil  men,  or  jealous  of  them,  or  emulous,  or  all 
three  combined.  Or  we  may  <^t' (rx«V<.'(z' about  them  in  all  possible  ways. 
What  conceivable  genius  can  direct  us  which  to  say?  The  word  says  all. 
Is  it  not  safe  to  see  the  word  as  the  Hebrews  saw  it?  "  Do  not  thou 
^ww  n'^/ about  the  wicked."  Do  not  desire  to  be  with  them.  Do  not 
excite  your  thoughts  about  their  success,  or  blazon  your  unbelief.  For, 
as  the  next  verse  expresses  it, — Their  heart  mutters  destruction.  Their 
very  thoughts  tell  where  they  are  going.  Their  very  souls  are  set  for 
ruin.  And  to  grow  excited  about  their  wealth,  is  to  deny  {he  revelation 
of  Heaven,  and  to  doubt  all  the  facts  that  are  fixed  by  the  Almighty. 

III. — Chap,  xxiv  :  19. 
IQ  Be  not  angry  against  evil  doers  ;  1     19  .Fret  not  thyself  because 

L  .  -.J      L       »    »u„       •^\,„A  .  of  evil  men.  neither  be  thou 

be  not  excited  about  the  wicked  ;  |  g^^i^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^-^^^.^^  . 


CLASS    XXXV. 
UNNOTICED   CASES 

OF 

-Iffi'j^  (TO  BE   STRAIGHT) 

T 

IN    ITS 

PRIMARY   SENSE. 

This  is  a  word  which  has  lost   its   primary  meaning  very  improperly. 
It  was  a  free  enough  translation  to  render  it,  to  £-0  straight :  but   in  the 

26* 


6io  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

English  Version  the  tendency  has  been  to  cast  off  the  idea  of  straightness 
altogether,  and  in  this  way  to  miss,  in  important  cases,  the  whole  point 
of  the  passage  : — 

I. — Chap,  ix  :  6. 
6  Forsake  the  simple  and  live  ;  i    6  Forsake  the  foolish,  and 

and  go  straight  in  the  way  of  discernment.      |  lir.S^.^.la^^g'"  '^^  ^^^^  °^ 

Why  commentators  have  not  been  more  rigid  with  the  word,  we  can- 
not understand,  '^o pack  a  Proverb  is  a  great  point.  And,  certainly,  that 
going  in  the  way  of  wisdom  is,  ipso  facto,  going  straight,  is  too  seriously 
an  intentional  thought  to  be  dropped  from  the  meaning  of  the  Spirit. 
In  the  fifteenth  verse  this  has  been  observed.  The  English  Version 
reads, — "  that  go  right ;"  and  Zockler, — "  that  go  straight  ;"  the  implica- 
tion being,  that  man,  let  alone  by  "  Folly,"  would  find  it  simplest  to  go 
straight ;  and,  therefore,  may  be  counted  on  as  having  been  aiming  to  do 
so,  when  he  was  assailed  by  her  seduction. 

This  thought  is  turned  skilfully  in  another  passage  : — 


II. — Chap,  iv  :  14,  15. 


14  Enter  not  into  the  path 
of  the  wicked,  and  go  not  in 
the  way  of  evil  me7i. 

15  Avoid  it,  pass  not  by  it, 
turn  from  it,  and  pass  away. 


14  Enter  not  by  the  path  of  the  wicked  ; 
and  do  not  attempt  straight  guidance  by  the 

way  of  evil  men. 

15  Let  that  go  ;  do  not  get  on  by  that ; 
turn  off  of  it;  and  pass  on. 

All  men  are  professing  to  go  straight.  No  man  dreams  of  walking 
crooked  purposelj' ;  not  even  a  drunkard.  So,  religiously,  we  are  warn- 
ed not  io  go  straight  in  the  waj^  of  evil  men.  That  is,  not  to  attempt  to. 
Even  in  the  Pihel,  the  translations  do  not  insist  upon  this  idea  of  straight- 
ness : — 

III. — Chap,  xxiii  :  19. 
19  Hear  for  thyself,  my  son,  and  be  wise  ;  I     19  Hear  thou,  my  son,  and 

and  direct  thine  own  heart  into  the  ^vay.         I  |'„%^'|tjay.''  ^uide thme  heart 

They  do  indeed  say,  "  guide  "  (E.  V.) ;  and  Zockler  speaks  of  "  a  right 
wa}'."  But  the  picturesqueness  of  all  versions  would  be  beautifully  in- 
creased, if  the  first  meanings  were  availed  of,  and  the  sentences  wore 
that  clean-cut  look  that  the  original  trope  would  immediately  give  them. 


CLASS   XXXVI. 
.  UNNOTICED  CASES 

OF 

n^ir^n  (SOMETHING  STABLE) 

T      • 

IN    ITS 

PRIMARY   SENSE. 

Here  the  original  seems  to  be  given  nowhere.  The  lexicographers 
state  the  primary  thought,  but  translations  have  quite  forsaken  it.  The 
result  is,  a  dazing  of  the  sense.     Interpreting  with  a  much   commoner 


CLASS  XXXVI.  6ii 

term, — "  sound  wisdom  "  (E.  V.)  for  example,  they  crowd   the  Proverbs 
with  words  like  that,  and  the}'  work  a  double  mischief; — (i)  they  weary 
the  reader  with  commoner  thoughts,  or  with  ideas  already  often  enough 
expressed  ;  and  (2)  they  impair  the  writing  by  smothering  a  sense  need- 
ful for  a  full-orbed  revelation.     These  are   unconscious   acts,  culpable,  if 
careless,  and  terribly  guilty  if  they  could  be  impeached  as  being  willul. 
They  are  wilful  thus'  far  :— We  have  not  )'et  studied  the  solemnities  of  ex- 
egesis,    lie  who  unburies  a  Scripture,  does  the  work   over  again  of  the 
writer  who  was  inspired,  in  that  he  gives  for  the  first  time  to  his  church, 
what  is  to  them  an  additional  revelation. 
I. — Chap,  ii :  7. 
7  and  he  stores  up  something  stable  for  thej    7  Helayeth  up  sound  wis- 
'  .    ,  '^  °  dom  for  the  righteous:  he  is 

upngnt,  Lj  buckler  to  them  that  walk 

a  buckler  to  them  of  sound  behavior.  I  uprightly. 

The  root  means,  to  stand.  Fuerst  makes  it,  to  be,  to  exist.  A  special 
derivative  is  "jjj-i^  which  means,  there  is.  We  find  hardly  the  first  spark  of 
a  meaning  like  "  wisdom  "  (E.  .V.),  or  "  counsel  "  {Gese/iius).  Nor  do  we 
need  it.  Sc>»u-t/ii;r^'- to  stand,  '' something  slable,"  is  what  the  soul  hun- 
gers for.  The  Proverbs  would  hardly  be  complete  without  it.  This  text 
is  like  one  that  was  revealed  to  Abraham  (Gen.  15:1),"!  am  thy  shield  ;" 
that,  here,  is  the  "  buckler"  of  the  second  clause  ;  and  then,  "  something 
stable  ;"  "  I  am  thy  shield,  and  thy  exceeding  great  reward."  No  passage, 
however,  but  supplants  all  this  in  the  English  Version  by  the  more  in- 
different idea  of  "  counsel  "  or  "  wisdom  "  : — 
II. — Chap,  iii  :  21. 

21  My  son,  sufTer  not  to  pass  from  thine  eyes,     1    21  My  son  let  themnotde- 

•'    ,         ,         .       .    ,  1  J         II  -J .„j  .        part   from   thine  eyes:    keep 

watch,  what  is  stable  and  well-considered  ,     j^^^^^  wisdom  and  discretion. 

III. — Chap,  viii  :  14. 

14  Counsel  is  mine,  and  something  stable.  I     14  Counsel  is   mine,  and 

^T  J-  .Ti  ...1  sound  Wisdom  :  1  am  under- 

I  am  discernment.     I  have  strength.  | standing;  1  have  strength. 

IV. — Chap,  xviii  :  i. 

I  The  aims  of  a  man  left  to  himself  are  at  thel     i  Through  desire  a  man 
j..^        rj-  having    separated    himsell, 

mere  dictate  of  desire  ;  seeketh    and    intermeddleth 

against  everything  stable  he  lets  himself  roll  |  with  all  wisdom, 
along. 

This  last  we  attack  more  summarily.  Every  part  of  it  must  be  made  new. 
The  supremeness  of  the  change  might  shock  the  reader,  were  it  not  for 
the  plainness  of  the  Hebrew.  "  According  to  desire  ;"  that  is,  at  the  beck 
of  mere  taste  ;  "  a  separated  man  ;"  that  is,  a  selfish  one  ;  "  pursues;"  or 
"  has  his  pursuit ;"  "  against  everything  stable,  he  pushes  himself;"  that 
is,  he  rolls  himself  along.  This  is  quite  faithful  to  the  Hebrew;  and 
quite  awakening  and  vitalizing  to  the  thought,  thus  suggested,  through 
all  the  context. 

Primary  meanings  that  are  to  be  revived,  give  place  now  to  instances 
that  are  just  the  opposite  : — 


6i2  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

CLASS   XXXVII. 
UNNOTICED   CASES 


SECONDARY   MEANING. 

The  tendency  on  the  whole  is,  to  forget  the  primary ;  but  there  are 
cases  where  everybody  has  overlooked  a  secondary  ; — 

I. — Chap,  xv  ;  7. 

7  The  lips  of  the  wise  winnow  knowledge  ;        I    7  The  lips  of  the  wise  dis- 
X,    »  .1      I,        1     f  »u        »         A   ■„ »  c„„i  perse    knowledge:    but    the 

but  the  heart  of  the  stupid  is  not  fixed.  \l^^^^  „f  ^^e  foolish  docth  not 

I  so. 

The  verb  to  scatter  or  disperse  (E.  V.)  grew  to  mean  to  luiniioiv  or  sift, 
from  the  scattering  to  which  "they  subjected  grain.  This  secondary  mean- 
ing has  been  lost  sight  of  where  it  would  have  unravelled  everything. 
"  The  lips  of  the  wise  scatter  knowledge  "  (E.  V.).  What  does  that  mean 
other  than  that  they  are  wise  lips  ?  "  The  lips  of  the  wise  ivinnow  know- 
ledge "  would  be  a  much  more  advanced  and  superior  idea.  Not  only 
does  the  heart  do  so,  but  the  very  lips.  They  have  the  habit  of  letting 
the  wheat  pass  through,  and  of  letting  the  chaff  of  folly  stay  behind,  and  be 
denied  an  utterance.  And  then  (most  striking  thought !)  the  incapacity  for 
all  this  of  the  "foolish  man"  appears  in  the  second  clause  ;  in  that  the 
heart,  aback  of  this  winnowing  power,  is  not  even  " Jixed ;"  and  there- 
fore, is  in  no  state  conceivable  to  decide  between  what  is  chaff  and  what 
is  wheat. 

This  wimioiving  idea  is  grander  still  in  another  Scripture: — 

II. — Chap,  xx  :  8. 

8  The  king  that  sits  upon  the  throne  of  iudg-f  ,8  A  king  that  sitteth  in  the 

throne  of  judgment  scattereth 
I  away  all  evil  with  his  eyes. 

winnows  all  evil  with  his  eyes. 

Maurer  and  Zockler  have  both  come  very  near  the  right  thought  ;  and 
Z<)ckler  has  quite  embraced  it,  in  chap.  20  :  26  ;  but  all  the  more  behaves 
strangely  by  failing  of  it  as  it  occurs  in  the  present  te.xt.  Zockler  trans- 
lates, "  jfart"//f.f /"  and  Maurer,  "  z'f«///(7A'j- "  (which  he  expounds  by  the 
word  secernit) ;  and  it  is  only  in  the  twenty-sixth  verse  ;  and  there,  only 
Ziickler, — that  we  are  helped  directly  to  the  sense  ol  sift  or  ■zci/i/wzo. 

The  word  ca//  will  give  us  another  case  : — 

III. — Chap,  xviii  :  6. 
6  The  lips  of  a  stupid  man  come  into  a  quar- 
rel ; 
and  it   is  his  mouth  that  gives  a  name    to 
blows. 


6  A  fool's  lips  enter  into 
contention,  and  his  mouth 
calleth  for  strokes. 


Fiom  the  idea  that  a  man  ca//s  out  a  name  when  he  bestows  it,  calling 
grew  to  mean  naming ;  just  as  it  does  among  ourselves.  Calling,  there- 
fore, was  the  primary,  and  na/ziing  the  secivulary.  Now  there  are  two  cases, 
at  least,  where  the  secondary*  is  not  thought  of,  but  yet  where  it  would 
quite  unfold  the  sense.  Men  name  that  malice  often  which  was  jeally 
not  so  intended.    Fools,  the  Wise  Man  tells  us,  are  very  apt  to  enter  into 


CLASS  XXXVII.  613 

quarrels  ;  and  it  is  their  mouth  that  gives  a  name  to  blows.  We  can 
never  be 'sure  that  blows  were  meant  as  blows,  when  fools  say  so.  They 
are  apt  to  misconstrue  injuries  ;  or  to  say  those  were  blows,  which  were 
dealt  with  quite  another  idea.  The  Proverb  is  aiming  evidently  at  our 
treatment  of  the  Almighty. 

The  other  is  a  more  perplexed  case  :— 

jy Chap  xx  ■  6 

6  Much  of  the  mere  man  one  calls  his  goo^-\J,^'lt'^^,:^'^:i1:iZ. 

ness  ;  but  a  faithful  man  who  can 

but  a  faithful  man,  who  can  find  ?  Ifind? 

We  doubt  whether  ^a// (Hebraice)  ever  me^ns  promnlge,  in  our  English 
sense.  It  certainly  does  mean  [o  name.  "  Much  that  is  merely  human 
a  man  will  call  his  goodness  "  (see  treatment  under  Class  VII.).  1  his  is 
a  grand  meaning.  "  Much  of  man  ;"  that  is,  much  of  the  mere  man,— a 
man  will  self-righteously  applaud,  and  give  the  name  to  as  of  his  real 
goodness ;  but  a  faithful  man  ;  that  is,  a  man  of  genuine  real  worth,— 
Solomon  inquires, —  who  can  find  ?  ,    .       , 

There  are  two  more  cases  ;  and  they  are  to  be  found  in  the  twenty- 
fourth  chapter  : — 

V  —Chap  xxiv  *  7 

7  The  wi;doms  attaching  to  a  fool  are  perfect  J,f  f,t'"„;:rh'^'^^t'"his 

jewels  ;  «  mouth  in  the  gate. 

though  he  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate. 

A  most  artificial  sense  of  "  high  "  (E.  V.),  and,  that,  as  a  plural  adjec- 
tive, came  io  he, '' jewels:'  The  Versionists  translate  "rW  (Job  2.8: 
18)  •  we  are  not  sure  for  what  reason.  A  man  might  speak  of  his  high 
thino-s"  and,  finally,  the  name  settle  upon  "jewels,"  as,  in  that  nomadic 
region  the  highest.  There  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  use.  In  just  one 
case  and  that  this  Proverb,  all  versions  return  to  the  primary  idea.  How 
unhappy  !  It  destroys  a  Messianic  text.  Of  all  high  things,  Christ,  as 
the  cream  of  revelation,  is,  of  course,  the  highest.  The  cross  is,  above 
all  other  things,  the  jewel  of  the  Divinest  ray.  Though  it  be  '  wisdoms 
that  concern  the  fool ;"  yet  not  on  that  account  is  it  a  whit  the  less  beau- 
tiful "  Wisdom  is  too  high  for  a  fool,"  which  is  the  form  of  the  English 
Version,  is  the  starkest  truism.  "  The  wisdoms  that  concern  a  ool  are 
jewels,"  becomes  a  grand  speech;  for  really,  the  Songs  of  Light  (Rev. 
7-12)  will  be  loaded  down  with  this  very  paradox  of  triumph. 

Sometimes  the  secondary  is  the  out-birth  of  the  form  Thellithpahel 
turns  the  simple  Kal,  to  walk,  into  the  reflexive,  to  7valk  ones  selj,  or  to 
go  sauntering  for  pleasure.    This  is  often  not  noticed  in  the  Proverbs  :— 

VI.— Chap,  xxiv :  34.  c        .    n     u  \ 

34  and  thy  poverty,  sauntering  along,  has  en-  ,,3^^,  ^o  ^shall^^thy  j-.^^^^ 
tered  ;  and   thy  want   as   an   armed 

and  thy  want,  as  a  bucklered  man.  man. 

The  two  clauses  are  not  meant  to  be  alike.  The  first  clause  makes 
ruin  come  saunteringly,  like  a  boat  playing  upon  the  rapids  ;  not  with 
the  front  of  one  bent  on  coming,  but  strolling  nearer,  as  if  for  pleasure 
The  other  intends  another  form  of  stealing  up  ;  viz.,  of  the  army  behmd 
the  hill  ;  or  the  array  not  yet  come  within  our  vision.  Both  mean  to  im- 
ply that,  doom  like,  they  will  be  here  ;  and,  though  perpetually  coming, 
they  will,  spring  at  last  as  though  in  wild  surprise. 


6i4  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

CLASS  XXXVIII. 
OVERLOOKED    FORCE 


yii)  DS5  (IF   NOT). 

As  a  form  of  oath,  "  ?y"  7iot"  was  not  originally  a  beginning.  It  re- 
quired a  preface.  "  God  do  so  to  me  (2  Sam.  19  :  13)  if  I  return  not,  etc." 
"  God  destroy  me,  if  I  give  thee  not."  In  the  haste  of  speech,  the  known 
beginning  came  to  be  left  off;  and  "if  not"  thus  erected  itself  into  a 
form  of  imprecation.  We  get  angry  at  a  man,  and  have  a  faint  blush 
of  this,  even  in  English.  We  start  from  our  seat,  and  say,  '  If  I  don't 
think  the  fellow  means  to  kill  me  !'  Or  we  go  at  him  with  a  club,  and 
sa}', — '  If  I  won't  knock  you  down  !'  Such  undoubted  Hebraism  has 
been  unnoticed  where  it  would  be  a  key  to  everything  : — 

I. — Chap,  iii  :  30. 


30  Strive  not  with  a  man 
without  cause,  if  he  have  done 
thee  no  harm. 


30  Thou   shalt  not  quarrel  with  a  man   to   no 
purpose ; 
verily,  he  has  already  done  thee  mischfef. 

With  a  plain  "  if  not"  the  sentence  is  most  insipid.  As  King  James' 
people  translate  it,  it  is  tautology.  What  is  the  difference  between  "  with- 
out cause,"  and,  "  if  he  has  done  thee  no  harm  ?"  Or  translating, — "  with- 
out purpose  ;"  which  is  the  unquestionable  sense;  it  breeds  something 
worse  than  tautologous  ;  for  it  seems  to  imp!)',  that  if  a  man  has  done  us 
harm,  we  may  go  for  him  whether  to  no  good  purpose  or  no.  The  sen- 
tence is  never  relieved,  till  the  first  clause  is  shut  in  upon  itself,  and  the 
second  clause  is  read  as  that  form  of  oath  which  betokens  a  grand  as- 
surance. "  Strive  not  with  a  man  to  no  purpose."  That  is  a  precept  by 
itself.  Whether  he  have  injured  thee  or  no,  attempt  no  law  suit,  and  ut- 
ter no  damaging  complaints,  except  for  good.  Unless  a  high  purpose 
lead  thee,  keep  away  from  strife.  Break  out  into  even  a  just  dispute,  if 
there  be  no  need  for  it,  and  rest  assured  (as  the  "■if  not"  idiomatically 
would  say)  the  man  has  a  second  time  worked  thee  most  serious  mis- 
chief. 

Again  a  harder  case  : — 
II. — Chap.  4  :  16. 
16  For  the  mere  reason  that  they  sleep  not,  rest  I     '^  For  they  sleep  not,  ex- 
assured  they  do  mischief,  icept    they    have    done    mis- 
,      ,           1     •         1                        ,                                     ,  I  chiel ;  and  their  sleep  IS  taken 
and  that   their  sleep  is   stolen,  rest  assured  away,  unless  they  cause  ji^w^ 
they  occasion  stumbling.                                I  to  fall. 

"They  sleep  not  except  they  have  done  mischief"  (E.  V.)  would 
be  the  character  of  men  desperately  evil.  But  the  Inspired  Solomon  has 
been  speaking  of  men  in  whose  way  we  might  think  we  were  going 
straight  (see  v.  14  and  Class  XXXV.)  Then  they  are  not  desperate 
characters,  but,  on  the  contrary,  are  merely  graceless.  Solomon  is  teach- 
ing that  they  must  travel  downward,  lie  says,— Their  growth  is  in  that 
direction.  "  They  feed  on  food  of  wickedness,  and  drink  wine  of  wrongs." 
They  cannot  live  without  declension.  They  cannot  act  without  depraving. 
And  so,  the  more  they  act,  that  is,  the  more  "  they  sleep  not,  rest  assured 


CLASS  XXXIX.  615 

(literally,  "if  not")  "they  do  mischief;"  and  the  more  "  theirsleep  is 
stolen,  rest  assured  (literally,  "  if  not")  they  occasion  stumbling.  1  here 
are  two  instances,  it  will  be  noticed,  in  the  same  verse.  And  these  pe- 
culiarities  of  unobserved  significance  will  answer,  not  simply  for  unrid- 
dling the  Proverbs,  but  for  several  other  darker  puzzles  to  be  found  in 
other  Scriptures. 

CLASS  XXXIX. 
OVERLOOKED  FORCE 

OF    ^    AS  A 

PREFIX  TO   NOUNS.  * 

The  general  influence  of  ^-j  is  to  indicate  J^hue  in  the  meaning  of  nouns 
From  n-i^,  to  feed,  comes  Orin5S5)2,^ /''"'■''  ^^^  ^°°^'  ^^ i^'''!'''":''"  l''''^ 
nnV  //"I/  -l-ij^T-l  a  cause  or  place  for  light;  i.  e.,  a  luminary.  From 
Zir^  to  //.  mS,  comes  ^-.^y:,,  a  //...  for  lying  in  wait;  i.  e_.,  an 
aM>.  So,  unnumbered  substantives.  Now  the  overlooking  of  this  in 
certain  puzzling  texts,  has,  to  this  very  date  in  exegesis,  hid  their  mean- 
ing.     For  example  : — 

.S^Morelhln  any  guard-post  keep  watch  over  l.;=.|  Keep  thy  W^^^^^^^^^ 
thine  heart ;  |  the  issues  of  life. 

for  out  of  it  are  the  outgoings  of  life. 

This  text  has  been  seen  to  be  important,  but  has  been  wonderfully 
dragged  about.  The  older  meaning  ^vas,-;•  Keep  thy  heart  with  all 
keeping  •"  like  "  dying  thou  shalt  die."  This  led  to  the  English  Version, 
-"Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence."  The  preposition  p,  however, 
moved  many  into  a  thought  of  a  comparative.-"  Keep  thy'  heart  more 
E  any  [other]  keeping  ;"  when  really,  the^,  as  denoting  place,  would 
have  given  the  true  hint,  and  would  have  relieved  every  question  Ihe 
verb  is  ny^tlJ,  'o  g^^rd.  The  noun  is  -,^^)3,  a  place  of  guard  or  a 
^uard-fla  'mnm.  15: 34)-  Strange,  therefore,  that  this  never  should 
£ve  den  suggested.  "Words"  had  been  spoken  of  in  the  twenty-se- 
co^^  verse  fifd  it  had  been  said  that  they  would  be  "  health  to  all  [the] 
Sesh  "  This  picture  of  life  as  reigning  in  the  body,  and  as  traceable 
through  the  blood  to  the  heart,  seems  to  point  out  '^f',^^'%'^\''lf''^: 
If  the  heart  is  kept  right,  all  other  diseases  are  warded  off.  A  grand 
way  to  keep  the  outposts  is  to  keep  the  heart.  Hence  the  e^'-^ct  figure  ; 
-^-^^Guard  fhy  heart  more  than  any  (other)  guard-post ;  for  out  of  it  are  the 
outgoings  of  life." 

26  Make  smooth  the  planting-place  of  thy  foot  ■,\f^  l°lill  'aU%hy  w^ys^be 

and  all  thy  ways  shall  be  established  firmly.  Ig^jatiished. 

Vn^5  means,  to  revolve;  X^^-y^  means,  a  wagon,  whose  wheels  ;vr..V.r y 

and  i^V>    a  place  to  revolve  ir.,  as  a  track  or  rut.     By  recollecting  tins, 

we  get  a  Seaning  for  several  passages,  among  the  rest  for  this  ;  which 


6i6  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

we  are  to  read,  not, — "  Level  (see  Class  XXXII.)  Xkxo. path  of  thy  feet  " 
but  something  more  definite.  We  are  not  to  send  our  minds  over  a 
whole  journey-way;  but  we  are  to  read  thus, — "Level  the  planting-place 
of  thy  foot  ;"  i.  e.,  each  track  or  foot-fall, — and  all  thy  way  shall  be  estab- 
lished firmly."  Each  act  guarded,  guards  beforehand  the  whole  charac- 
ter. It  is  a  plea  for  each  step  ;  and  so  the  whole  journey  will  be  gradu- 
ally assured. 

Ground  is,  perhaps,  a  better  word,  where  the  thought  becomes  more 
abstract.  We  say,  not  a  "  place  of  quarrel,"  but  a  "ground  for  quarrel." 
Hence  these  substantives  with  ^  prefixed,  mean  "  cause"  often,  instead 
of  place  : — 

in. — Chap,  vi  :  19. 

19  a  deceived  witness  whose  breath  is  lies  ;  1    19    -'^   false  witness   that 

and  he  that  puts  grounds  of  quarrel  among  r'^^^'^P'!;.  '''^^  ='"'^  ^'"l  ^^?:^ 
,         .  ^  °  ^  s>   soweth  discord  among  breth- 

brethren.  |ren. 

Stirring  a  quarrel  and  stirring  a  cause  of  quarrel  may  seem  the  one  idea. 
So  they  are  in  a  great  majority  of  cases.  The  lexicons,  therefore,  have 
not  noticed  any  difference.  These  filaments  of  language  are  dangerous 
things  to  be  cut  out,  however;  for  sometimes  they  assert  the  discrepance. 
Stirring  a  quarrel  and  stirring  the  cause  of  one  are  different  in  this, — 
that  the  cause  may  have  existed  already,  and  the  fault  of  the  man  may 
be  only  that  he  stirs  it.  This  fault  may  be  brought  home,  therefore,  when 
the  oth^r  contradicts  his  consciousness.  It  gives  finer  renderings  when 
these  delicate  edges  of  thought  are  noticed  and  preserved. 


CLASS    XL. 
OVERLOOKED   MEANINGS 


tS&5  (SOUL). 

This  particular  word  in  Hebrew  has  many  meanings.  It  means  lnvath 
(Job  41  -.21).  It  means ///<•  (i  Ki.  19:3).  It  means  ^^'^/(i  Sam.  1:15). 
It  means  appetite  (Prov.  23  :  2).  Hence  it  means  also  throat  (Is.  5  :  14). 
A  want  of  alertness  to  detect  it  in  its  change  spoils  everything  in  certain 
Scriptures  (Job  9  :  21). 

I. — Chap,  vii :  23. 
23  till  a  dart  strike  through  his  liver; 
as  a  bird  hastens  to  the  net, 
and  knows  not  that  he  is  in  its  very  throat 

"  For  his  life  "  is  a  bad  use  of  the  preposition,  and  not  a  very  good  ex- 
pression. Should  it  not  s.ay, — "  For  his  death  ?"  However,  the  reading 
is  so  superior  where  we  take  the  preposition  in  its  natural  sense  as  "in," 
and  keep  down  to  the  letter  of  the  emblem,  that  our  translation  seems  to 
stamp  itself  on  its  very  face.  The  sinner  is  the  poor  bird  that  is  liasten- 
ing  into  the  snare,  and  is  perfectly  unconscious  that,  at  the  time,  he  is 
already  in  its  very  throat. 

The  translation  oi  soul  ^s  appetite  h:\s  been  sufficiently  observed,  espe- 


23  Till  a  dart  strike  through 
his  liver  ;  as  a  bird  h.isteth  to 
the  snare,  and  knoweth  not 
that  it  is  for  his  life. 


CLASS  XLI.  617 

cially  by  modern  commentators.  The  following  are  signal  instances 
(6:30;  10:3;  13:2;  23:2).  The  last  was  detected  under  King  James. 
It  is  in  the  Feast  with  the  Ruler : — "  Put  a  knife  to  thy  throat  if  thou  be 
a  man  given  to  appetite  "  (E.  V.).  Two  cases  we  will  mention,  howevei, 
where  no  one  has  noticed  such  a  possibility ;  and  where  availing  of  it 
unriddles  the  passage  : — 

II. — Chap,  xxvii :  9. 

9  Oil  and  incense  delight  the  heart,  1    9   Ointment  and  perfume 

and  sweetness  its  friend,  from   the  dictate  ofk^--J,';%^/f  ^-.f  J4\'^| 

appetite.  I  by  hearty  counsel. 

III. — Chap,  xxviii  :  25. 
25  A  large  appetite  stirs  up  quarrel ;  25  He  that  is  of  a  proud 

but  he  that  trusts  in  Jehovah  is  made  fat.         l:^tL?pu^\' trhistust'^n 

the  Lord  shall  be  made  fat. 

Sou/,  or  h'/e,  or  Aeart  (E.  V.),  or  anything  ps)'chological,  quite  buries 
up  this  first  Proverb.  Its  meaning  has  been  quite  smothered  in.  The 
idea  meant  to  be  expressed  was,  the  appetite  for  piety.  It  was  to  resem- 
ble oil  and  incense.  This  whole  passage  represents  sweetness  as  the 
bond  of  piety.  It  was  to  tie  the  brotherhood  together  as  a  common  chain. 
As  oil  delights  the  taste,  so  will  this  sweetness  the  race  of  its  possessors. 
The  sensuous  man  and  the  pious  man  are  distinctly  similar.  A  feast  to 
the  one  is  like  faith  to  the  other,  both  dainties,  and  both  made  so  by  the 
dictates  of  appetite. 

Searching  the  books  leads  us  to  find  Umbreit  almost  with  us  in  the 
second  case  (28  :  25).  Hitzig  is  almost  as  much  so.  They  seem  to  argue 
it,  however,  from  the  attributes  oi  soul,  rather  than  by  coming  to  the  dis- 
tinct sense  of  appetite.  The  reader  will  examine  those  exegetes.  Their 
testimony  helps  us,  as  showing  how  slow  it  seems  for  these  plain  im- 
provements to  be  unearthed.  The  Scripture  is  full  of  such  ;  and  we  have 
no  doubt  that  after  our  own  work  is  done,  we  shall  have  left  the  ground 
still  burying  up  most  of  the  beautiful,  and  strangely  unnoticed,  and  per- 
fectly grammatical,  revelations.  This  last  case  needs  but  little  comment. 
The  "/ro«(/ //d'«r/"  (E.  V.)  is  changed  into  "  a  wide  appetite."  And  the 
"  wide  appetite "  is  said  to  stir  up  the  ground  of  strife  (see  Class 
XXXIX) :  the  lean  Cassius  being  antipodes  of  the  wise  man  ;  who  is 
not  perpetually  greedy ;  but  who,  with  quiet  peace,  trusts  in  Jehovah, 
and,  on  that  very  account  of  confidence,  flourishes  and  is  made  fat. 


CLASS   XLI. 
UNNOTICED  MEANING 


^5  (MOUTH). 

The  first  case  that  we  would  have  put  upon  our  list  many  moderns 
have  already  discovered.  It  is  chap.  8  :  29.  The  English  Version  reads, 
— "  When  he  gave  to  the  sea  his  decree,  that  the  waters  should  not 
pass  his  commandment."  "  His  commandment"  is  "  his  (or  its)  mouth." 
Modern  scholars  have  not  been  slow  to  make  the  change.     They  read  it, 


6i8  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

— "  that  the  waters  should  not  pass  over  its  mouth."     It  is  important  to 
quote  the  passage,  because  it  supports  other  unnoticed  instances  : — 

I.— Chap,  xvi :  26. 

26  The  laboring  soul  labors  for  it ;  1 ,  ^^  He  that  laboureth,  la- 

,       .  f  .  .  ,  .  boureth  for  himseli :   lor   his 

for  Its  mouth  imposes  it  upon  him.  1  ^aM\.\i.  craveth  it  of  him. 

The  sense  of  this  passage  is  largely  cleared  up  by  another.  We  find 
it  in  Eccles.  (6  :  7).  There  the  thought  is  brightened  by  an  expression 
immediately  before  : — "Do  not  all  goto  one  place?"  And,  therefore, 
when  the  sentence  follows, — "  All  the  labor  of  a  man  is  for  his  mouth" 
(E-  v.),  it  is  easier  to  think  of  the  meaning  " ///  mouth"  which  is  the 
clear  significance.  The  two  sentences  are  perfectly  parallel.  "  Do  not 
all  go  to  one  place  ?  All  the  labor  of  a  man  is  for  its  mouth,  yet  its  maw 
(see  Class  XL.)  is  not  filled."  In  Proverbs  the  "place"  is  not  so  distinctly 
mentioned  ;  but  "death,"  a  masculine,  occurs  just  before  (v.  25);  and, 
agreeing  with  this,  comes  the  pronominal  suffix.  "He  that  laboureth, 
laboureth  for //,"  that  is,  for  "-death;"  and  ''its  mouth,"  that  is,  death's 
mouth,  just  as  in  the  former  instance  (Eccles.),  imposeth  it,  as  a  great 
grim  appetite,  upon  him. 

II. — Chap,  xxii  :  6. 

6  Hedge  in   a  child    upon    the  mouth    of  his  I     6  Train  up  a  child  in  the 
.y„y  .  way  he  should  go  ;  and  when 

/  ■     ,  ,         ,  ,  ,  I  he  is  old,  he  will  not  depart 

even  for  the  very  reason  that  he  grows  old  |  from  it. 
he  shall  not  depart  from  it. 

This  is  a  nobler  and,  yet,  much  simpler  sentence,  ift  is  a  word  of 
many  idioms.  But  if  we  suddenly  call  it  back  to  what  is  primary,  we 
therein  have  the  superior  right.  The  sentence  is  expressive.  C'est  le 
premier  pas  qui  coute.  "  Hedge  in  a  child  upon  the  invuth  of  his  way." 
Get  him  well  in  there  ;  and  he  will  drive  comfortably  afterward.  "  Hedge 
in  a  child  upon  the  mouth  of  his  way.  Even  because  he  grows  old,  ho 
shall  not  depart  from  it." 

.    CLASS    XLII. 
UNNOTICED   MEANING 


5S5  (BEFORE). 


Instead  of  what  is  literal,  like  "  mouth  "  (22  :  6),  we  wish  to  reject  what 
is  literal,  and  to  claim,  now,  certain  unnoticed  idioms.  The  word  before, 
under  this  particular  Hebrew,  may  mean  in  the  opinion  of,  or  in  anyone's 
sii^ltt  ox  estimation.  "Other  Gods  before  me  "  (Ex.  20:3)  mean  other 
Gods  in  my  estimation.  The  Hebraism  is  copied  into  the  Greek. 
Zacliarias  and  Elizabeth  were  "  righteous  before  God  ;"  that  is, —  God 
thought  them  righteous.  Now  certain  overlooked  cases  of  this  will  clear 
up  a  multitude  of  Scriptures.     For  example  : — 

I. — Chap,  viii  :  30. 
30  And  I  became  a  builder  at  Ilis  side.  I     3°  Then  I  w.as  by  him, /u 

And  I  became  a  deep  pleasure  day  by  day-;     ""^  broiight  up  WM  him: 

,,.        .,  f»         ,  .'.'         -''      and  I   was  daily   his  delight, 

a  joy  in  His  sight  all  the  time  ;  I  rejoicing  always  before  him  ; 


CLASS  XLIII.  619 

Translate  "  before  him"  (E.  V.),  simply  "  m  His  sight"  ox  by  Vis  esfi- 
mate,  and  the  whole  passage  falls  in  place.  Wisdom  "  became  a  builder 
at  His  side  "  (8  :  30)  ;  that  is,  holiness,  in  the  highest  sense,  set  God  to 
building.  Then  it  became  a  deep  pleasure  ;  not  to  God  ;  for  nothing 
could  become,  or  come  to  be  in  Him.  But  it  became  a  deep  pleasure  ;  and 
a  deep  pleasure  in  His  sight ;  and  a  deep  pleasure  all  the  time  :  and  then 
it  tells  whom  it  became  a  deep  pleasure  to  :— (v.  31)  "  a  joy  m  the  habit- 
able part  of  His  earth  ;  and  my  deep  pleasures  were  for  the  sons  of  man. 
"  Wisdom,"  therefore,  was  not  Christ.  It  was  not  a  being  that  could  re. 
joice.  It  was  not  a  Person  disporting  Himself  "  bejore"  the  Father  ;  but 
simply  a  pleasant  thing,  in  His  opinion  ;  a  holiness  by  which  all  things 
had  been  builded  ;  and  a  quality,  which,  when  imparted  to  man,  became 
to  him,  even  in  God's  estimate,  the  very  noblest  pleasure.  We  adduce 
no  other  case  from  Solomon  ;  but  this  will  be  a  fruitful  source  of  light, 
when  we  trace  it  through  other  revelations. 


CLASS  XLIII. 
OVERLOOKED    SENSE 

OF  THE 

WORD  ni^itsn  (SIN-OFFERING). 

T      - 

We  come  now  to,  perhaps,  the  most  important  instance  of  unnoticed  sig- 
nification. The  wonder  is,  that  it  should  have  been  so  long  unnoticed. 
The  sense  of  "  sin  "  as  "  Sin  Offering  "  was  familiar  to  the  Jews  and  was 
read  in  the  synagogue  as  a  familiar  interpretation.  It  is,  perhaps  not 
generally  known  that  this  very  word  is  translated  "  sin-offenng  (h  V.)  all 
through  Leviticus.  The  prevailing  thought,  therefore,  that  bin-Ottering 
is  a  sort  of  forced  translation  is  the  very  opposite  of  wise  ;  inasmuch  as 
the  translation  "  sin,"  is  the  rare  one  in  all  the  Pentateuch  And  though 
the  English  Version  never  translates,  "  Sin-Offering,  in  all  the  Proverbs  ; 
and  though  no  translator  ever  does;  yet,  why  not?  The  usage  other 
wheres  makes  no  such  meaning  improbable.  And,  if  the  passages,  under 
the  rendering  "  sin,"  are  hazy  and  obscure,  why  not  experiment  upon  the 
other  sense?  and  why  not  boldly  introduce  it  in  nearly  all  the  occasions 
of  the  Hebrew?  There  are  but  seven  ;  and  five  of  them  are  ab  ictu  un- 
earthed by  the  change  : — 

I. — Chap,  xiii  :  6.  ,1, 

6  Righteousness  keeps  guard  over  him  that  is  ^^^^  ^il^'^ruprilht'fn'^he 
of  integrity  in  his  way  : 
but  wickedness  subverts  the  Sin-Oflfering. 


way :    but  wickedness    over- 
throweth  the  sinner. 


Translated  "  sin,"  the  prominent  word  in  this  verse  throws  everything 
into  common-place.  "  Wickedness  overtliroweth  the  sinner.  What  right 
have  we  to  palm  anything  so  vapid  upon  the  Inspired  Man?  liesidcs, 
sin  is  not  ''sinner"  (E  V.);  and  the  comment  that  makes  it  so  though 
not  impossible,  is  more  forced  than  many  a  bolder  treatment  ol  the  pass- 
age. Translate  it  '' Sin-Off'ering,"  and  it  gives  edge  to  all  the  rest. 
Righteousness,  then,  becomes  legal.  This  legal  righteousness  guards 
the  man  upright  in  his  way.  But  the  opposite  of  this  uprightness  just 
reverses  the  Result.     While    redemption  guards    the    upright   man,   the 


620  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

wicked  man  subverts  and  repels  redcmplion.  There  is  a  tendency  tc 
think  that  Solomon  had  no  such  light-  But  why  not?  If  we  quench  it 
where  it  appears,  of  course  we  may  be  left  to  think  so.  Did  not  Balaam 
show  light?  Or  at  any  rate  did  he  not  utter  truth?  Which,  though  in 
his  heart  it  might  be  an  empty  formular}',  was  yet  a  beacon-torch,  lighted 
in  that  early  period  of  time. 

II. — Chap,  xiv  :  34. 

34   Righteousness  lifts  up  a  people  ;  1      34    Righteousness   exalteth 

and  the  mercy  for  nations  is  the  Sin-Offerinsy.h  "'"'°"-  '''^"'""^'^P''"'"^^ 

■'  a   I  to  any  people. 

We  are  quite  bold  to  proceed  upon  the  supposition  that  such  a  text  as 
the  second  clause  (E.  V.)  is  an  impossibility.  We  would  not  arrogate 
rights  to  judge.  We  would  not  set  people  to  smoking  out  common- 
place. But  we  do  aver,  that  there  has  been  an  idolatry  of  sounds,  which 
would  respect  a  sentence  as  having  sense,  when  it  woiald  not  be  tolerat- 
ed in  human  writings.  In  other  words,  there  has  been  a  lack  of  vigor- 
ous faith  that  a  Proverb,  from  lips  like  these,  should  be  remorselessly 
searched,  before  we  rest  satisfied  with  anything  but  the  richest  meaning. 
"Righteousness  exalteth  a  nation  "  (E,  V.)  is  a  true  but  very  common 
thought.  Redemption  lifts  a  whole  nation  up,  is  a  very  precious  one. 
"  Sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people  "  (E.  V.)  is  not  worth  saying.  More- 
over "  reproach  "  is  a  very  rare,  or,  as  we  prevailingly  believe.raistaken 
use  of  the  word  it  answers  to.  U  hile  on  the  other  hand,—"  The  mercy 
for  nations  is  the  Sin-OfTering,"  not  only  restores  that  word,  but  gives  a 
sense,  the  great  fault  of  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is  that  it  is  too  intelli- 
gent ! 

III. — Chap,  xxi  :  4. 

4  Elation  of  eyes  and  dilation  of  heart,  I     4  An  high  look,  and  a  proud 

the  very  light  of  the  wicked,  is  the  Sin-Offer- r|^j^'g'/^/^^^P'°'''"S  of  the 
ing. 

The  last  clause  of  the  English  Version  is  true  and  striking;  but  how 
odd  to  unite  it  with  "  a  high  look  and  a  proud  heart"!  The  striking 
averment  is,  that  so  innocent  an  act  should  be  wicked.  Make  "  sin  " 
mean  "  Sin-OfTering  :"  make  "  ploughing"  mean  "  light,"  which  it  more  of- 
ten does  :  make  the  earlier  expressions,  which  are  not  staple  ones,  expres- 
sions for  high  elation,  rather  than  for  pride  ;  and  we  have  a  splendid 
gospel  !  Why  should  not  we  expect  it  in  a  son  like  Solomon  (2  Sam. 
12  :  24)? — "  Elation  of  eyes  and  dilation  of  heart ;  the  very  light  of  the 
wicked, — is  the  Sin-Offering." 

IV. — Chap,  xxiv  :  9. 
9  The  design  of  folly  is  the  Sin-OfTering  ;  I    9  The  thought  of  foolish- 

and  the  abomination,  in  the  case  of  man.  is  °"^'V'"'  ^""^  ''^'^  scorner 
.,  '       Uf  an  abomination  to  men. 

the  scorner. 

The  English  Version,  if  wrong,  is  of  course  of  chance.  If  it  make 
sense,  it  is  accidental.  In  other  words,  the  Versionists,  failing  of  what 
was  meant,  warp  into  it  some  imagined  signification.  Now  this  could 
hardly  but  appear,  if  not  in  each  clause,  yet  in  the  two.  If  the  clauses 
have  a  racy  sense,  then  the  accident  would  be  almost  miraculous,  that 
made  them  both  racy  and  both  logical.  This  happy  miracle  has  certain- 
ly not  befallen.  "  'J"he  thought  of  foolishness  is  siii  "  (E.  V.).  That  is  a 
good  accident.  But—"  the  scorner  is  an  abomination  to  men  ;"  that  is  a 
most  hapless  match  to  it.  Men  prejudice  their  piety  when  they  treat 
reverently  such  a  jumble  (see  24:23,  24).     But  "sin"  in  the  sense  of 


CLASS  XLIV.  621 

"  Sin-Offering"  flashes  light  at  once;  and  lifts  the  passage  into  the  very 
Towers  of  Meaning.  "The  wisdoms  in  respect  to  a  fool  are  jewels; 
though  he  open  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate  (see  Class  LV.).  He  that  de- 
vises to  do  evil  shall  be  called  the  very  master  of  devisings.  The  de- 
sign of  foolishness  is  the  Sin-Offering,  and  the  scorner  (only;  that  is,  the 
man  who  scoffs  this  redemption  away)  is  the  abomination  in  the  instance 
of  man."  This  is  a  grand  connection  ;  and  redeems  into  one  a  Babel  of 
discordant  sentences. 

V. — Chap,  x  :  16. 
16  The  labor  of  a  righteous  man  serves  as  life  ;  I     16  The  laW  of  the  right- 

e  ■    ,      1  •     „a-  ,• eous /f«i«<'</2  to  life  :  the  fruit 

the  gams  of  a  wicked  man  as  a  sm-otlenng.    |  of  the  wicked  to  sin. 

Here  the  sin  offering  is  not  Christ's,  but  ours.  Each  man  must  bring 
a  sin-offering.  If  he  bring  not  Christ's,  then  there  is  forced  from  him 
his  own.  All  Hell  is  an  offering  for  sin  All  Hell  does  not  exhaust  it. 
All  vengeance  is  expiatory,  and  docs  actually  satisfy  justice.  But  it  be- 
gins, and  never  finishes.  The  whole  of  the  lost  man  is  involved,  and 
from  the  cradle  on  is  drunk  up  as  an  award  of  judgment.  He  sins  more, 
and,  therefore,  never  gets  paid  out.  The  labor  of  the  righteous  accumu- 
lates life  ;  but  the  fruit  of  the  wicked, ten  million  of  years, can  be  nothing 
but  a  sin-offering.  This  is  an  apt  text,  and  bears  upon  that  recent  belief 
that  would  limit  eternal  punishment. 


CLASS   XLIV. 
UNNOTICED  MEANING 


^3  q;^  (BECAUSE  ALSO). 
For  some  cause  or  other,  these  words,  which  mean,  separatelj',  a/so,  and 


judgment  the  key  to  many  unnoticed  significations  : — 

I. — Chap,  xi :  31. 
31  Behold,  the  man  righteous  on  earth  shall  be    .3!.  Behold,  the   righteous 


recompensed  ; 
because  also  the  wicked  and  the  sinner. 


shall  be  recompensed  in  the 
earth  ;  much  more  the  wick- 
ed and  the  sinner. 


There  might  seem  to  be  no  meaning  in  the  expression,— The  righteous 
will  he  rewarded,"  h'cause  cr/so"  the  wicked.  But  the  righteous,  it  will 
be  remembered,  are  worthy  of  no  reward,  in  themselves.  The  wicked  are 
rewarded  from  strict  justice.  They  actually  sin,  and  are  actually  pun- 
ished. But  the  righteous  are  not  rewarded  from  personal  justice.  They 
do  not  actually  obey  ;  and  their  best  righteousnesses  are  but  as  filthy 
rags.  Still,  there  is  a  budding  effort  that  the  Bible  is  pleased  to  call 
righteousness.  It  is  not  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  but  means  here 
one's  own  righteousness.  It  is  a  righteousness  "  on  eartli."  It  is  a 
righteousness,  imperfect,  and,  therefore,  not  strictly  speaking  righteous- 
ness.    And  yet  it  is  a  righteousness  that  is  to  be  rewarded.     After  we 


622  ORIGINAL   EXPOSITIONS. 

are  saved  by  Christ,  our  own  righteousness  must  grade  the  size  of  our 
account  in  heaven  ;  not  as  a  price,  but  as  a  grade  ;  not  as  the  acquiring 
ground,  but  as  the  acquired  measure  ;  and  this  recompense  the  Scrip- 
tures speak  of  as  a  reward  (Rev.  ii:i8);  and,  in  this  particular  text, 
speaic  of  it  as  having  kindred  reasons  with  the  reward  of  the  wicked. 
"  He  that  soweth  sparingly,  shall  reap  also  sparingly."  We  are  to  re- 
ceive, every  one,  things  through  the  body,  according  to  what  we  have 
done,  whether  it  be  good  or  evil.  This  text,  therefore,  is  thoroughly  in- 
tended. "  Behold  the  righteous  man  in  the  earth  shall  be  recompensed, 
because  also  (that  is,  because  of  many  kindred  effects)  there  are  rewarded 
(more  judicially,  of  course)  the  wicked  and  the  sinner." 

II. — Chap,  xv  :  ii. 
II  Sheol  and  Destruction  are  before  Jehovah,     1     n  Hell  and  destruction  rt?-^ 

because  also   the  hearts  of  the  children  of  T^^^^Vv!"^  ^Z^\'  ^°^  "J"?*^ 

more  then  the  hearts  of  the 
f^^ri-  I  children  of  men  ? 

Hell  and  destruction  are  before  Jehovah  ;  i.  e.,  in  the  exact  gauge  of 
their  penalty  and  terror  ;  "  because  also"  what?  why,  those  human  hearts 
that  are  exactly  to  grade  penalty  and  terror  (see  Commentary,  in  hep). 
III. — Chap,  xvii  :  7. 
7  Excellent   speech   is   not    agreeable   to   the  [    7  Excellent  speech  becom- 

Ij^Sg  eth  not  a  fool  ;  much  less  do 

/•       .1       '  1        »i_    ^  1    ■  1     .      lying  lips  a  prince. 

for  the  same  reason  also  that  lying  speech  is| 
not  to  the  noble. 

"  Excellbnt  speech  becometh  "  (E.  V.)  anybod}%  fool  or  noble  :  but  it  is 
not  agreeable  to  everybody.  Holiness  is  disagreeable  to  sin,  for  the  same 
reason  that  sin  is,  to  holiness.  "  Muck  less  "  has  led  all  versionists  astraj'. 
We  plead  the  merit  of  the  simple  Hebrew. 

IV. — Chap,  xxi  :  27. 
27  The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomina- 
tion ; 
because,  also,  he  brings  it  for  a  calculated 
purpose. 

"Because  also"  dispenses  with  "when"  (E.  V.),  which  is  Italic,  and 
marks  an  additional  reason  for  the  rejection  of  the  hypocrite. 

V. — Chap,  xix  :  10. 

10  Delight  is  not  suited  to  a  stupid  man  ;  I     10  Delight  is  not  seemly  for 

for  the  same  reason  also  that  it  is  not  to  ah  f""':  ™"'^h  less  for  a  ser- 

,   .  1  .  vant  to  nave  rule  over  princes. 

servant  to  rule  princes.  pmn-cs. 

We  anticipate  other  disclosures  of  sense  by  rejecting  "much  viore"  in 
other  of  the  obscurer  Scriptures  (i  Ki.  8  :  27  ;  2  Chr.  32  :  15). 


CLASS  XLV. 
OVERLOOKED    SENSE 

OF 

^3  (BECAUSE). 
Because  is  the  usual  meaning  of  the  word  •'^^   It  seems  to  be  the  natu- 


27  The  sacrifice  of  the  wick- 
ed /j  abomination  :  how  much 
more,  when  he  bringeth  it 
with  a  wicked  mind  ? 


CLASS  XLV. 


(>2^ 


ral  meaning  of  it.  If  seems  to  be  a  more  frequent  meaning  ol  it  than  ex- 
positors, as  a  class,  have  been  willing  to  suppose.  To  this  fact,  as  un 
noticed,  we  attribute  some  of  the  oversights  that  have  occurred  in  ex- 
position.    The  least  distinctive  instances  we  will  quote  in  a  body:  — 

I. — Chap,  ii  :  lo. 
ID  Because  wisdom  enters  thy  heart, 
and  knowledge  is  pleasant  to  thy  soul. 


lo  When  wisdom  entereth 
into  thine  heart,  and  know- 
ledge is  pleasant  unto  thy 
soul. 


II. — Chap,  iii  :  25. 
25  Be  not  afraid  of  sudden  fear, 

nor  ol  the  destruction  of  the  wicked,  because 
it  is  actually  coming  in. 

III.— Chap,  iv  :  8. 
8  Exalt  her,  and  she  shall  promote  thee. 

She  shall  load  thee  with  honor  because  thou 
dost  embrace  her. 


25  Ce  not  afraid  of  sudden 
fear,  neither  of  the  desolation 
of  the  wicked,  when  it  com 
eth. 


8  Exalt  her,  and  she  shall 
promote  thee;  she  shall  bring 
thee  to  honour,  when  thoii 
dost  embrace  her. 


IV.— Chap,  xix  :  18. 
18  Discipline    thy   son   because    there    is   now 
hope  ; 
but  to  kill  him  lift  not  up  thy  soul. 

V. — Chap,  xxii  :  18. 
18  Because    it    is    pleasant    because   thou   dost 
watch  over  them  within  thj'self ; 
therefore  the}'  shall  get  fixed  together  upon 
thy  lips. 

VI. — Chap,  xxiii  :  9. 

9  In  the  ears  of  a  fool  thou  shalt  not  speak  ;  . 

if  there  be  the  reason   that  he  despise  the  |  J^^jj^^^^^/^^f/j^'^/jf  P'"* '^^ 
wisdom  of  thy  words. 


18  Chasten  thy  son  while 
there  is  hope,  and  let  not  thy 
soul  spare  for  his  crying. 


18  For  it  is  a  pleasant  thing 
if  thou  keep  them  within  thee; 
they  shall  withal  be  fitted  in 
thy  lips. 


9  Speak  not  in  the  ears  of  a 


There  are  cases  where  the  distinction  is  vital : — 


VII.— Chap,  ii  :  18,  19. 

18  Because  she  has  sunk  down  to  death  as  to 

her  house, 
and  to  the  shades  as  to  her  paths, 

19  none  that  go  in  to  her  return  again, 
or  overtake  the  paths  of  life  ; 


18  For  her  house  inclineth 
unto  death,  and  her  paths 
unto  the  dead. 

19  None  that  go  unto  her 
return  again,  neither  take 
they  hold  of  the  paths  of  life. 


Not, — "She  forsaketh  the  guide  of  her  youth  ;  for  her  house  inclin- 
eth unto  death"  (E.  V.):  for,  pause  a  moment,  and  you  will  see  no 
sequence.  But  (forward,  instead  of  backward), — "  Because  she  has  sunk 
down  to  death  as  to  her  house,  none  that  go  in  to  her  shall  return,  etc." 


13  Withhold  not  correction 
from  the  child  :  for  i/  thou 
beatest  him  with  the  rod,  he 
shall  not  die. 


VIII. — Chap,  xxiii  :  13. 
13  Withhold  not  from  a  child  correction. 

That  thou  beatest   him  with  a  rod  shall  be 
the  reason  that  he  shall  not  die. 

Not,—"  If  thou  beatest  him  with  the  rod,  he  shall  not  die  "  (E.  V.). 
That  would  be  a  poor  pay  for  discipline.  But  "because"  thou  beatest 
him;  that  is,  because  thou  bringest  him  under  salutary  discipline,— he 
shall  not  die  spiritually.     That  is ;— Children,  faithfully  raised,  shall  at- 


624  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

tain  to  everlasting  life.     Oddly  enough,  Maurer  and  Umbreit  conceived 
of  this  meaning,  and  were  led  to  reject  it. 

IX. — Chap,  xxiii  :  22. 

22  Listen  to  thy  father,  as  the   one   that  begat  I    22  Hearken  unto  thy  fath- 
•  Ugg  .  er  that  begat  thee,  and  ders- 

,  c       \  1  1.111  pise  not  thy  mother  when  she 

and  for  the  very  reason  that  she  is  old,  des-iisold. 

pise  not  thy  mother. 

A  peculiar  pronoun  in  the  first  clause,  and  the  word  "because"  in  the 
last,  give  the  relation  of  the  parent,  and  the  mother  being  old,  as  the  ac- 
tual reasons  for  the  reverence.  Why  has  not  this  been  thought  of?  The 
most  noticeable  fact  among  the  exegetes  is,  that  a  usage,  seems  to 
grow  over  a  word,  like  a  crust,  which  cannot  be  broken  even  to  try  an 
earlier,  and  more  simple,  meaning.  It  would  require  studj^ ;  but  cer- 
tainly it  would  be  worth  finding  out, — whether  the  varieties  of  sense  are 
not  too  great  in  our  Hebrew  lexicons.  Will  not  a  higher  scholarship, 
like  a  truss,  hold  up  the  viscera  of  sense,  and  make  more  compact  the 
speech  of  revelation  ? 


CLASS   XLVI. 
OVERLOOKED   SENSE 


tSn  (TO   NO  PURPOSE). 

T      * 

This  word  occurs  twent)'-nine  times  in  the  Bible.  We  are  not  sure  it 
ever  means  "for  710  cause"  (E.  V.).  It  means  gratuitously,  sometimes; 
i.  e.,  of  g)-ace,  as  its  derivation  indicates  ;  but  it  means  usually  that  form 
of  gratuitousness  which  consists  in  a  thing's  being"  to  no  purpose."  It  oc- 
curs six  times  in  Proverbs.  Only  once  it  is  translated  "  in  vain  "  (i  :  17, 
E.  V.)  which  is  equivalent  to  this  last  meaning  of  "  to  >io  purpose."  Once, 
it  is  translated  "  unthout  cause"  when  the  meaning  comes  near  to  justify 
it  : — "  Who  hath  wounds  'withoui  came ?"  (23  :  29) ;  and  even  here,  gratui- 
tous or  useless  wounds  ;  that  is,  in  a  certain  sense,  wounds  "  to  no  pur- 
pose"—  might  possibly  be  imagined  as  sufficiently  explaining  the  passage. 
Once,  it  is  translated  "  mit/iout  cause"  (i  :  11,  E.  V.)  where  Maurer  cor- 
rects it,  and  with  abundant  reason  renders  it,  "  to  no  purpose."  Three 
other  cases  remain  ;  and  here  all  commentators  agree  with  the  English 
Version  ;  and  all  comments,  on  this  account,  perplex  and  obscure  the 
meaning  : — 

I. — Chap,  iii  :  30. 

30  Thou  shalt  not  quarrel  with  a  man   to  noi     3°  Strive  not  with  a  man 

Duroose  •  withoutcause,  ifhehave  done 

•  1       1       1    '       1  11             1                   .      1  .    .-       thee  no  harm. 

venly,  he  has  already  done  thee  a  mischief. 

"  IVitliout  cause  "  (E.  V.)  destroys  the  sense.  Striving,  for  ever  so  good 
a  cause,  may  be  wicked.  We  are  to  have  a  "purpose"  {or  striving.,  A 
man  is  never  to  quarrel  till  he  can  do  it  usefully. 

So  exactly  the  next  case  ; — 


CLASS  XLVII.  625 

11. — Chap,  xxiv  :  28. 

28  Be  not  a  witness  to  no  purpose  against  thyl  ^28  Be  not  a  witness  against 

.    ,  ,  '^                                                thy  neighbor  without  cause; 

neigriDOr,  |  ^mj  deceive  not  with  thy  lips. 

and,  mayhap,  deceive  with  thy  lips. 

"  To  no  purpose"  gives  a  perfect  meaning  ;  "  without  cause"  a  false  one. 
We  have  no  right  to  blacken  a  neighbor  for  ever  so  good  a  "cause."  The 
thing  needed  is  a  "/«r/i7j-^."  To  tell  the  truth,  if  it  be  bitter  truth,  and 
we  have  no  \vholesome  design,  is  wicked  scandal  ;  and,  therefore,  the 
Proverb  is  a  very  noble  one,  if  we  take  the  rendering  which  beyond  a 
doubt  suits  best  in  nearly  every  Scripture. 


III. — Chap,  xxvi  :  2. 


2  As  the  bird  by  wander- 
ing, as  the  swallow  by  flying  ; 
so  the  curse  causeless  shall 
not  come. 


2  Like  a  bird,  as  to  roaming,  like  a  swallow  as 
to  flight, 
so  a  curse  to  no  purpose  does  not  come. 

A  curse  without  cause  (E.  V.)  Maurer  expounds  as  an  tiiuiierited  curse 
{"  exsecratio  immerita  ").  It  is  not  so  profound  a  meaning  ;  nor  indeed  is 
it  always  true  ;  for  curses  do  come  unmerited,  as  on  brutes  for  example, 
and  on  idiots.  There  are,  then,  internal  evidences  that  this  is  not  the 
sense.  But  a  curse  ''to  no  purpose"  would  disgrace  the  Deity.  "He 
doth  not  afflict  willingly."  The  skim  of  a  swallow  means  something  in 
the  mind  of  the  bird  ;  and  so  the  slenderest  grief  is  not  sent  needlessly 
by  the  Almighty. 

CLASS  XLVII. 
OVERLOOKED    SENSE 


EXPRESSION,  HAND  TO   HAND. 

This  expression  occurs  but  twice  in  the  Bible,  and  both  times  in  this 
book  of  Proverbs.  We  are  left  to  the  mere  vocables  and  their  connec- 
tion to  divine  the  meaning. 


I. — Chap,  xi  :  21. 
21  When  hand  to  hand  the  wicked  shall  not  go  .  21.  Tho2ig:h^  hand  Joi,i  m. 
unpunished  : 
but  the  seed  of  the  righteous  shall  be  let  off. 


hand,  the  wicked  shall  not  be 
unpunished  :  but  the  seed  of 
the  righteous  shall  be  deliv- 
ered. 


^Laurer  translates,  "  from  hand  to  hand  ;"  i.  e.,  through  all  generations. 
Zockler  translates,  "assuredly,"  as  though  it  were  a  plighted  thing, 
hand  grasping  hand:  our  English  Version,  "Though  hand  join  in 
hand."  Never  one  of  them  remembers  that  we  have  the  idiom  in  the 
West.  How  remarkable  it  is,  that  these  texts  should  be  discussed, 
and  great  difficulties  and  differences  be  manifested,  and  our  own  idiom 
never  be  thought  of  as  the  very  best  solution.  Let  us  add  the  other 
passage  : — 


II. — Chap,  xvi  :  5. 
5  Every  one  that  is  proud  of  heart  is  an  abom- 
ination to  Jehovah. 
6  When  hand  to  hand,  he  shall  not  go  un- 
punished. 
27 


5  Every  one  that  is  proud 
in  heart  is  an  abomination  to 
the  Lord:  though  \v3.r\AJoin 
in  hand,  he  shall  not  be  im- 
punished. 


626  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

Both  answer  perfectly  to  what  we  say  in  English.  At  present,  God  is 
fighting  shyly,  never  grappling  with  iniquity  ;  but  the  figlit  will  change. 
The  parties  will  be  confronted  finall}' ;  and,  "  hand  to  hand,"  the  wicked 
shall  not  go  unpunished. 


CLASS    XLVIII. 
OVERLOOKED    FORCE 

OF  THE 

WORD,  JUDGMENT. 

It  is  rare  that  this  word  fits  into  easy  English  ;  and  it  is  rare  that  we 
prosper  when  we  attempt  to  change  it.  It  means  a  verdict,  or,  let  us  say 
more  widelj',  one's  legal  dues.  Texts  alwaj'S  suffer  where  we  forget  this 
fact  : — 

I. — Chap,  xii  :  5. 
5  The  plans  of  the  righteous  are  a  judgment :    1  .5   The   thouRlits  of   the 
the  helmsmanships  of  the  wicked  are  a  de-  ^^t^XoTX^w^'e'^  ::'^. 
ceit.  [deceit. 

"We  count  the  first  clause  (E.  V.)  as  a  sort  of  fetich  of  Scripture  ;  a 
translation  for  translation's  sake  ;  an  honoring  of  the  word  in  that  most 
dishonoring  of  waj's,  the  honoring  of  a  pointless  exhibition.  Who 
knows  any  value  of  the  Proverb, — "The  thoughts  of  the  righteous  are 
right  (E.  V.)?"  But  now,  make  the  whole  stricter.  Make  the  "  thoughts" 
(E.  V.)  what  they  really  are  (Hebraice),  schemes  or  plans.  Conceive  the 
"  righteous  "  as  the  gospel  righteous  ;  that  is,  as,  properly  considered, 
the  redeemed.  Translate,  "  right,"  just  as  the  word  stands, — "  a  judg- 
?nc)!t ;"  and  we  have  a  grand  and  sustaining  contemplation.  The  schemes 
of  the  righteous  are  not  ventures  ;  neither  are  they  accidents.  They  are 
not  designs  to  work  other  independent  purposes  of  Heaven.  They  are 
engendered  for  the  conceiver's  good.  If  they  fail,  thej'  will  fail  usetullj'. 
If  they  blight,  it  will  be  for  good.  There  is  a  '■'judgment"  for  the  right- 
eous ;  and  in  its  round  and  perfect  blessedness  all  his  schemes  are  in- 
cluded, so  as  to  minister  to  his  good.  The  counsels  of  the  wicked  are 
the  reverse.  They  may  succeed,  but  never  prosper.  Tluy  may  enrich, 
but  will  be  certain  to  impoverish.  They  maj'  be  realized,  but  are  sure  to 
deceive.  This  is  the  teaching  of  the  sentence.  The  schemes  of  the 
righteous  are  his  " Jiidgnieiit,"  that  is,  a  part  of  it ;  are  to  be  woven  in  as 
blessings,  taking  part  under  his  splendid  reckoning.  The  expertnesses 
of  the  wicked  are  deceits.  'Ihey  may  lift  him  ever  so  high.  They  will 
cast  him  inconceivably  lower  for  all  that  the)'  may  achieve. 

Precisely  in  point  is  the  teaching  of  the  ne.xt  case  : — 

II. — Chap,  xiii  :  23. 


23  Much  to  eat  is  the  light  of  the  poor; 

but  there  is  that  is  swept  away  as  not  judg- 
ment. 


23  Much  food  is  in  the  til- 
lage of  the  poor  :  but  there  is 
t/tat  is  destroyed  for  want  of 
judgment. 


"  Plenty  to  eat,"  may  answer  to  all  that  is  earthly.  "  Plenty  to  cat,  is 
the  light  of  the  poor."  The  poor,  as  is  here  meant,  are  the  lost.  If  there 
be  light  for  the  lost,  it  is  on  earth  ;  it  is  in  creature  good  ;  and  in  forms 


CLASS  XL  VIII,  621 


Who  dreams  that 
to  eat"   is   a   mere 


so  perishable  as  to  be  justly  called,  "  much  to  eat." 
it  will  keep  him  from  destruction?  But  if  "much 
"lamp,"  and  is  a  provision  that  it  is  mad  to  trust  to,  the  great  truth  re- 
mains, that  our  real  property  is  above  ;  our  interests  are  in  court;  our 
all  depends  upon  a  verdict ;  wealth,  to  be  wealth  at  all,  must  come  as 
part  of  it ;  and  coming  otherwise,  it  will  certainly  be  a  curse  ;  for,  as  our 
text  expresses  it,—"  there  is  that  is  destroyed  as  not  a  juJgmenl." 
So  the  next : — 

III.— Chap,  xvi  :  8. 
8  Better  is  a  little  by  means  of  righteousness.  ,8^ Betjer^^^^a^^^^^^^ 
■       than  great  revenues  by  that  which  is  not  a  |  ^^^^3  ^ij^out  right, 
judgment. 

Better  is  a  little  that  comes  to  us  by  righteousness :  that  is,  better  is 
the  slenderest  earthly  provision  that  comes  to  us  as  ours,  meaning,  as 
part  of  our  covenant  right,  than  great  revenues,  not  adjudged.  ^  essnt- 
ti(V  (see  Class  XXVI.)  would  set  these  terms  still  nearer.  There  may  be 
room  to  doubt  whether  this  be  not  the  real  purpose  of  the  words  select- 
ed. But  as,  or  hv  means  of,  either,  would  imply  this  :-;-that  a  little  le- 
gally ours,  is  better  than  loads  of  wealth  when  not  "  a  jiidgiiient." 

These  terms  are  somewhat  awkward,  but  grate  only  in  the  expression. 
The  lot  is  said  to  \\2i\e  a  jtidsrnient.  Maurer  detects  this.  See  16  :  33, 
Not  the  whole  disposiinr  of  it  (E.  V.),  but  its  '' 7v/io/e  jiidgmenf."  A  case 
coming  to  be  decided  'is  left  to  the  lot.  The  lot  becomes  a  judge.  The 
lot  then,  gives  a  verdict.  In  no  Scripture  that  we  know  of  does  ''jndg- 
moit"  mean  mere  justice  without  the  thought  of  a  set  decision. 

Less  important  cases  are  as  follows : — 

IV. — Chap,  xix  :  28. 

28  A  worthless  witness  scorns  judgment  ;  I    =8    An    ungodly    witness 

za    i\  \vuiuin-33  vviiiiv.  .    ,       ,■'  1      j'  ..^    scorneth  judgment  ;  and   the 

and  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  eagerly  devours  i^^^h  ^^^^^  wicked  devour- 
worthlessness.  I eth  iniquity. 

V. — Chap,  xxi  :  7.  . 

7  The   rapacity  of  the  wicked  snatches  away 

themselves  ; 
because  it  was  they  that  refused  to  carry  out 

judgment. 
VI. — Chap,  xxix  :  26. 
26  Many  seek  the  ruler's  favor  ;  1 .  ^6  Many  seek  the  ruler's 

■*"  ^'^^'■J'  -^"^  ,     .     J  ^  •     f  t^x, u  favour:  but  t'Z'fo' man  s  J  udg- 

but  a  man  s  judgment  is  from  Jehovah.  |  ^^^^  cometh  from  the  Lord. 

A  case  already  discussed  (Class  I),  belongs  also  under  this  class: — 

VII.— Chap,  ii  :  8. 

8  To  keep  watch  over  the  paths  of  judgment,   ) .  «  ^e  keepeth  the  paths  of 

.r.  ^  r  /-Ti-         •    .„  I  ludjrment,  and  preserveth  the 

He  must  also  guard  the  way  of  His  saints.       (;;,ay  of  his  saints. 

All  creatures  require  "  a  judgment."  Good  or  bad,  all  obtain  it.  Each 
"■judgment"  \\?iS\.o  be  followed  out.  Each  following  requires  a  path; 
and  each  path  is  the  path  of  the  Almight3\  Every  "judgment"  then,  for 
every  saint,  is  an  eternal  path  ;  and,  to  keep  the  path,  God  must  also 
watch  the  path  of  the  believer.  "  Judgtnent"  already  having  been  given 
in  the  believer's  favor,  there  must  be  never  a  step  in  which  he  does  not 
enjoy  the  benefit. 


7  The  robbery  of  the  wick- 
ed shall  destroy  them  ;  be- 
cause they  refuse  to  do  judg- 
ment. 


628  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

CLASS  XLIX. 
OVERLOOKED  DIFFERENCES 


FOUR  WORDS  FOR  MAN. 

There  are  four  words  for  man.  "^"^y^  means  a  mortal :  ")^5,  «  strong 
man ;  "jjins^  a  man  of  the  belter  sort ;  and  ]nT>^,  man,  proper,  or,  where 
a  distinction  is  made,  a  ?nan  of  the  more  cotnmon  rank.  This  distinction 
is  sometimes  made  (E.  V.),  see  Is.  2  :  9  ;  az :  17,  but  it  is  often  overlooked  ; 
and  not  unfrequently  so  as  to  hide  the  meaning : — 

I. — Chap,  xii  :  14. 
14  With  the  earnings  of  the  mouth  of  a  man  of 
the  better  sort,  the  good  man  will  be  sat- 
isfied : 
and  the  reward  of  the  hands  of  a  laboring 
man  he  will  render  to  him. 


14  A  man  shall  be  satisfied 
with  good  by  the  fruit  of  his 
mouth  ;  and  the  recompence 
of  a  man's  hands  shall  be  ren- 
dered unto  him. 


Nothing  could  be  more  completely  disinterred  than  this  fine  moral  is 
from  its  previous  concealment.  The  world  groans  with  this  very  ques- 
tion to-day.  It  is  the  difficulty  as  between  capital  and  labor.  Solomon 
favors  neither.  He  teaches  that  we  be  just  to  both.  Agrarian  folly,  that 
would  deny  brain  labor  as  having  the  superior  claim,  he  dispatches  at  a. 
word.  But  then  he  pleads  for  fairness.  "  With  the  earnings  of  the  mouth 
of  a  man  of  the  better  sort"  (for  he  admits  that  mouth-earnings  (see  Com- 
mentary) are  higher  than  hand-earnings,  and  that  one  man  is  higher  than 
another  :  he  only  pleads  for  fairness) — "  With  the  earnings  of  the  mouth 
of  a  man  of  the  better  sort  the  good  man  will  be  satisfied  ;  and  the  re- 
ward of  the  hands  of  a  laboring  man  he  will  render  to  him." 

II. — Chap,  xviii  :  16. 
16  The  gift  of  a  plain  man  makes  room  for  him,  I     16  A  man's   gift    maketh 
and  brings  him  before  the  great.  |  Lrbete'reat^'men'""^"' 

The  sense  sharpens  by  distinguishing  the  sort  of  man. 
Again,  as  noticeable  cases  : — 

III. — Chap,  xix  :  11. 
1 1  The  intelligence  of  the  commonest  man  gives 
slowness  to  his  anger  ; 
and  it  is  his  honor  to  pass  over  an  offence. 

IV. — Chap,  xix  :  21,  22. 
ai  Many  are  the  schemes  in  the  heart  of  a  man 
of  the  better  sort  ; 
but  the  counsel  of  Jehovah  as  such  stands, 
aa  The  pleasure  of  the  commonest  sort  of  man 
is  his  kindness  ; 
and  better  off  is  a  poor  man  than  a  false  man 
of  the  better  sort. 


II  The  discretion  of  a  man 
deferreth  his  anger  ;  and  it  is 
his  glory  to  pass  over  a  trans- 
gression. 


21  There  are  many  devices 
in  a  man's  heart  ;  neverthe- 
less the  counsel  of  the  LoKU, 
that  shall  stand. 

22  The  desire  of  a  man  is 
his  kindness  ;  and  apoormaa 
is  better  than  a  liar. 


CLASS  L. 


629 


v.— Chae.  XX  :  17.  ^  17  Bread  of  deceit  ?>  sweet 

17  Sweet  to  the  most   intelligent   man   is   tne  ^^  ^^  ^3„ .  but  aftenvards  his 

•      -   •         ■  mouth   shall    be    filled    with 

gravel. 


bread  of  deceit ; 
but  afterward  his  mouth  shall  be  filled  with 
gravel  stones. 


VI. — Chap,  xxviii  :  2,  3. 

2  In  the  sin  of  a  land  many  are  its  leaders  ; 
but  by  the  plainest  man  who  imparts  discern- 
ment, getting  knowledge,  it  makes  itself 
endure. 

3  A  strong  man,  who  is  poor,  and  oppresses 

the  weak, 
is  a   shower   that   comes   sweeping,  so  that 

there  is  no  food. 
More  signally: — 

VII.-Chap.  XX  :  24.  r  t   u^  1     i±  Man's  eoings  are  of  the 

24  The  steps  of  a  powerful  man  are  from  Jeno-1^^4^.  how  can  a  man  then 

yah  •  understand  his  own  way  ? 

then  a 'common  man,  how  shall  he  discern  | 
his  way  ? 

Read  with  the  English  Version,  it  is  ^|'^°^^ /f^i^j^^^'j^^  ^l'^;^;!^! 
guishing  the  nouns,  the  meaning  is  complete.  If  the  fJ^P^  °  /^^  ^'  Jf 
Itan  are  from  Jehovah  ;  then  what  of  a  common  man?  How  ,dle  lor  the 
weak  and  helpless  to  be  sure  of  any  lot  before  the  Almighty. 


2  For  the  transgression  of 
aland  many  a r^  the  princes 
thereof:  but  by  a  man  of  un- 
derstanding and  knowledge 
the  state  t hereof  sh^W  be  pro- 
longed. 

3  A  poor  man  that  oppress- 
eth  the  poor  is  like  a  sweep- 
ing rain,  which  leaveth  no 
food. 


VIII.— Chap,  xxix  :  5. 
5  A    man  of  influence,    speaking   flatteringly 
about  his  neighbor, 
spreads  a  net  for  his  feet. 
Flattery  by  a  strong  man  is,  of  course,  the  more  dangerous 

IX.— Chap,  xxx  :  2. 
2  Forasmuch  as  I  am  more  brutish,  as  to  my- 
self than  a  man  of  the  better  sort, 
and  ha've  not  the  intelligence  of  a  common 

man, 
qpp  Class  LVIII      The  traits  are  Messianic.     Not  only  of  less  know- 
ledge San  -I/./  rank;  but  ruder  and  more  ignorant  than  many  a 
(ommon  man. 


5  A  man  that  flattereth  his 
neighbour  spreadeth  a  net  for 
his  feet. 


2  Surely  1  a;«  more  brutish 
than  any  man,  and  have  not 
the  understanding  of  a  man. 


CLASS   L. 
OVERLOOKED  MEANING 

OF 

"WOMAN." 


,  •  wV,f.  Fnst  to  nersonify  in  female  forms  concrete 


630  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

(Jo.  3:29),  and  the  "Daughter  of  Zion  "  (Matt.  21  :  5),  both  standing 
for  the  Church  ;  and,  as  an  example  of  the  abstract,  we  have  the  Scarlet 
Woman  (Rev.  17  :4),  or  Harlot  (Rev.  17  :  5),  as  standing  for  Impenitence, 
or  the  powers  of  evil.  Solomon  has  examples  of  both  : — of  the  concrete, 
in  the  last  chapter,  where  the  Church  is  spoken  of  as  the  "  Capable  Wo- 
tnaii ;"  and  of  the  abstract,  in  two  special  forms,  and  these  constantly  re- 
peated ;  one  of"  U'Luhvit,"  retaining  her  own  abstract  name  as  showing 
that  she  is  lovely  on  her  own  account ;  and  the  other  of  ''Folly"  rarely 
retaining  her  own  abstract  name,  but  called  the  '■'Foolish  IVoiiian," 
(Prov.  9:13),  or  the  "  Strange  IVoman  "  (Prov.  2  :  16),  or  the  "  Brawling 
IVoinaii"  to  show  that  "Folly"  is  not  loved  on  her  own  account,  but  only  in 
those  concrete  shapes  in  which  adulter}',  or  some  positive  lust,  stands  ar- 
rayed against  the  pursuits  of  piety.  The  "  Slrange  IVoman"  therefore,  is 
Impenitence.  It  is  fit  to  be  warned  by  her  against  adulter)' ;  just  as,  in 
the  Book  of  Revelation,  the  Harlot  might  warn  a  man  'against  that  spe- 
cial sin.  But  we  are  not  to  stop  there.  The  female  figures  of  the  Pro- 
verbs are  just  as  wide  in  their  intent  as  the  Woman  Fleeing  into  the 
Wilderness  (Rev.  12:6),  or  the  Woman  on  a  Scarlet-colored  Beast  (Rev. 
^7:3).  which  are  Cartoons  of  John  on  Patmos.  The  Contentious  Woman 
is  spoken  of  too  often,  and  the  Harlot  portrayed  too  much,  and  too  often 
associated  with  higher  things;  the  lineaments  are  too  complete,  and  the 
assertions  too  strong,  and  too  unqualified  (5:6;  6  :  35), — to  be  regarded 
as  just,  if  applied  simply  to  the  vicious.  In  fact,  in  the  older  books,  this 
our  understanding  has  been  more  than  surmised.  We  will  not,  there- 
fore, class  the  cases  as  now  for  the  first  time  advanced,  but  content  our- 
selves with  one  or  two  of  the  less  obvious,  which  we  never  before  con- 
sidered : — 

I. — Chap,  xi  :  16. 
16   Grace  gets  hold  of  glory;  1      16   A   gracious   woman   re- 

and  the  violent  get  hold  of  riches.  '=''""''  ^°"°"/: :  ^"'^  "'•°"g 

°  •  })ie>i  retain  riches. 

Literally,  the  "  Woman  of  Grace"  Our  reading  would  make  "  -woman" 
superfluous.  It  ministers  to  the  picturesque.  It  personifies.  It  does 
not  add  to  the  meaning.  When  we  speak  of  the  "  Woman  of  Evil" 
(6:24),  we  mean  "Evil;"  'woman  simply  painting  a  picture.  V\  hen  we 
speak  of  the  "  Woman  of  Folly"  we  mean  "  Folly  l'  When  we  speak  of 
\h&" 'wisdoms  of  women"  {i^:  1),  vfQ  mean  ultimately  "wisdoms," — (plu- 
ralis  excellentire)  "  Wisdom"  in  its  highest  sense.  No  one  can  canvass 
these  Proverbs  without  being  persuaded  that  "  Woman  "  is  a  signal  for 
an  abstract  sense. 

II. — Chap,  xi  :  22. 


22  A  gold  ring  in  a  swine's  snout; 
a  fair  and  tasteless  woman. 


22  As  .1  jewel  of  gold  in  a 
swine's  snout,  so  is  a  fair  wo- 
man which  is  without  discre- 
tion. 

A  quality,  not  a  sex,  is  here  to  be  considered.  The  "'woman"  like 
Caryatides,  supports,  and  gives  grace.  She  is  not  of  the  essence  of  the 
sentence,  but  only  of  its  rlietoric.  \  fair  -wo/nan  may  be  all  that  is  here 
asserted,  but  is  thought  of  as  a  type,  and  with  no  intent,  therefore,  to 
exhaust  or  confine  the  signific.ition. 

So  of  all  those  Proverbs  which  speak  of  a  termagant  : — 

III. — Chap,  xxi  :  g. 

9  It  is  better  to  dwell  upon  a  pinnacle  o)  the  roof,  I    9 /^  ?V  better  to  dwell  in  a 

than  that  there  should  be  a  brawling  woman  r'-''!I"K'^'^r^°"^^''°'''  ^^^ 
...  '    a      "  with  a  brawling  woman  in  a 

and  a  house  in  common.  wide  house. 


CLASS  LI.  631 


IV. — Chap.  xxI  :  19. 


ig  It  is  better  to  dwell  in 
the  wilderness,  than  with  a 
contentious  and  an  angry  wo- 
man. 


24  It  is  better  to  dwell  in  a 
corner  of  the  house-top,  than 
with  a  brawling  woman,  and 
in  a  wide  house. 


19  Better  is  life  in  a  desert  land, 

than  a  contentious^and  fretful  woman. 

V. — Chap,  xxv  :  24. 
24  Better  is  dwelling  upon  a  pinnacle  of  the 
roof, 
than  a  contentious  woman  and  a  house  in 
common.  • 

VI. — Chap,  xxvii  :  15. 

15  A  continual  dropping  in  a  very  rainy  day,  I     ^5  A  continual  dropping  in 
J  ^        .  r  IT      a  i-T„  a  very  rainy  day  and  a  con- 

and  a  contentious  woman,  are  alike.  j  tentious  woman  are  alike. 

Instead  of  the  secular  meaning  being  true,  and  the  spiritual  meaning 
being  vague  and  mystic,  the  fact  is  the  reverse.  It  may  be  better  to  dwell 
with  the  Tcnnagant  than  in  the  desert.  But  it  is  better  to  dwell  in  Hell, 
than  with  sin  in  Heaven.  These  texts  are  not  so  often  repeated  simply 
to  denounce  quarrelsomeness,  but  like  Caryatides  of  truth,  just  as  the 
'^Harlot"  is,  or  the  "  Woman  of  Evil!' 

The  only  concrete  case,  we  have  explained  at  large  in  the  body  of  the 
Commentarj' : — 

VII.— Chap,  xxxi :  10,  etc. 
10  Who  can  find  a  capable  woman  ?  I     'o  Who  can  find  a  virtuous 

01,  ■        ■   .c        V  i„  woman?  for  her  price  is  lar 

So  that  her  price  is  far  above  pearls.  |  ^^^^  rubies. 


CLASS  LI. 
OVERLOOKED  EMBLEMS. 

I. — Chap,  vil  :  9. 

q  in  the  cool ;  in  the  evening  of  the  day  ;  19  1"  the  twilight,  in  the 

V   1"  >■">-  ^ -"-"  >  f     ,  .    .  ,  J     J  evening,  in  the  black  and  dark 

in  the  very  bosom  of  the   night   and    deep] jjjgj^^^^' 

darkness. 

In  rhetoric  haste  the  whole  progress  of  the  night  is  pictured.  The 
lameness  of  other  comments  is,  that  these  terms  are  set  in  apposition. 
In  fact  Zockler  claims  that  "  twilight"  (E.  V.)  is  the  translation  of  a  word 
that  may  reach  into  the  deepest  "  night."  How  useless  this  is  !  The  en- 
snared is  gliding  to  his  fate  as  the  gloaming  glides  on  into  the  darkness. 

II. — Chap,  vii  :  22. 

22  Starting  after  her  suddenly  as  an  ox  enters  to  I    22   He  gocth    after    her 

^  ,     s>  ,  ,  ■'  straightway,  as  an  ox  goeth 

the  slaughter,  _  to  the  slaughter,  or  as  a  fool 

and  as  a  chain  for  the  punishment  of  a  fool  ;  I  to  the  correction  of  the  stocks; 

A  bull  is  drawn  to  his  fate  by  a  chain,  which,  while  he  may  resist  its 
being  drawn  in,  resists,  on  its  part,  his  drawing  out.  It  holds  all  that  he 
yields.  In  this  way  the  victim  of  Impenitence  is  a  chain  to  himself.  His 
own  nature  holds  him  to  the  measure  of  depravity  he  has  reached  ;  and 
lakes  all  the  additional  corruption  he  is  willing  to  concede.  The  Eng- 
lish Version  reverses  the  Hebrew     and  modern  philologists  seem  all  to 


632  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

reject  it.  The  sense,  possibh',  must  needs  be  somewhat  conjectural. 
The  word  "  chain"  occurs  but  twice  ;  and  may  mean  something  less  long 
than  that  which  confines  the  bullock.  Still  the  image  seems  correct.  The 
lost  move  in  like  the  ox  ;  and,  more  artistic  still,  like  the  chain.  They 
are  a  fetter  to  themselves;  and,  as  the  chain  winds  in  with  the  bull,  so 
the  soul  holds  fast  to  all  that  is  conceded  by  its  own  corruption. 

III.— Chap,  x  :  6. 
6  Blessings  are  for  the  head  of  the  righteous 
man  ; 
but  wrong  covers  the  mouth  of  the  wicked. 


6  Blessings  are  upon  the 
head  of  the  just  :  but  violence 
covereth  the  mouth  of  the 
wicked. 


IV. — Chap,  x  :  11. 


II   A  fountain  of  life  is  the  mouth  of  a  righteous]     11  The  mouth  of  a  right- 
.  eous  man  is  a  well   of  life; 

'  ,/.,  .,,P"'   violence  covereth    the 

but  wrong  covers  the  mouth  of  the  wicked.    |  mouth  of  the  wicked. 

The  overlooking  here  has  been  entire.  The  texts  are  opposites.  The 
mouth,  when  covered,  cannot  utter  speech,  and  cannot  take  in  nourish- 
ment. Such  are  the  intended  emblems.  The  sinner's  is  closed  in  both 
particulars.  He  cannot  get  good  (v.  6),  and  he  cannot  do  good  (v.  11). 
Blessings  are  upon  the  head  of  the  just ;  but  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  is 
closed,  that  he  cannot  receive  them.  The  mouth  of  a  righteous  man  is 
a  well  of  life  ;  but  the  mouth  of  the  wicked  is  closed  that  it  can  utter 
nothing  for  the  good  of  others.  The  distinct  recognition  of  these  neigh- 
boring meanings  is  of  course  essential  to  the  beauty-  of  the  passage. 

V. — Chap,  x  :  20. 

ao  Choice  silver  is  the  tongue  of  a  righteous'     20  The  tongue  of  the  just 
■  Uj  aj  choice  silver  :  the  heart 

rnan.  j  of  the  wicked  zV  little  worth. 

The  heart  of  the  wicked  is  as  a  scrap. 

This  term  for  Utile  comes  from  a  verb  meaning  to  scrape  or  shave.  The 
noun  primarily  means  a  scrapiiii^,  or  something  scraped.  Ordinarilj',  the 
term  "little"  (E.  V.)  is  the  very  best  translation.  But  here. the  antithesis 
oi"  choice  silver"  would  kindle  up  the  primarj-  idea,  and  wake  to  a  He- 
brew eye  the  verj'  spirit  of  the  trope. 

VI. — Chap,  xvii  :  ig. 
19  He  loves  sin  that  loves  contention  ;  I    ^9  Heloveth  transgression 

and  he  that  sets  high  his  gate,  seeks  ruin.        {{^^  '^^^.^  his'Jateleleth 

I  destruction. 

A  "  high  gate"  was  for  letting  troops  pass  out,  with  spears  and  banners. 
It  was  not  an  emblem  of  pride,  therefore,  but  of  belligerence.  "  Lift  up 
j'our  heads,  O  ye  gates!"  (Ps.  24:7),  means, — for  the  entrance  of  our 
Deliverer.  The  mention  oi" strife"  in  the  earlier  clause  ought  to  have 
suggested  this  in  the  present  Proverb. 

VII. — Chap,  xviii  :  19. 

IQ  When  a  brother  is  revolted  awav,  it  is  from  a      '9  A  brother  offended  is 

„•.     „<■  „. .u  .  '  harder  to    be  wen    than    a 

City  of  strength  ;      ,        ,       ,  ^  _     strong  city  ;   and  their  con- 

and  contentions  are  like  the  bar  of  a  citadel,  tentions  ar^like  the  barsofa 

castle. 

The  emblem  is  a  "citadel."  The  "  citadel"  is  a  man's  "brother''  The 
thought  is,— the  strength  that  one  brother  can  be  to  another.  The  doc- 
trine is, — that  strife  destroys  this  strength.  A  brother,  "  revolted  away" 
or  whose  peace  is  broken  with  a  brother,  is  revolted  away  from  "a  city 
of  strength."     The  moment  they  quarrel,  each  loses  a  city  of  strength. 


Vni.-CHAP.  xxn  :  5,6.  _  ^^^  _^^  ^^  ^^^^   ^^^^^^^       ^  Thorns  .«^  snares  ...in 

the  way  of  the  froward  ;   he 
that  doth  keep  his  soul  shall 


be  far  from  them. 

6  Tr.-iin  up  a  child  in  the 
way  he  should  50  ;  and  when 
he  is  old,  he  will  not  depart 
from  it. 


CLASS  LI.  633 

Their  contentions,  therefore,  are  a  bar  to  a  castle      "g^  ;^°'^P^^\^'j;/t^ 
emblem  has  been  missed.     The  picture  is  P'^^^^'^'- ^  ^r^thers  m.gt  be 
shelters  to  each  other.     Either,  breakmg  away,  breaks  from  a  city  ot 
strength  ;  and  the  quarrel  is  a  bar  to  a  citadel. 
VIII.— Chap,  xxii  :  5,  6. 

5  Thorns  are  snares  in  the  way  of  the  crooked 

man.  ,    ,,  r      e    ^ 

lie  that  guards  his  soul  shall  get  far  from 

them.  ,      ... 

6  Hedge  in  a  child  upon  the  mouth  of  his  way  . 
even  for  the  very  reason  that  he  grows  old 

he  shall  not  depart  from  it. 
"  Thorns  are  snares  in  the  way  of  the  perverse  ;"  that  if—Troubles  are 
.  T;-^rr=  To  the  s-ood  thev  are  a  chastisement ;  to  the  bad,  they  are 
aTane  Still  ll  are  I0  use  them  with  children.  Hedge  in  a  child  on 
a  bane.  ^';^"  J^^^^  and  his  getting  old  will  take  the  labor  out  of  thy 
£nd"°and  fiid  hir^ure"fy  settS  fof  his  purney.  It  is  by  completeness  . 
of  figures  that  texts  are  made  to  weld  and  settle  expressively  together. 

IX.— Chap,  xxii  :  15.  ,  ^(  ^  ^•umH  iq  Foolishness  is  bound  In 

15  Folly  is  fettered  in  the  heart  of  a  child.  the  heart  of  a  child;  ha  the 

The  rod  of  correction  removes  it  from  nim.      ^od  of  correction  shall  dnve 

it  far  from  him. 

Not  bound  up,  but  bound;  not  innn-ought,  but  V^'^''-^-'  J^e  eri.blem 
h-isbeen  quite  inverted.  Impenitence  is  not  strong  in  t^e  heart  of  a 
child  bu?weak.  Comparatively,  it  is  easily  managed.  In  the  sense  m 
w  Ich  it"  compared  in  old  age,  wickedness  is  under  awe  !"  childhood. 
Td  singularly  bound.  The  rod  of  correction  can  drive  it  out  then  if 
ana  smg"'^  >  treating  the  truth,— that  we  are  helpless  always;  but 
:;:aking  of  instrumemf.  Means  are  strong  with  childhood,  that  are  ut- 
terly  weak  with  old  age. 

sS^'^^tsLTerself,  like  loot,  lies  temptingly;    \^:^ ^^^^^fX^'^tcZ.Z^T. 
and  increases  the  robbers  among  men.  |  transgressors  among  men. 

Here  of  course,  the  whole  emblem  is  changed.  A  robber  lies  in  ^vait ; 
Jd  a  Ueasu°e  lies  temptingly.  The  thought  is  very  different.  Suppose 
we  we  e  to"e?  the  secoSd  clause  be  umpire.  Which  makes  most  thieves. 
The  Jchemh'g  of  the  robber,  or  the  loose  lying  about  of  everythmg  pre- 
cious  ? 

XL-Chap.  XXV  :  23.  „  The  north  wind  driveth 

11   A  north  wind  breeds  rain,  away  rain  ;  so  doth  an  angry 

and  angry  countenances  a  secret  tongue.         countenance    a    backbiting 

I  tongue. 

Scholars  have  discovered  the  emblem  in  the  former  clause  (see  Maurer 
Zorkler    etc  ^but   ruined   everything  by  inverting  the  latter.     Ihe  old 

27* 


634  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

unfortunately,  they  have  still  spoiled  the  emblem.  "  The  North  Wind 
produces  rain,  and  a  secret  tongue  an  angry  countenance."  So  Maurer. 
This  sentence  is  true  enough  ;  especially  if  the  tongue  ceases  to  be  se- 
cret, and  the  victim  hears  of  it ;  but  where  is  the  value  of  such  a  Pro- 
verb ?  Moreover,  where  is  the  right  to  invert  the  language  ?  Is  there 
any  such  value  in  the  idea  that  slandering  anybody  maddens  him,  as  to 
make  it  a  good  occasion  for  reversing  a  Hebrew  sentence  ?  But  now, 
keep  all  in  place,  and  the  emblem  immediately  appears.  The  cold  wind 
in  Palestine  brought  up  clouds,  and  covered  the  heavens  witli  tempest; 
so  an  angry  avenger,  forgetting  the  very  last  text  (vs.  21,  22), — "  If  thine 
enem)'  hunger  feed  him,"  and,  bearing  down  on  men  with' wrath  and 
vengeance, —  does  what?  why,  withdraw  malice,  perhaps,  into  holes; 
but,  all  the  more,  wake  up  a  secret  and  more  poisonous  malignity. 

XII. — Ch.jvp.  XXV  :  26. 
26  A  trampled  fountain  and  ruined  spring  1    26  A  righteous  man  falling 

is  a  righteous  man  thought  tottering  by  the  f— wfrfountarandV^o'^ 

wicked.  I  rupt  spring. 

A  righteous  man,  failing  or  tottering  before  a  wicked  man,  means,  as 
we  have  seen  alread}'  (see  Class  XLII),  tottering  as  the  wicked  tnan  sup- 
poses, or  failing  as  he  esteems  it  or  in  his  opinion.  Such  a  seeming  fail- 
ure is  like  "  a  trampled  fountain!'  The  figure  could  hardly  be  more  com- 
plete. You  turn  cattle  in  upon  a  spring,  and  in  a  year  they  have  ruined 
it.  They  break  down  its  wall,  and  tramp  up  its  bed  ;  and  by  Spring  it 
will  be  swamp  and  tussock.  But  ii  is  spoiled  only  as  you  think.  The 
farmer  meant  it  to  be  trampled  just  as  you  see  ;  and  can  mend  it  in  two 
hours'  labor.  So  a  saint  may  be  ruined  in  the  eyes  of  men,  but  all  right 
with  the  Almighty.  The  stream  is  still  flowing  under  the  hill  ;  and  the 
"  trampled  foH>itain  "  lives,  and  is  perpetual,  and  has  added  to  the  record 
of  its  usefulness  all  through  these  troubled  years.  How  singular  that 
such  a  perfect  emblem  should  lie  so  long  hid  ;  and  should  have  to  be 
dug  out  now,  as  though  for  the  tirst  time  any  part  of  revelation  ! 

XIII.— Chap,  x.xv  :  28. 
•28  A  broken  down  city  without  a  wall 

is  a  man  who  has  no  enclosure  around  his 
spirit. 


28  He  that  kaf/i  no  rule 
over  his  own  spirit  is  like  a 
city  that  is  broken  down,  and 
without  walls. 


The  walls  of  a  city  are  to  keep  out  an  enemy.  The  "  rule"  (E.  V.)  of 
a  man's  spirit  is  over  an  enemy  within.  The  trope  does  not  tall}',  there- 
fore. There  must  be  some  mistake.  The  verb  -1^3?  means,  to  enclose. 
The  noun  ~)23J72  means,  an  "i'«<r/i3j-«/-t'."  To  translate  it  "  rule,"  breaks 
away  all  its  edge.  The  words  are  gospel.  The  soul  needs  an  "enclosure." 
It  is  threatened  by  God's  wrath,  and  by  a  thousand  enemies.  It  needs 
the  righteous  man's  defence.  A  city,  broken  down  and  without  a  wall, 
is,  the  best  sort  of  man  ('nil'^)  who  has  no  enclosure  for  his  spirit. 

XIV. — Chap,  xxvi  :  7-10. 

7  The  legs  drag  after  the  lame  ; 
so  does  a  proverb  in  the  mouth  of  fools. 

8  As  he  that  binds  a  stone  in  a  sling, 
so  is  he  that  gives  honor  to  a  fool. 

9  A  thorn  has  gone  up  into  the  hand   of  the 

drunkard, 
and  a  proverb  int:)  the  Tiiouth  of  fools. 


7  The  legs  of  the  lame  are 
not  equal  ;  so  /j  a  parable  in 
the  mouth  of  fools. 

8  As  he  that  bindeth  a  stone 
in  a  sling  ;  so  is  he  that  giv- 
eth  honour  to  a  fool. 

9  As  a  thorn  goeth  up  into 
the  hand  of  a  drunkard  ;  so  is 
a  parable  in  the  mouth  of 
fools. 


CLASS  LI.  (>IS 


10  An  arrow  wounding  everybody 

is  iie,  alsci,  tliat  rewards  the  fool,  and  rewards 
transgressors. 


lo  The  great  God  that 
formed  all  things^  both  rc- 
wardeth  the  fool  and  reward- 
eth  transgressors. 


These  emblems  have  been  wonderfully  discussed,  and  almost  every 
significance  suggested.  They  have  but  one  key.  They  never  can  be 
unriddled  till  that  is  supplied  to  them.  This  seminal  thought  is,  that 
truth  hardens  the  unbeliever.  The  unbeliever,  in  Solomon's  language, 
is  the  "fool."  Truth,  in  Solomon's  language,  is  "«  Proverb"  {sz&  Ec. 
12  :  9).  The  emblems  are  all  distinct  ;  and  yet  they  all  imply  the  stages 
of  the  one  great  idea.  In  the  first  place,  truth  is  an  actual  load  to  him 
who  is  persistently  impenitent.  "The  legs  drag  after  the  lame;  so  a 
parable  in  the  mouth  of  fools"  (v.  7).  But  now,  worse  than  mere  stifT- 
ness,  which  clogs  and  encumbers,  is  a  sling  stone,  which  actually  kills. 
"As  one  fixes  a  stone  in  a  sling,  so  is  he  that  gives  honor  to  a  fool" 
(v.  8).  "Honor"  may  include  all  blessing.  We  cannot  help  a  sinner 
without  making  him  more  dangerous.  Send  him  to  College;  establish 
him  in  State  schools  ;  load  him,  with  ''honor  "  give  him  any  degrees  ot 
wealth  :  we  not  only  tie  a  thing  in  "«  sling"  which  he  will  cast  utterly 
away,  but  we  make  him  more  dangerous  ;  we  give  him  more  weapons  to 
hurl'  mischief  upon  his  fellow  men.  Not  only  so,  we  make  him  a  party 
injured.  He  may  not  know  it.  It  is  like";?  ihorn  that  goes  up  uito  the 
hand  of  a  drunkard"  (v.  9).  He  may  be  too  drunk. to  let  it  make  him 
feel  any  the  less  glorious.  But  it  wounds  him  none  the  less.  iJe  will 
wake  up  some  day  to  its  pains.  A"iid  then,  last  of  all,  our  very  commerce 
with  the  lost,  in  ways,  too,  that  we  can  hardly  alter,  makes  them  more 
dangerous  : — "  An  arrow,  wounding  everybody,  is  he,  also,  that  rewards 
the  fool,  and  rewaids  transgressors  "  (v.  10). 
XV.— Chap,  xxvii  :  8. 

8  As  a  bird  is  shaken  from  its  nest;  I f.o'm^^^e^, t's t?"oTf .In 

so  a  man  is  shaken  irom  his  place.  I  that  wandereth  from  his  place. 

This  has  already  been  considered  (see  Class  XXIX.).  The  emblem  is 
patent.  A  man  loathes  a  change,  just  as  the  fledgling  has  to  be  shaken 
from  the  nest. 

XVI. — Chaf.  xxvii :  17. 
T"7   Iron  is  welded  bv  iron  ;  1      '7  Iron  sharpeneth  iron  ;  so 

17    iron  is  weiueu  uy  iiuu  ,  r  ,  •     f  •        1     a  man  sharpeneth   the  coun- 

so,  for  a  man,  the  tie  is  the  face  of  his  iHend.|  jg„^„j,gof  his  friend. 

XVII.— Chap,  xxvii  :  19. 

Tr.    AcvvTtpr    fTTP  to  fire  •  I      19  Asinwaterface^Kj-iy^r- 

ig  AS  water,  lace  to  lace  ,  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^^ .  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^j. 

so  heart,  man  to  man.  I  ^an  to  man. 

We  know  of  no  emblems  more  beautiful.  The  subject  is  fellowship. 
The  tie  of  fellow^iip  is  said  to  be  taste  Ointment  and  perfume^rejoice 
the  heart;  so  does  sweetness  its  fellow  by  the  dictate  of  appetite"  (v.  9). 
Men  like  perfume  from  appetite.  So  men  like  piety  from  appetite  ;  and 
like  piety  in  others  from  the  same  appetite  ;  and  this  appetite  is  the  pre- 
vailing bond  which  ties  all  good  Christians  into  one.  Saints,  therefore, 
to  like  other  saints,  must  be  like  them;  and  the  assimilating  likeness 
must  be  their  communion  in  piety.  Now  the  emblems  of  this  are  "iron" 
(v.  17!  and  "  water"  (v.  19).  Iron  can  only  be  united  by  iron  To  weld  a 
piece  of  iron,  we  must  bring  it  face  to  face  with  other  iron  ;  and  this  con- 
genial nature  is  the  best  condition  of  their  being  firmly  knit.  So  "  7oater. 
One  type  is  an  advance  upon  the  last  Iron  sticks  to  iron  ;  but  water 
perfectly  mingles  as  it  blends.     Iron,  therefore,  is  the  first  type  :  water, 


6ze 


ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


the  better  one.  Iron  is  united  by  iron  ;  so,  for  a  man,  the  tie  is  what? 
why,  piety.  And  how  is  piet}'  to  be  seen  ?  wh}',  in  a  friend.  And  how 
are  we  to  see  it  in  a  friend  ?  not,  as  God  does,  in  his  spirit,  but  as  man 
must,  in  his  face,  and  fellowship.  So  much  for  the  ruder  emblem.  "  Iron 
is  united  by  iron  ;  so,  for  a  man,  the  tie  is  the  face  of  his  friend."  But 
now  the  more  advanced  emblem, — "  As  water,  face'  to  face  ;"  that  is,  as 
one  face  of  water,  touching  another  face  of  water,  loses  itself  indiscrim- 
inatel}'  in  it, — so  "  heart,"  from  happy  similarity  of  grace,  blends,  ''man 
with  man"  Iron  sharpening  \xox\.  (E.  V.),  and  water  reflecting  back  a  face 
(E.  v.),  are  conjurings  of  an  image,  which  has  smothered  for  ages  one  of 
Solomon's  most  divine  ideas. 


CLASS   LII. 


OVERLOOKED    SENSE 


SURETYSHIPS. 


I. — Chap,  vi  :  1-5.  . 

1  My  son,  if  thou  art  under  surety  to  thy  friend,      i  My  son,  if  thou  be  surety 
thou  hast  stricken  thy  hand  lor  a  stranger. 

2  Thou    art    snared    by    the    speeches   of    thy 
mouth. 

Thou   hast  been  caught  by  the   speeches  of 
thy  mouth. 

3  Do  this  now,  my  son,  and  deliver  th3-self ; 
for   thou    hast    come    into    the   hand    of  thy 

friend  : — 
Go  cast  thyself  under  foot,  and   importune 
thy  friend. 

4  Give  not  sleep  to  thine  eyes, 
or  drowsy  heaviness  to  thine  eyelids. 

5  Get  snatched  as  a  roe  from  the  hand  ; 
yea,  as  a  bird  from  the  hand  of  the  ensnarer. 


for  thy  friend,  if  thou  hast 
stricken  thy  hand  with  a 
stranger, 

2  Thou  art  snared  with  the 
words  of  thy  mouth,  thou  art 
taken  with  the  words  of  thy 
mouth. 

3  Do  this  now,  my  son, 
and  deliver  thyself,  when 
thou  art  come  into  the  hand 
of  thy  friend  ;  go,  humble 
thyself,  and  make  sure  thy 
friend. 

4  Give  not  sleep  to  thine 
eyes,  nor  slumber  to  thine 
eyelids. 

5  Deliver  thyself  as  a  roe 
from  the  hand  of  the  hunter^ 
and  as  a  bird  from  the  hand 
of  the  fowler. 

No  one  can  look  at  this  passage  in  detail  without  agreeing  that  there  has 
been  a  distressing  oversight.  Not  only  is  our  whole  canon  true  (see  In- 
trod.  §  VI.),  that  no  Proverb  in  this  book  is  for  a  secular  use;  but  there 
are  machineries  about  these  particular  ones,  that  perfectly  identifj'  them 
as  intended  for  religion.  Wiio  is  the  "  FrienJ"  /  Who  is  the  "  stranger"  ? 
What  is  the  snare?  Sureties  may  be  at  times  a  risk  ;  but  sometimes  the 
very  opposite.  Why  "  de/iTer"  ourselves?  Why  ''humble"  ourselves? 
Why,  so  strongly,  about  a  "  roe  "  and  "  a  foiv/er'  ?  Why  "give  [no]  sleep 
to  [our]  eyes"  '/  and  why  speak  of  the  subject  again  ?  for,  six  mortal  times 
is  it  brought  among  the  Proverbs.  The  "  Friend  "  is  God.  The  "  strang- 
er "  is  our  fallen  Adam.  The  suretiship  is  our  bond  for  sin.  The  snare 
has  its  fetters  in  the  law.  The  deliverance  is  by  application  to  the  Friend. 
And  the  diligence  is  the  unsl umbering  heat  witli  which  we  should  hum- 
ble ourselves,  and  pursue  the  Saviour.  All  these  things  are  clear.  Tho 
terms  are  too  formal  for  a  mere  worldly  code.  And  a  mere  maxim  about 
risk  would  be  heaven-wide  from  being  so  often  repeated.     We  enumer- 


CLASS  LIII. 


637 


ate  the  remaining  list  for  the  usual  end  of  getting  light  on  each  case 
from  the  others  : — 

II. — Chap,  xi  :  15. 
15  The  evil  man  does  ill  because  he  is  surety 
for  a  stranger : 
but  a  hater  of  sureties  is  the  believer. 


15  He  that  is  surety  for  a 
stranger  shall  smart  for  it  / 
and  he  that  hateth  suretiship 
is  Sure. 


III. — Chap,  xvii  :  18. 
18  A  man  without  sense  strikes  hands, 

assuming  over  again  a  suretiship  in  the  very 
presence  of  his  Friend. 

IV. — Chap,  xx  :  16. 
16  Take  his  garment  because  he  has  gone  se- 
curity for  a  stranger  ; 
and  .on  account  of  strange  people  make  him 
give  a  pledge. 

V. — Chap,  xxii  :  26,  27. 

26  Be  not  among  those  that  strike  hands, 
and  among  those  that  are  surety  for  debts. 

27  If  thou  hast  nothing  to  pay, 

wherefore  should  one  take  th}'  bed  from  un- 
der thee  ? 

VI. — Chap,  xxvii  :  13. 
13  Take  a  man's  garment  because  he  has  be- 
come surety  for  a  stranger  ; — 
and,  on  account  of  a  strange  woman,  make 
him  give  a  pledge. 


18  A  man  void  of  under- 
standing striketh  hands,  and 
becometh  surety  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  friend. 


16  Take  his  garment  that  is 
surety  /or  a  stranger  ;  and 
take  a  pledge  of  him  for  a 
strange  woman. 


26  Be  not  thou  one  of  them 
that  strike  hands,  or  of  them 
that  are  sureties  for  debts. 

27  If  thou  hast  nothing  to 
pay,  why  should  he  take 
away  thy  bed  from  under 
thee? 


13  Take  his  garment  that 
is  surety  for  a  stranger,  and 
take  a  pledge  of  him  for  a 
strange  woman. 


CLASS    LIII. 
OVERLOOKED  PECULIARITIES  OF  THE   PASSAGES 

LONG  LIFE,  WEALTH,  AND   HONOR, 

SEEM  TO    BE 

PROMISED  TO  THE  PIOUS. 

Christians  are  not  known  to  be  more  long-lived,  or  richer,  or  more 
honored,  than  the  worldly.  On  the  contrar}',  most  of  these  things,  par- 
ticularly wealth,  are  unduly  imagined  as  belonging  to  the  impenitent. 
In  the  same  breath  *  religion  is  spoken  of  as  most  often  with  the  poor; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  as  promising  directly  to  enrich!  The  probability 
is  that  Solomon  is  right,  that  all  things  come  alike  to  all  (Eccles.  9:2); 
and  we  have  been  startled  to  find  some  specialty  of  grammar  turning 
aside  all  the  Proverbs  which  men  seemed  to  have  felt  sure  were  to  be 
made  worldly  promises  : — 


♦  The  writer  recently  heard  it  in  the  same  sermon. 


638  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 

I. — Chap,  iii  :  i,  2. 

1  My  son,  forget  not  what  I  direct,  (     i  My  son,  forget  not  my 
and  let  thy  heart  watch  my  commandments;    '^''':  ^ut  let  thine  heart  keep 

„/•,  iri  1  <-i-r  my  commandments : 

2  for  length  of  days  and  years  of  life  2  For  length  of  days,  and 
and  prosperity  shall  make  thee  greater.             longlife,  and  peace,  shall  they 

I  add  to  thee. 

Here  the  genders  set  us  right.  The  first  genders  are  feminine.  The 
nouns  in  the  second  verse  are  masculines.  The  verb  is  masculine.  Then 
why  not  refer  it  to  these  nouns?  If  we  do,  then  piety  does  not  promise 
long  life  ;  but  it  promises  that  "  length  of  days  and  years  of  life  and  pros- 
perity," if,  in  God's  Providence,  possessed,  shall  increase  us  or  make  us 
greater. 

So  another  passage  : — 

II. — Chap,  iii  :  16. 
16  Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand,  1     16  Length  of  d.i)rs  is  in  her 

in  her  lelt,  riches  and  honor.  f.'^'''  '?\"'^;  "li,  '"  ^er  left 

I  hand  riches  and  honour. 

The  "  liand"  in  Scripture  is  an  emblem  of  activity  (Deut.  32  :  36) ;  the 
"right  hand"  of  a  main  activity  (Ex.  15:6).  To  be  "in  \the\  right  hand" 
means,  to  be  a  most  efficient  instrument  (Rev  i :  16).  That  length  of 
days  are  in  Wisdom's  right  hand,  means  that  they  are  her  potent  instru- 
ment ;  and,  "in  her  lelt,  riches  and  honor,"  means,  not  certainly  that  she 
possesses  them,  but  that,  if  she  possess  them,  the}'  are  scarcely  less  ef- 
ficient than  protracted  years. 

III. — Chap,  iv  :  10. 

10  Hear,  O  ni}'  son,  and  take  my  words,  1     1°  Hear,  O  my  son,  and  re- 

and  they  shall  grow  greater  to  thee  through  "'''^   fy.   ^T"P;,u''"'^  '^^ 
^      c\c  1  years  of  thy  lite  shall  be  many. 

)-ears  of  life.  ' 

Here  again  the  gender,  if  left  to  decide,  will  make  "  7vords"  and  not 
"years  "  {E.  V.),  the  nominative.  If  "  words  "  be  the  nominative,  it  is  the 
"  words,"  and  not  "  years,"  that  are  to  grow  great.  "  Years,"  then,  falls 
into  the  absolute.  There  emerges  in  this  way  the  same  idea.  Obey  and 
be  blessed.  Be  blessed,  not  by  living  long,  but  by  these  very  "coords" 
enriching  and  growing  great.  "  Hear,  O  my  son,  and  take  my  sayings, 
and  they  shall  grow  great  to  thee  through  years  of  life." 

IV.— Chap,  viii  :  18. 
18  Riches  and  honor  are  with  me  ;  I    18  Riches  and  honour  are 

durable  ease  and  righteousness.  r'",^  '^U  y""^  '^'^''^'^'^  "<'^" 

°  'and  righteousness. 

Even  old  Bridges  is  not  deterred  b}'  this  passage  from  misunderstand- 
ing others.  And,  misunderstanding  others,  he  makes  no  point  of  this. 
But  the  next  verse  ought  to  set  it  right ;  for  it  says, — "  My  fruit  is  better 
than  gold  "  And  this  verse  itself  is  a  corrective  ;  for  it  defines  its  wealth, 
and  calls  it  (E.  V.),  "yea,  durable  liches  and  righteousness." 

But  now,  more  difiicult  looking  cases  : — 

V. — Chap,  ix  :  n. 

11  For  by  me  thy  days  shall  become  great;         |     "  For  by  me  thy  days  shall 
and   they  shall   make  thee  greater  through |be-;l|.pl.edi,an/^_^^^^^^^^^^ 

years  of  life. 

"  Mtilliplic-d"  {Y..Y .)  \?,  not  so  often  tlie  translation  :\s  "  tinidf  great." 
The  first  clause,  therefore,  gives  us  no  difficulty.  The  second  clause  has 
a  ^  instead  of  an  s-;.     It  is  less  likely,  on  this  account,  to  mean,  add  to ; 


CLASS  LTV.  639 

that  is,  "  add  to  thee  years  ;"  as  would  be  what  is  literal  under  the  Eng- 
lish Version.  We  have  good  right  to  a  reading,—"  make  increase  for 
thee  for  years:"  and  these  gramniaiical  parts,  all  put  together,  bring  out 
the  one  new  thought :— "  For  by  me  thy  days  shall  be  made  great ;  and 
they  shall  make  increase  for  thee  for  years  of  life." 

VI.— Chap,  x  :  a,-. 
27  The  fear  of  Jehovah  makes  great  da>^  ;  p/J  J^^eth''^ day-  ''^t  ^°h  e 

but  the  years  of  the  wicked  shall  be  made  ^^^^  ^f  f^g  kicked  shall  be 
little.  shortened. 

Here,  at  length,  our  theory  might  seem  to  break  down;  the  English 
Version  seems  so  positive.  But  the  Lexicon,  and  the  Grammar,  again 
convert  the  meaning,  and  change  it  from,  multiplying  days,  to,  making 
them  great  or  weighty.  The  word  '' proloiigeth  "  (E.  V.)  better  answers  to 
the  root  as,  "increases"  or,  "adds  to,"  in  the  sense  oi  making  great ;  and 
the  expression  "shall  be  s/iortened"  (E.  V.)  we  despaired  of  at  first,  as 
seeming  to  be  too  palpable  ;  but  mark  an  evidence  that  springs  up  in 
the  very  version  of  King  James.  Not  only  do  we  hear  of  the  Lord's  hand 
being  shortened  (Is.  50  :  2) ;  and  of  a  man's  spirit  being  shortened  (Num. 
21  : 4,  E.  v.,  maro-,)  ;  but,  most  meetly  at  hand,  the  very  idea  of  days'  being 
shortened  ;  that  is,  enfeebled.  David  is  speaking  ;  and  that  not  in  view 
of  death  :— "  He  weakened  my  strength  in  the  way.  He  shortened  my 
days  "  (i's.  102  :  23). 

One  more  instance:  the  same  idea;  not  of  worldly  good;  but  of  a 
"  life  "  and  of  a  "  ivealth  "  that  is  from  above  : — 

VII.— Chap,  xxii  :  4. 
4  The  end  of  a  humiliation  which  is  the  fear  oi\^^:^y^^^^y;-f^^l'l^^ 
Jehovah  I  honour,  and  life. 

13  wealth  and  honor  and  life. 


CLASS  LIV. 
OVERLOOKED  PREFACE 

TO 

NUMBERED  LISTS  OR  STATEMENTS. 

In  the  Apocalypse,  visions  before  the  e3'e  of  John  are  preceded  by 
audible  voices.  The  voice  is  the  key,  or  meaning  rather,  of  the  image. 
He  hears  a  voice  saying  unto  him,  "  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega"  (Rev. 
I  :  11) ;  and,  when  he  turned,  he  saw  One  like  unto  the  Son  of  Man.  As 
the  Alpha,  he  saw  Him  white  with  age, — "  His  head  and  His  hairs  white 
like  wool,'as  white  as  snow  ;"  and,  as  the  Omega,  he  saw  Him  endless  in 
foreknowledge,  and  strong  to  travel  through  the  depths  of  time  :  "  His 
eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire  ;  and  His  feet  like  unto  fine  brass  as  if  they 
burned  in  a  furnace  "  (vs  14,  15).  The  picture  was  the  translation  of  the 
voice.  So  in  a  chapter  afterward  ;  he  heard  a  voice,  saying,—"  Blessed 
are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  ;"  giving  a  reason,  too  ;  for  "  their 
works  do  follow  them  "  (Rev.  14  :  »3.  '4) :  and  he  looked  this  time  again, 
and  lo,  a  like  translation  !— Christ,  with  the  Sickle;  the  blessed  dead 
ready  to  be  harvested  ;— "  Thrust  in  thy  sickle,  and  reap  1"  and  the  golden 


640 


ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


grain  of  the  covenant  gathered  in  ;  as  answering  to  the  blessed  dead.   So, 
now,  in  this  book  o'f  Solomon  ;  there  are  quaint  and  half-unmeaning  lists; 
but,  when  we  look  close,  there  is  always  a  ''■■voice"  or  a  something  prefa- 
tory to  every  one  of  them  :  — 
1. — Chap,  vi  :  9-19. 
9  How  long  wilt  thou  lie,  O  sluggard  ? 
Wiien  wilt  thou  arise  out  of  thy  sleep  ? 

10  A  little  sleep!     A  little  drowsing  ! 
A  little  folding  of  the  hands  to  rest ! 

11  So  comes  thy  poverty  like  one  that  travels  ; 
and  thy  want  like  an  armed  man 

12  A  worthless  man  ;  a  man  utterly  in  vain  ; 
walking  in  crookedness  of  mouth  ; 

13  talking    with   his  eyes;    speaking   with    his 

feet  ; 
motioning  with  his  fingers  ; 

14  with    upturnings    in     his   heart ;    fabricating 

evil  ; 
will  be  putting  forth  grounds  of  quarrel  all 
the  time. 

15  Wherefore  his  crushing  shall  come  suddenl}' ; 
at  a  stroke  shall  he  be  broken,  and  there  be 

no  remedy. 

16  These  six  things  Jehovah  hates  ; 
Yea,  seven  are  an  abomination  to   His  very 

soul  : — 

17  Lofty  eyes  ;  a  lying  tongue  ; 
and  hands  that  shed  innocent  blood  ; 

18  a  heart  fabricating  empty  devices  ; 
feet  that  run  swift  to  evil  ; 

19  a  deceived  witness  whose  breath  is  lies  ; 
and  he  that  puts  grounds  of  quarrel  among 

brethren. 


g  How  long  wilt  thou  sleep, 
O  sluggard?  when  wilt  thou 
arise  out  of  thy  sleep  ? 

10  Yet  a  little  sleep,  a  little 
slumber,  a  little  folding  of  the 
hands  to  sleep  : 

11  So  shall  thy  poverty 
come  as  one  that  travelleth, 
and  thy  want  as  an  armed 
man. 

12  A  naughty  person,  a 
wicked  man,  walketh- with  a 
froward  mouth. 

13  He  wiiiketh  with  his 
eyes,  he  speaketh  with  his 
feet,  he  teacheth  with  his 
fingers  ; 

14  Frowardness  is  in  his 
heart,  he  deviseth  mischief 
continually;  he  soweth  dis- 
cord. 

15  Therefore  shall  his  ca- 
lamity come  suddenly  ;  sud- 
denly shall  he  be  broken  with- 
out remedy. 

16  These  six  things  doth 
the  LoKD  hate ;  yea,  seven 
are  an  abomination  unto  him  ; 

17  A  proud  look,  a  lying 
tongue,  and  hands  that  shed 
innocent  blood  ; 

18  An  heart  that  deviseth 
wicked  imaginations,  feet  that 
be  swift  in  running  to  mis- 
chief ; 

19  A  false  witness  that 
speaketh  lies,  and  him  that 
soweth  discord  among  breth- 
ren. 

The  grand  beginning  is  with  the  Sluggard  (and  the  Sluggard  is  the 
man  that  will  not  flee  as  a  roe  from  the  hunter,  in  getting  rid  of  his  sure- 
tiship  to  guilt  :  see  Class  LII.  6  :  1-8).  Instead  of  the  Sluggard  being 
merely  worthless  (v.  12),  i.  e.,  a  man  of  Belial,  a  man  utterly  in  vain 
(v.  12),  and,  therefore,  only  detrimental  to  himself, — this  passage  labors 
with  him  as  one  utterly  noxious  ;  teaching  with  his  very  fingers  ;  beck- 
oning away  others  from  their  allegiance  to  Heaven.  And,  therefore, 
after  having  painted  this  in  the  very  strongest  light,  it  goes  back  over  it 
in  a  summed-up  list  ;  changed  a  little,  to  be  sure,  because  intensified; 
but  all  a  list  of  the  horrors  of  the  Sluggard-surety  (v.  9). 

A  more  novel  instance  of  such  a  preface  to  a  list  is  the  tenth  verse  of 
the  thirtieth  chapter.  There,  it  is  not  sluggardism,  but  something  like  it, 
— a  mere  tongue  service  : — 

II. — Chap,  xxx  :  10-33. 

10  Give  not  tongue  service,  as  a  servant  to  hisi    10  Accuse  not  a  servant  un- 

°  to  his  master,  lest   he  curse 

master,  thee,     and    thou     be     found 

lest  He  curse  thee,  and  thou  be  held  guilty,     guilty. 

11  A  generation  after  will  curse  its  father,  ,"    There  is  a  generation 

-„?„„.  Ki^^,.  -.f^  ^^.v,^,.  Ma/ curseth  their  father,  and 

and  not  bless  its  mother.  doth  not  bless  their  mother. 


CLASS  LIV. 


641 


12  There  is  a  generation 
that  are  pure  in  their  own 
eyes,  and  yet  is  not  washed 
from  their  filth iness. 

13  T'A^r^  ?>  a  generation,  O 
how  lofty  are  their  eyes  !  and 
their  eyelids  are  lifted  up. 

14  There  is  a  generation 
whose  teeth  are  as  swords, 
and  their  jaw-teeth  ai- knives, 
to  devour  the  poor  from  ott' 


12  A  generation  after  that  will  be  clean  in  its 

own  ej'es, 
and  }'et  not  washed  from  its  filthiness. 

13  A  generation  still  after,  O  how  lofty  have  be- 

come its  ej'es, 
and  its  ej'elids  lifted  up. 

14  A  generatioi>further  yet  will  have  swords  for 

its  teeth,  and  knives  for  its  fangs, 
to    devour   the   troubled   from   the   earth,   and  [the  earth,  and  the  needy  from 
the  needy  from  among  men. 

15  The  horse   leech  has   two    daughters,  Give, 

Give. 
These  three  things  are  never  satisfied  ; 
four  have  never  said, — Enough  : — 

16  Sheol  ;  and  the  enclosure  of  the  womb  ; 
the  earth,  which  has  never  filled  with  water  ; 
and  fire,  which  has  never  said, — Enough. 

17  The  eye  that  mocks  a  father, 
and  has  a  contempt  for  obeying  a  mother, 
the  ravens  of  the  brook  shall  bore  it  through, 
and  tne  children  of  the  eagle  shall  eat  it. 

iS  These  three  things  are  quite  beyond  me  : 
yea,  four  I  cannot  mark  : — 

19  the  way  of  the  eagle  in  the  heavens ; 
the  way  of  a  serpent  over  a  rock  ; 
the  way  of  a  ship  in  the  open  sea  ; 
and  the  way  of  a  man  in  a  girl. 

20  In   such  a  way  has  the  adulterous  woman 

eaten,  and  wiped  her  mouth, 
and  said, — I  have  committed  no  naughtiness. 

21  Under  three  things  the  world   has  been  dis- 

quieted ; 
and   under   four  she  will  never  be  able  to 
bear  up  : — 

22  under  a  servant,  because  he  becomes  king  ; 
and  a  vile  fellow,  because  he  is  sated  with 

food  ; 

23  under  a  hateful  woman,  because  she  is  mar- 

ried ; 
and    a  handmaid,  because  she  dispossesses 
her  mistress. 

24  fhese  four  are  little  things  of  earth  ; 
and    it   is    such,  that  are  wise,  being   made 

wise. 

25  The  ants  are  a  people  of  no  strength, 
yet  they  make  sure  their  food  in  the  summer. 

26  Conies  are  a  people  not  strong, 
yet  they  fix  their  dwelling  in  a  rock. 

27  There  is  no  king  for  the  locust, 
yet  he  goes  forth  making  fair  division  of  all. 

28  The  spotted  lizard  takes  hold  with  his  hands, 
and  such  as  he  is  in  king's  palaces. 

29  These  three  make  each  step  good, 
yea,  four  make  good  their  going  : — 


among  men. 

15  The  horse-leech  hath 
two  daughters,  crying,  Give, 
give.  There  are  three  things 
that  a.re  never  satisfied,  ^fa, 
four  things  say  not.  It  is 
enough : 

16  The  grave  ;  and  the  bar- 
ren womb  ;  the  earth  thai  is 
not  filled  with  water  ;  and 
the  fire  that  saith  not.  It  is 
enough. 

17  The  eye  that  mocketh 
at  his  father,  and  despiseth 
to  obey  his  mother,  the  ravens 
of  the  valley  shall  pick  it  out, 
and  the  young  eagles  shall  eat 
it. 

18  There  be  three  things 
which  are  too  wonderful  for 
me,  yea,  four  which  I  know 
not  : 

19  The  way  of  an  eagle  in 
the  air,  the  way  of  a  serpent 
upon  a  rock,  the  way  of  a  ship 
in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  and 
the  way  of  a  man  with  a  maid. 

20  Such  is  the  way  of  an 
adulterous  woman  ;  she  eat- 
eth,  and  wipeth  her  mouth, 
and  saith,  I  have  done  no 
wickedness. 

21  For  three  things  the 
earth  is  disquieted,  and  for 
four  whicli  it  cannot  bear  : 

22  For  a  servant  when  he 
reigneth,  and  a  fool  when  he 
is  filled  with  meat  : 

23  For  an  odious  woman 
when  she  is  married,  and  an 
handmaid  that  is  heir  to  her 
mistress. 

24  There  be  four  things 
which  are  little  upon  the 
earth,  but  they  ar^  exceeding 
wise : 

25  The  ants  are  a  people 
not  strong^  yet  they  prepare 
their  meat  in  the  summer  ; 

26  The  conies  are  tut  a 
feeble  folk,  yet  make  they 
their  houses  in  the  rocks  ; 

27  The  locusts  have  n  o 
king,  yet  go  they  forth  all  of 
them  by  bands ; 

28  The  spider  taketh  hold 
with  her  hands,  and  is  in 
kings'  palaces. 

29  There   be  three  things 
which  go  well,  yea,  four  arc  , 
comely  in  going  : 


642  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


30  a  lion,  mighty  among  beasts, 
and  that  turns  not  back  for  any  ; 

31  a  grey-hound,  or  a  he  goat, 

and   a    King!     Do   not   thou    stand    against 
Him. 

32  If  thou  hast  been  withered  down,  by  lifting 

thyself  up, 
and  if  thou  hast  been  meditating  with  a  hand 
upon  the  mouth, 

33  forasmucli  as  pressing  milk  presses  out  whey, 
and  pressing  the  nose  presses  out  blood, 

so  pressing  down  passion  presses  away  strife. 


30  A  lion,  which  is  strong- 
est among  beasts,  and  turneth 
not  away  for  any  ; 

31  A  grey-hound  ;  an  he- 
goat,  also  ;  and  a  king,  against 
whom  there  is  no  rising  up. 

32  If  thou  hast  done  fool- 
ishly in  lifting  up  thyself,  or 
if  thou  hast  thought  evil,  lay 
thine  hand  upon  thy  mouth. 

33  Surely  the  churning  of 
milk  bringeth  forth  butter, 
and  the  wringing  of  the  nose 
bringeth  forth  blood  ;  so  the 
forcing  of  wrath  bringeth 
forth  strife. 


That  trivial  thing  apparently,  a  mere  pattering  of  prayer;  a  serving 
God  emptil)'  by  mere  working  of  the  lips, — is  set  up  at  the  start,  and 
the  most  horrid  consequences  permitted  to  appear.  First ;  four  stages 
of  degeneracy  ;  four  generations  ;  the  parents  beginning  with  a  tongue 
service,  and  their  posterity  having  four  stages  of  decline  (vs.  11-14I:  then 
the  insatiablcncss  of  this  decline,  under  four  images  (vs.  15-17) ;  and  how, 
declension  begun,  the  soul  is  as  good  as  slain  (v.  17) ;  then  uiicouscious- 
ness ,  as  another  trait,  and  that  under  four  particulars  (vs.  18-20) ;  then, 
the  intolcrabkness  of  the  state,  under  four  particulars  more  (vs.  21-23) ; 
then  the  remedy,  and  a  list  again  (vs.  24-28) ;  then  the  urging  of  that  re- 
medy, with  another  list  (vs.  29-33).  Of  course,  the  reader  must  judge 
how  very  vastly  he  unrolls  the  Book,  when,  instead  of  a  jumble  of  lists, 
he  gets  a  preface  to  the  whole,  and  inspires  with  a  connected  spirit  the 
whole  pictured  catalogue  in  its  quaintness  to  the  very  end  (see  the  more 
extended  Commentary).  How  much  better  this  than  the  conclusion  of 
Stuart, — that  "  in  some  we  can  find  no  moral,  but  have  mere  similitudes, 
adapted  more  to  surprise  or  please  than  to  impart  ethical  instruction  "  1 ! 
(Stuart  on  Proverbs  ;  note  ;  p.  421). 


CLASS   LV. 


OVERLOOKED   GOSPEL. 

A  real  difficulty  in  the  mind  of  many  scholars  in  seeing  the  gospel 
anywhere  in  Proverbs  has  been  a  deference  to  the  times,  and  an  idea  that 
the  age  had  not  reached  that  measure  of  spiritual  illumination.  .But 
then,  Balaam  ;  nay,  still  earlier,  Adam, — must  be  glossed  over  in  their 
instance,  too,  and  as  to  much  of  most  precious  gospel.  How  are  we  to 
know  how  much  the  age  knew,  except  by  what  the  age  wrote  ?  and  if, 
eviscerating  successive  texts,  we  are  actually  excluding  Christ  on 
grounds  that  we  are  ourselves  creating?  We  claim,  therefore,  that  un- 
noticed gospel  is  one  source  of  obscured  translation. 

I. — Chai>.  X  :  8. 


He  of  the  wise  heart  shall  lift  away  the  com- 
mandments ; 

and  he  of  the  foolish  lips  shall  be  the  one 
entangled. 


8  The  wise  in  heart  will  re- 
ceive commandments  ;  but  a 
prating  fool  shall  fall. 


The  verb  to  take  means  often   to  take  away  (Gen.  40  :  ig).     The  noun 
'^'  cotnmandment"  means  laio  more  judicially  than  that  word  direction  (see 


CLASS  LV. 


643 


3  :  i),  which  is  usually  so  translated.  The  English  Version  is  the  most 
profitless  common-place.  The  reader  must  judge  whether  a  meaning 
that  sounds  like  Paul,  may  not  be  as  consistent  with  Solomon  as  one 
that  would  prostitute  a  Proverb  to  talk  like  this, — that  a  wise  man  will 
accept  what  is  commanded  ! 
Other  gospel  texts  are  these  : — 


II. — Chap,  xiii  :  14. 
14  The  direction  of  a  wise  man  is  a  burrowing  I 
out  place  of  life, 
for  getting  away  out  of  the  snares  of  death. 

III. — Chap,  xiv  :27. 
27  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  where  life  burrows 
out 
in  getting  away  out  of  the  snares  of  death. 


14  The  law  of  the  wise  is  a 
fountain  of  life,  to  depart  from 
the  snares  of  death. 


27  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is 
a  fountain  of  life,  to  depart 
from  the  snares  of  death. 


IV. — Chap,  xvi  :  6. 
6  By  mercy  and  truth  iniquity  is  covered  ;         I     6  By  mercy  and  truth  in- 
and  through  the  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the  turnlf^-'y/.^P^^Ro^  ^^L  dV'rt 
ing  from  evil.  I  from  evil. 


V. — Chap,  xxiv  :  7-12. 

7  The  wisdoms  attaching  to  a  fool  are  perfect 

jewels  ; 
though  he  opens  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate. 

8  Though  he  thinks  to  do  evil, 

men  might  call  him  a  very  master  of  devices. 

9  The  design  of  folly  is  the  Sin-OfTering; 

and  the  abomination,  in  the  case  of  man,  is 
the  scorner. 

10  If  thou  hast  been  remiss  in  the  day  of  nar- 

row trial, 
still  narrower  has  become  thy  strength.         , 

11  If  thou  forbearest  to  snatch  them   that  are 

laid  hold  of  for  death, 
and  them  that  are  tottering  to  the  slaughter ; 

12  because  thou  sayest, — Behold  we  have  not 

the  knowledge  : 
as  to   this,  is   there  not  One  weighing   out 

hearts?     He  has  the  discernment : 
and  One  watching  thy  soul  ?     He  has   the 

knowledge  ; 
and  He  has   rendered  to  men  according  to 

His  o\vn  works. 


7  Wisdom  is  too  high  for  a 
fool;  he  openeth  not  his 
mouth  in  the  gate. 

8  He  that  deviseth  to  do 
evil  shall  be  called  a  mis- 
chievous person. 

9  The  thought  of  foolish- 
ness is  sin  ;  and  the  scorner 
is  an  abomination  to  men. 

10  //"thou  faint  in  the  day 
of  adversity,  thy  strength  is 
small. 

11  If  thou  forbear  to  deliver 
them  that  are  drawn  unto 
death,  and  those  that  are 
ready  to  be  slain  : 

12  If  thou  sayest.  Behold, 
we  knew  it  not ;  doth  not  he 
that  pondereth  the  heart  con- 
sider it?  and  he  that  keep- 
eth  thy  soul,  doth  not  he 
know  it?  and  shall  not  he 
render  to  every  man  accord- 
ing to  his  works  ? 


VI. — Chap,  xxix  :  26. 
26  Many  seek  the  ruler's  favor ; 

but  a  man's  judgment  is  from  Jehovah. 


I  26  Many  seek  the  ruler's 
favour:  but  fr'e'r)' man's  judg- 
ment Cometh  from  the  Lord. 


Of  course  we  might  add  all  that  relates  to  the  Sin-Offering  (Class 
XLIII.);  in  fact,  much  that  is  in  other  classes  (see  Classes  LVI.  and 
LVIII). 

We  add  a  special  text,  which  seems  to  admit  a  sense  not  usually 
thought  of  in  the  teachings  of  theolog}- : — 


644  ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


VII. — Chap,  xix  :  19. 
19  Roughness  of  anger  lifts  away  penalty; 
but  if  it  delivers,  it  must  do  so  continually. 


19  A  man  of  great  wrath 
shall  suffer  punishment  ;  for 
if  thou  deliver  him^  yet  thou 
must  do  it  again. 

Punishment  is  meant  to  e.xpiate.  The  punishment  of  Christ  does  ex- 
piate. The  punishment  of  man  would  expiate,  if  it  could  continue  long 
enough  and  the  victim  cease  from  sin.  Sin  is  never  infinite,  for  it  is 
more  or  less  ;  it  can  be  measured  now  or  when  greater,  or  in  me  or  in 
some  greater  sinner.  Sin,  to  be  infinite,  must  be  all  alike.  If  sin  be 
finite,  it  could  be  expiated.  Sin,  to  be  expiated,  must  hold  still.  Here 
seems  the  burden  of  the  Proverb.  "  Roughness  of  anger  lifts  away  pun- 
ishment." Doubtless  this  is  the  very  gist  of  the  Atonement.  Why  not 
Hell,  therefore,  save?  The  Proverb  explains.  Each  pang  answers  to 
a  weight  of  guilt.  Did  I  keep  guilt  from  getting  greater,  Hell  might 
overtake  and  pay  my  debt.  But  alas  !  Hell  is  wicked  !  Sin  goes  on. 
Guilt  really  accelerates,  so  that  its  mountain  rises  faster  than  pain  pares 
it  down.  My  curse  is  Death  ;  and,  on  tnis  account,  "  roughness  of  anger 
lifts  away  penalty  ;" — but  cui  bono  ^  We  are  Sysiphus,  and  our  shoulder 
is  under  the  stone.  Punishment  pays  continually;  but  continual  sin 
piles  more  than  pain  can  expiate. 


CLASS   LVI. 

UNNOTICED    DOCTRINE. 

An  63-6  to  the  very  highest  truth  clears  up  many  Proverbs.  In  Ec- 
clesiastes  (5  :9,  E.  V.)  there  is  a  farming  sentence.  It  has  grown  fam- 
iliar. It  is  as  follows  : — "  Moreover  the  profit  of  the  earth  is  for  all  :  the 
king  himself  is  served  by  the  field."  We  inspect  it  closer,  however,  and 
the  bucolic  oracle  disappears,  as  it  ought.  Where  is  the  good  of  such 
sentences  ?  And  why  do  we  tolerate  them,  as  a  patch  on  a  beautiful  face  ? 
Ecclesiastes  has  been  working  in  the  very  profoundest  realms.  He  has 
brought  out  whole  revenues  of  thought.  This  is  in  the  very  midst. 
Therelore,  we  inspect  it  most  deeply.  And  there  turns  out  at  length  this 
Hebrew  :  "  Moreover  the  profit  of  the  earth  is  by  everything  ;"  that  is, — 
Advantage  (taking  that  in  the  very  highest  shape,  holiness  as  well  as 
happiness)  is  to  be  the  result  of  all  existences  ;  and  the  king  himself, 
i.  e.,  some  prince  of  creatures  who  might  seem  to  be  most  above  being 
subjected  to  use,— but  helps  the  story.  "Advantage  to  the  earth  is  by 
everything.     The  king  himself  is  ploughed  like  a  field." 

Thus  now  our  first  case  : — 

I. — Ch.\p.  xvi  :  10. 
10  There  is  a  divination  on  the  lips  of  a  king  ; 
his  mouth  is  not  treacherous  in  judgment. 


10  A  divine  sentence  is  in 
the  lips  of  the  king ;  his 
mouth  transgresseth  not  in 
judgment. 

If  "  the  king  himself  is  ploughed  like  a  field  "  (Eccles.  5  :  9),  every  or- 
der of  a  king  must  be  decreed.  He  may  be  Nero  ;  or  he  may  be  George 
the  Third.  He  may  be  a  knave;  or  a  fool.  Yet,  as  immensities  hang 
upon  his  lips,  they  must  not  transgress  a  handbreadth.  This  is  just  our 
passage.  There  is  a  divination  on  the  lips  of  kings.  'Ihe  king's  heart 
is  in   the  hand  of  the    Lord.     And  when  empires  are  hanging  on  his 


CLASS  LVI.  645 

breath,  badness  or  weakness  or  changefulness  may  reign  in  him  as  much 
as  you  please ;  his  final  judgments  are  as  fixed  as  they  are  wicked. 
Instantaneous  conversion  is  the  next  teaching  : — 

II. — Chap,  xvi  :  20. 

20  He  that  is  wise,  may,  for  one  act,  find  good  ;  2°  He  that  handleth  a  mat- 

so  he  that  casts  himself  on  Jehovah,  blessed  ^^LTot'„:l':,'it„'t?e°lo^^' 

IS  he  !  happy  IS  he. 

Shrewdness  in  a  single  barter  may  make  a  man  rich  for  life  ;  so  faith,  by 
a  single  act,  may  redeem  for  ever. 

Redemption  as  offered,  though,  is  not  enough.  This  begins  a  whole 
catalogue  of  cavils  !  Where  is  the  mercy  of  merely  providing  Christ,  and 
no  heart  that  I  may  accept  him  ? — 

III. — Chap,  xvii  :  16. 
16  Why  is  this  ? — a  price  in  the  hand  of  a  stupid 
man 
to  get  wisdom  ;  and  no  heart  ? 

But,  Once  in  grace  always  in  grace.  Saints  persevere.  Na}%  their  path 
is  upward  : — 

IV. — Chap,  xv  :  24. 
24  The  path  of  life  is  upward  for  the  wise  man  ;|     24  The  way  of  life  is  above 
because  of  the  turning  from  Sheol  beneath.   |  'pVt'frorheu'bene^th!''  ^^' 

And  yet  so  sluggish  is  our  earliest  life,  that  our  bargain  seems  a  poor 
one.  We  grumble  at  the  very  prize  we  purchased.  Our  property  grows 
upon  us.  Like  a  child's  purchase  we  are  shy  about  it  at  first;  but  shall 
shout  and  boast  when  in  our  Father's  Dwelling  : — 


16  Wherefore  is  there  a 
price  in  the  hand  of  a  fool  to 
get  wisdom,  seeing  he  hath 
no  heart  to  it  ? 


V. — Chap,  xx  :  14. 
14  Bad,  bad,  says  the  buyer  ; 

but  as  he  takes  himself  away,  then  he  boasts. 


14  //  is  naught,  it  is  naught, 
saith  the  buyer  :  but  when  he 
is  gone  his  way,  then  he  boast- 
eth. 

Strength  is  not  strength  without  piety.  Piety  seizes  upon  wealth,  and 
makes  it  a  blessing  : — 

VI. — Chap,  xxiv  :  5. 
5  A  strong  man,  if  wise,  is  as  a  power  indeed  ;f    s  A   wise  man  is  strong; 
and    a  man  of  knowledge  makes  strength  |  y--/^,™-°fg''--'^'^g=  - 
really  strong. 

Impiety  turns  everything  into  a  curse.  "A  stone  is  weighty  ;"  and 
place  it  where  you  will,  it  is  pressing  downward.  So  impenitence  in- 
creases in  depravity.  Painful  or  joyous,  it  has  no  emotion  that  does  not 
sink  it; — 

VII. — Chap,  xxvii  :  3. 
3  A  Stone  is  heavy,  and  the  sand  is  weighty  ;         3  A.  stone  zVheavy,  and  the 
and  the  trouble  of  a  fool  is  heavier  than  they  rath^rheaVier'lan  S 
both  both. 


646 


ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS 


CLASS  LVII. 


OVERLOOKED  ALLUSIONS  TO  THE  DEITY. 


We  merely  quote  these.  If  our  Commentary  (which  see)  is  correct,  it 
will  help  that  to  appear  if  we  look  at  them  as  they  are  arranged  to- 
gether : — 


I.— Chap,  xxiii  :  1-8. 

1  Forasmuch  as  thou  sittest  to  eat  with  a  Ruler, 
discern  well  Who  is  before  thee  ; 

2  and  thou  hast  put  a  knife  to  thy  throat, 
if  thou  be  a  man  given  to  appetite. 

3  Long  not  after  His  dainty  meats  ; 
while  He  is  Himself  deceitful  food. 

4  Labor  not  to  create  wealth. 

Cease  from  thine  own  discernment. 

5  Wilt  thou  fly  after  Him  with  thine  eyes,  and 

He  not  there  ? 
For  He  is  certain  to  make  to  Himself  wings 
as  an  eagle,  and  fly  away  to  heaven. 

6  Feed  not  on  the  food  of  Him  that  has  an  evil 

eye ; 
and  long  not  after  His  dainty  meats. 

7  For  as  He  has  made  an  estimate  in  His  soul, 

so  is  He. 
Eat  and  drink,  He  says  to  thee  ; 
but  His  heart  is  not  with  thee. 

8  Thy  morsel,  that  thou  hast  eaten,  thou  shalt 

vomit  up  ; 
and  lose  thy  sweet  words. 

II. — Chap,  xxiv  :  21-26. 

21  Fear  Jehovah,  my  son,  and  the  King. 

With  tliem  given  to  change  have   thou   no- 
thing to  do. 

22  For  Their  heavy  inflictions  shall  come  sud- 

denly ; 
and  the  destruction  by  the  Two,  who  is  there 
that  knows  ? 

23  Even  as  to  These,  for  the  wise 

to  be  partial  in  judgment  is  not  good. 

24  Him    that    says    to     the    wicked, — Thou    art 

rigtiteous, 
nations  shall  curse,  peoples  shall  treat  with 
indignation. 

25  And  to  them  that  set  the  thing  right  it  shall 

be  pleasant  ; 
and  upon  them  shall  come  the  blessing  of 
the  good  man. 

26  He  kisses  lips, 

who  returns  straightforward  words. 


1  When  thou  sittest  to  eat 
with  a  ruler,  consider  diligent- 
ly what  is  before  thee  ; 

2  And  put  a  knife  to  thy 
throat,  if  thou  be  a  man  given 
to  appetite. 

3  Be  not  desirous  of  his 
dainties  ;  for  they  are  deceit 
ful  meat. 

4  Labour  not  to  be  rich  ; 
cease  from  thine  own  wisdom. 

5  Wilt  thou  set  thine  eyes 
upon  that  which  is  not?  for 
nches  certainly  make  them- 
selves wings  ;  they  fly  away, 
as  an  eagle  toward  heaven. 

6  Eat  thou  not  the  bread 
o{ hint  that  hat/i  an  evil  eye, 
neither  desire  thou  his  dainty 
meats  ; 

7  For  as  he  thinketh  in  his 
heart,  so  is  he  :  Eat  and  drink, 
saith  he  to  thee  ;  but  his  heart 
is  not  with  thee. 

8  The  morsel  which  thou 
hast  eaten  shalt  thou  vomit 
up,  and  lose  thy  sweet  words. 


21  My  son,  fear  thou  the 
Lord  and  the  king  ;  andmeA- 
dle  not  with  them  that  are 
given  to  change  : 

22  For  their  calamity  shall 
rise  suddenly  ;  and  who  know- 
eth  the  ruin  of  them  both  ? 

23  These  things ^Xso  belong 
to  the  wise.  It  is  not  good  to 
have  respect  of  persons  in 
judgment. 

24  He  that  saith  unto  the 
wicked,  Thou  art  righteous  ; 
him  shall  the  people  curse, 
nations  shall  abhor  him  : 

25  But  to  them  that  rebuke 
him  shall  be  delight,  and  a 
good  blessing  shall  come  ifpon 
them. 

26  Every  man  shall  kiss 
his  lips  that  giveth  a  right, 
answer. 


CLASS  LVIII. 


647 


III.— Chap,  xxv  :  2-7. 

2  It  is  the  glory  of  Gods  to  cover  over  a  thing, 
but  the  glory  of  Kings  to  search  a  thing  out. 

3  The  heavens,  as  to  height,  and  the  earth,  as 

to  depth, 
and  the  heart  of  Kings  there  is  no  searching. 

4  Try  dross  from  silver, 

and  there  comes  forth  a  vessel  for  the  finer. 

5  Try  the  wicked  before  the  King, 

and  His  throne  is  set  firm  in  righteousness. 

6  Trick  not  thyself  out  before  the  King; 

and  in  the  place  of  the  great  stand  not  thou 
up. 

7  For  it  is  better  to   say  to   thee, — Come  up 

hither; 
than  to  put  thee   down   before   the   Prince 
whom  thine  eyes  have  seen. 


2  It  is  the  glory  of  God  to 
conceal  a  thing  :  but  the  hon- 
our of  kings  is  to  search  out  a 
matter. 

3  The  heaven  for  height, 
and  the  earth  for  depth,  and 
the  heart  of  kings  is  unsearch- 
able. 

4  Take  away  the  dross  from 
the  silver,  and  there  shall 
come  forth  a  vessel  for  the 
finer. 

5  Take  away  the  wicked 
front  before  the  king,  and  his 
throne  shall  be  established  in 
righteousness. 

6  Put  not  forth  thyself  in 
the  presence  of  the  king,  and 
stand  not  in  the  place  ofgreat 
7iien  : 

■7  For  better  /;"  is  that  it  be 
said  unto  thee.  Come  up  hith- 
er, than  that  thou  shouldest 
be  put  lower  in  the  presence 
of  the  prince  whom  thine 
eyes  have  seen. 


CLASS  LVIII. 


OVERLOOKED  MESSIANIC  PROPHECIES. 
Here  also,  as  they  are  long,  we  will  simply  transcribe  the  passages:— 


I. — Chap,  xxx  :  1-4 

1  Words  of  I-Fear,  Son  of  the  Godly  ;   The 

Prophecy : — 
The  Strong  Man  speaks  to  God-with-me, 
to  God-with-me  and  to  I-am-able. 

2  Forasmuch  as  I  am  more  brutish  as  to  my- 

self, than  a  man  of  the  better  sort, 
and  have  not  the  intelligence  of  a  common 
man, 

3  and  have  not  been  taught  wisdom, 
and  yet  know  the  knowledge  of  holy  things  ; 

4  who  has  gone  up  to  heaven  and  come  down? 
who  has  gathered  the  winds  in  his  fists? 
who  has  bound  the  waters  in  a  garment  ? 
who  has  set  firm  all  the  extremities  of  the 

earth  ? 
what  is  his  name,  and  what  is  his  son's  name  ? 
Because,  Thou  knowest 

,  wl,XinTe'speTt  to  the  Seed-of-God,  a  King  :  1  , \Kr:pheW°Sb^o: 
•     a   prophecy   in   agreement  with   which   Wis  Lj^^j.  ^^^gj^j  him. 

mother  disciplined  Him.  j    u  . 

2  What  is  my  son?     And  what  is  the  son  of!  ^=^Wh^a';,p^-J -^wh^t^ 

m  J' womb?  ■        ■ 

and  what  the  son  of  my  vows  ? 


1  The  words  of  Agur,  the 
son  of  Jakeh,  even  the  pro- 
phecy: the  man  spake  unto 
Ithiel,  even  unto  Ithiel  and 
Ucal. 

2  Surely  I  am  more  brutish 
than  any  man.  and  have  not 
the  understanaing  of  a  man. 

3  I  neither  learned  wisdom, 
nor  have  the  knowledge  of  the 
holy. 

4  Who  hath  ascended  up 
into  heaven,  or  descended? 
who  hath  gathered  the  wind 
in  his  fists?  who  hath  bound 
the  waters  in  a  garment? 
who  hath  established  all  the 
ends  of  the  earth  ?  what  is 
his  name,  and  what  is  his 
son's  name,  if  thou  canst  tell  ? 


me     soil      VI      my       wumw  ;      ou 

I  what,  the  son  of  my  vows  ? 


^48 


ORIGINAL  EXPOSITIONS. 


3  Give  not  thy  strength 
unto  women,  nor  thy  ways  to 
that  which  destroyeth  kings. 

4  It  is  not  for  kings,  O  Le- 
muel, it  is  not  for  kings  to 
drink  wine,  nor  for  princes 
strong  drink  : 

5  Lest  they  drink  and  for- 
get the  law,  and  pervert  the 
judgment  of  any  of  the  af- 
flicted. 

6  Give  strong  drink  unto 
him  that  is  ready  to  perish, 
and  wine  unto  those  that  be 
of  heavy  hearts. 

7  Let  him  drink,  and  forget 
his  poverty,  and  remember 
his  misery  no  more. 

8  Open  thy  mouth  for  the 
dumb  in  the  cause  of  all  such 
as  are  appointed  to  destruc- 
tion. 

9  Open  thy  mouth,  judge 
righteously,  and  plead  the 
cause  of  the  poor  and  needy. 


3  Give  not  thy  strength  to  women  ; 
or  thy  ways  so  as  to  destroy  kings. 

4  Let  it  not  be  for  kings,  for  the  seed  of  God  ; 
let  it  not  be  for  kings  to  drink  wine  ; 
nor  for  princes  ;  or  strong  drink  : 

5  lest  one  drink,  and  forget  what  is  command- 

ed, 
and  set  wrong  the  cause  of  any  of  the  sons 
of  misery. 

6  Give  ye  strong  drink  to  him  that  is  being 

lost; 
and  wine  to  the  embittered  in  soul. 

7  Let  him  drink,  and   forget  his  wretchedness, 
and  remember  his  trouble  no  more. 

8  Open  thy  mouth  for  the  dumb  man, 
to  plead  the  cause  of  all   the  children  of  a 

change. 

9  Open  thy  mouth;  judge  righteousness  ; 
and  plead  the  cause  of  the  afflicted  and  needy. 

jvjQtice  ; — Two  people  are  expressing  wonder.  One  is  an  Incarnate  ; 
the  other,'depraved  and  human.  They  are  similar,  however.  One  is  a 
Strange  Offspring,  and  He  is  wondering  at  Himself;  and  the  other  is  His 
mother,  and  she  is  wondering  at  her  Strange  Offspring.  Both  are  hu- 
man ;  though  One  is  also  divine.  Learn  this,  therefore  ;— that  the  Divine- 
Human  was  so  much  like  the  mere  human,  as  to  grow  in  knowledge. 
Growing  in  knowledge,  He  was  of  course  ignorant  (Matt.  24:  36);  and, 
being  ignorant,  we  are  to  treat  more  practically  than  we  usually  do, 
much  oflhe  history.  He  was  very  man.  Merely  as  very  man,  of  course 
Ue  was  finite.  Being  finite,  of  course  He  was  ignorant.  Being  ignorant. 
He  is  so  still.  Orthodoxy  is  strangely  damaged  by  suffering  any  of  its 
lines  to  be  defaced.  He  has  either  ceased  to  be  very  man,  or  He  is  still 
erowint^  in  knowledge.  And  if  He  still  grows  in  knowledge,  we  must  ex- 
pect to*ee  a  man  like  ourselves.  He  is  infinite  in  His  nature  as  God  ; 
but  He  must  continue  to  be  finite  for  the  God  to  be  incarnate.  That  He 
chose  Tudas,  then  (Matt.  10  : 4),  knowing  that  he  had  a  devil  ;  that  He 
rebuffed  His  mother  (Jo.  2:4).  knowing  that  His  hour  had  come  ;  and 
that  He  knew  everything  all  through  His  apprenticeship  with  His  father,— 
is  true  of  His  knowledge  as  God  (Jo.  2  :  25),  but  neither  exemplary  or 
possible  in  His  conduct  as  a  Creature. 


INDEX 

TO 

CLASSIFIED   TEXTS. 


Chap. 
I  :  2,  3. 

"  :  4,  5-- 
:  6,  7. 


Class. 
.1     .... 


Page. 


"  :  22 X. 

"  :  26.. 


549 

•  "•••• 550 

■  " 550 

.XXIX 599 

569 

570 


II:i-S in 554 

"  .-7 XXXVI 611 

"  :  8 1 ,  XLVI II 550,  627 

"  :  10 XLV 623 

"  :  12-15 1 ••  551 

":  16-17 1 55' 

"  :  18,  19   XLV 623 

"  :  18-20 Ill 554 

III:  1,2 LIII 638 

"    :  12 VI,  XVIII.  ...561,  582 


16 LIII...  , 

18 X 

21.   XXXVI 

25 XLV.... 

30 XXXVIII... 


638 

570 
611 
623 
614 


'•    :3o XLVI 624 

IV:7 XIV 575 

"    :  8 XLV...... 623 

"    :  10 LIII 638 

"    :  13 X 570 

"    :14,1s XXXV 610 

"    :i6 XXXVIII 614 

"    :23 XXXIX 615 

"    :26 "       615 


V  :  2 1 550 

"  :6 XXXII 606 

":i4 XXVI 595 

"  :2i XXXII 606 

":22 XIV 575 

"  :23 X 570 


VI:  1-5... 
"  :  9-19- • 
"  :  12-15. 
"    :  19.... 

:  19.... 

:  23 

"    :26.... 


..LII 636 

..LIV 640 

..II 551 

.•.XVII 581 

.XXXIX 616 

..XV 577 

..IV 555 


VII; 


:  23- 
:  27. 


■  HI 554 

.LI 631 

.VIII,  LI 563,631 

.XL 616 

.XV 578 


VIII  :2 XV 578 

"     :  14   XXXVI 611 

"    :  18 LIII 638 

"    :  22 XIV,  XVI 576,  578 

"    -.30 XLII 618 


Chap. 
VIII:  35.. 


Cl.\ss. 
.XI 


6 XXXV. 

7 XII... 

II LIII... 

16 XVIII.. 


Page. 
•••572 


610 

573 
638 
583 


X:  I XXIII 588 

:  6 LI 632 

:8 LV 642 

:  II LI 632 

:i3 Y 558 

:  14 559 

:  16 XLIII 621 

:  18 X 570 

:  20 LI 632 

:  22 X 570 

:23 V,  XXXIII.    .559,607 

:  24 X   570 

:  27 LIII 639 


XI 


7 

15.... 
16.... 

17 

18,  19. 


.XXI. 
.LII.. 
.L.... 
.VIII. 
.11... 


58s 
637 
630 

564 
552 


XII 


XIII 


XLVII 625 

22 L 630 

28 X 571 

31 XLIV 621 

5 XLVIII 626 

14 XLIX 628 

16 IV 555 

17 XVII 581 

25 XXIII 589 

27 XIV 576 


I XXI 

5 V,  VIII 

6 XLIII... 

8 VIII.... 

12 XXIX.. 


....  585 
■559i  564 
619 

564 

598 


5,643 

•  599 

•  594 
.  566 


14 XXIX,  LV.. 

15 

17 XXVI 

19 IX 

23 XXVI 595 

23 XLVIII 626 

2 XII 573 

3 XXVI 595 

5 XVII 581 

7 V 558 

9 VII 562 

10 XII,  XIV 573,  576 

14   XII 573 

18 XXII 587 

21 XXX 603 

22 V,    XIX 560,583 


(649) 


650 


XIV 


CLASSIFIED 


Chap.  Class.  Page. 

24 vin 565 

27 XXIX,  LV...  598,  643 

34 XLIII 620 

35 XXIV 590 


XV  :  5 V 560 

7 XXXVII 612 

10 II         552 

II xLiv ; 622 

24 LVI 645 

XVI:  2 IV,  XIII 556,574 

3 ...V,  XIV 560,  576 

4 XVI 579 

5   XLVII 625 

r, LV    643 

7 VIII 565 

8 XLVIII 627 

10 LV  I .  644 

II,.. VII! 565 

20  LVI 645 

26 XII,  XLI  ....573,  618 

27,  29 II 552 

31 IX 567 

31 XIV 576 

XVII  :2 XVII 580 

7 XLIV 622 

12 XXVII 596 

16 LVI 645 

18 Lll 637 

19 LI 632 

20 XXVI 594 

26    IV 555 

26 XXVIII 597 

XVIII  :  I XXXVI 611 

"  :6 XXXVII 612 

"  :  16 XLIX 628 

"  :  17 XIV 577 

"  :  19 LI 632 

"  :  20 XIV 577 

"  :  21 11 553 

"  :24 XXIX 599 

XIX:  I X 571 

"      :5 XVII 581 

"      :9 "       581 

"      :  10 XLIV 622 

"     :  n XLIX 628 

"      :  18 XLV 623 

"      :  ig LV 644 

"      :  21,  22 XLIX 628 

"      =23.; XXIV 590 

"      :  27 "       590 

"     :28 XLVIII 627 


XX  :2   XXX 

"     :6 VII  ..    ... 

"     :6 XXXVII 

"     :  7 VIII 

"     :  8 XXXVII. 

"     :ii VI 

"     :n XIX 

"     :  14 LVI 

"     :  15 IV 

"     :  16 1.II 


. .  603 
••  563 
••  613 
•■  565 
. .  612 
..  561 
..  583 
■■  645 
••  556 
••   637 

:  17 XLIX 629 

:  18 XXIII 589 

:  22 XXIX 600 

:  24 XLIX 620 

:  25 IV 556 

:29 XVII 580 


TEXTS. 

Chap. 

Cl.'vss. 

Page. 

XX  :  30 

..XXVI  .... 

593 

XXI  :2 IV,  XIII 556,  574 

:4 XLIII 620 

:  7 XLVIII 627 

:  9 L 630 

:  12 IV 557 

:  12 VIII 5b6 

...  XXII    587 

' ■■-■   597 


19. 


12 XXVIII 

13 X... 

15 V  ... 

..L  ... 

..XII  . 

:  22...' XXI 

:  24 XXXI 604 

:  27 XXXIII 608 

:27 XLIV 622 

:  28 XVII 581 

.•31 V,XXIV 557,591 


571 
558 
631 
573 
585 


XXII  :4 XX,  LIII. 

:  s XX 

:5,  6 LI 

:6 XLI 

:  8 XXXI.... 

:9 X 

:  II II,  XIV.. 

:  15 LI 

:  17 Ill 


.584,  639 
....  584 
... .  633 
....   618 

60s 

57^ 

•553,  577 

633 

554 


.XLV 


:  18 V,XLV 560,  623 

:  26,  27 LII  637 


..  646 

, .  571 

. .  623 

. .  623 

•  ■  571 
.  609 
..  610 
. .  624 
562 


XXIII  :i-8 LVII 

"      =3 X 

•  :9... 

"  ;:t::::::::x.-:..:;. 

"      :  17 XXXIV 

"      :  i9 XXXV. 

"      :22 XLV  .. 

"      :23 VI 


...XXIII 589 

...IX,  LI 567,633 

XXIV  :  I XXXIV 609 

"      :  5 LVI 64s 

"      •.^ XXXVII 613 

"      :  7-12 LV 643 

"      :8.9 XXXIII 607 

"      :9 XLIII 62c 

"      :  16  XXVI 594 

"      :  19 XXXIV 609 

"•     :  21-26 LVII 646 

"      :23 XIII 574 

"      :  27 XXI 586 

"      :  28 V,  XLVI 561,  625 

"      =31 XIII 574 

"      :  32 X 572 

"      :34 XXXVII 613 


XXV  :  2-7. 


:  26. 
:  28. 


.LVII 647 

.XXVI 505 

.XVII 581 

.XXV 591 

.II 553 

.LI 633 

.1 .  631 

LI. 634 

.LI 


634 

XXVI  :2 XXIV 591 

"       -.I XLVI 625 


CLASSIFIED  TEXTS. 


651 


Chap. 
XXVI  :  4 


Class. 


4 X 

7-10 LI  ... 

12 XXV 

16 XXIX. 


571 

....  634 

592 

....   599 

.XXXI 604 

.IX 567 


XXVII  :  I     XXIX. 


XXVII 


:  9.. 
:  13. 
:  15. 
:  17. 
:  19. 


:2s 

26 

28 


2XIX 


....  600 

.LVI 645 

.XXIX,  LI....  600,635 

.IX,  XL 568,617 

.LII 637 

.L  631 

•LI 635 

LI- ••■■ 63s 

.XIII 575 

.II 553 

.XLIX 629 

.XXII 5S8 

.VIII.. 566 

.XXIX 600 

.XXVI 

.VII 

.XL 

.X 

.XXIX 


594 
563 
617 

571 
601 


XVII 579 

XXV 592 


Chap.  Class.         page. 

XXIX:4 XVII 580 

:  5 XLIX 629 


.II. 
.IX. 


.II. 


16     XXV.... 

16 XXVIII. 

18 XXIX... 

20 XXV  ..., 

26 XLVIII. 

26 LV 


553 
568 
568 
553 
592 
596 
601 

592 
627 

643 


XXX  :  1-4 


..LVIII 647 

..XLIX f^Q 

:6 XXV 593 

:6 XXVIII 597 

:  10 XXIX 601 

•  '°~33 LIV 640 

:  16 XXIX 602 

127 XXIX 602 

:3i XXIII 589 

:  32 IX 569 


XXXI:  1-9 LVIII. 

"      :3 IX.... 

"      :8... .XXIX. 

"      :  10,  etc L 

"      :  17 XXI.., 

"      :3° IX.... 


647 
569 
602 
631 
5£6 

569 


Princeton   Theological  Semmary-Speer   Library 


1    1012  01115  6561 


DATE  DUE 


Demco,  Inc.  38-293 


